Defense of Doubt

History, is  the story of people, but many historical figures become defined by one event in their life. William T. Sherman never lived down that he was a loony; Nero that he fiddled while Rome burned; or on a positive side, Alexander Graham Bell is known as inventing the telephone. There exists few historical personalities defined by one event as is Thomas the Apostle. Thomas has been labeled “doubting Thomas.” Being named Thomas, I have an affinity for this apostle. I was born on what was then his recognized feast day, although the Church later changed his feast date to be July 3. My spouse would, however, say that the comparison between my name sake and I goes well beyond the name, and that we share certain character traits. Most of us should know the gospel reading to which I refer. What you may not know is that it is one of the few gospel readings that makes each of the three lectionary cycles in the Catholic Church for the second Sunday of Easter.  If you are Catholic, on the second Sunday of Easter you will hear about Thomas.  Let me examine in this "Defense of Doubt" why Thomas has been hung, in my opinion, with an unfair label.

First, let us note that Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared on that day after his resurrection. The disciples were locked in a room because they were afraid. If you see an empty tomb one reaction could be a grave robbery. They likely had reason to be afraid. Would not someone wish to question what is really going on? It is a simple human reaction to the moment. The group is huddled together in fright, not in joyous celebration of the risen Lord. They were having a human reaction to an event difficult to explain. Was there a question of faith on their part? Probably, for if they truly believed in the resurrection they would have faced life and its consequences and not hid in a room.  Most of them would face the consequences of being a Christian later in life.

Even if we consider it doubt, that word connotes a level of negativity. The reputation of Saint Thomas indicates a shamefulness to his comment he made to another disciple. Doubt and the ability to question is part of what makes one human. Just because one questions something, is not reason to hang such negative connotation to the event.  You are questioning what makes a person human.  One certainly knows that Peter should not cast a stone at Thomas for he had denied even knowing Christ in the early morning of Good Friday. In any event, it is not at all unusual for some of the most highly recognized saints to go through times of doubt on where is God, and his fit in their life. Two example can suffice. First is St. John of the Cross, who even coined the term “Dark Night of the Soul,” which is a title of work he had written. However, perhaps the best recognized modern day example to go through feelings of spiritual abandonment was Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, who we know today as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Ten years after her death correspondence between her and her confessor was released detailing her spiritual heartache, her feelings of abandonment and her wonder of her calling. Persons of great faith, and charitable works have doubt. Maybe their doubt can intensify as their relationship with God deepens and evolves. Was it a lack of faith, a show of humanness, or a combination of the two that Mother Teresa had her own dark night of the soul for decades? Even Jesus showed a human side—think of his anger when he challenged the money makers in the temple, his snide comment to his Mom while preaching at a young age in his father’s house, and of course his words on the cross about being forsaken by God, his father. Although, as an aside, if Jesus felt that much pain, can you imagine the pain of his father? No parent would want to see their child put through that humiliation.

Yet, the strongest argument about not treating Thomas in a negative light is to me in the Gospel passage itself. The first part of the passage is most instructive:

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, "Peace be with you."
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained."

 Most instructive is during Jesus’s greeting of “Peace be with you” is immediately followed by: “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.” Therefore, as he was giving his greeting to the disciples Christ revealed to those gathered in the room the marks in his hands and in his side. They did not have to ask the question about seeing the marks, because Christ was right there revealing the wounds of his crucifixion. Although, they were probably too in awe with the whole scenario. Who would not be speechless at seeing a person risen from the dead? Thomas was obviously attending to other chores during the time of this encounter, as being the impetuous man that he is often considered, he would otherwise have made it a point to be with the other disciples. Thomas was left to have the other disciples tell him about their encounter with the Lord.

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
But he said to them,
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

The easy way is to interpret this as doubt, but to me it is an expression of our human nature followed by one of the most dramatic proclamations of faith in the bible: “My Lord and my God.” If the other disciples had seen a man in the room who did not show the nail marks, I think one of them would have wondered if the proverbial wool was being pulled over their eyes and would have asked to see more proof, the nail marks being the clear indicator. Further, the focus should not be on the reticence expressed to the other disciples by Thomas when told of them seeing the risen Christ, but rather on his proclamation of faith.  He had faith because he touched the wounds, but if he was present on the day after the resurrection, he likely would have accepted Jesus as having risen, as he would have been shown the nail marks.

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

As a human doubt is part of our lives, but questioning should not be considered a negative it should be viewed as a means of growth, just as St. John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Calcutta used their dark night of the soul to lead themselves to a greater connection to God.  It is easy for us to mock Thomas for not believing, because we here in the current century do not see Jesus in body on earth. It is faith that tells us to believe, and we do not know Jesus as a man as did Thomas and the other disciples. Yet, God is present on earth, in different manners and in different forms, we just need to be looking in the right places.  Although, I have this feeling that my wife will still say I share this character trait with my name sake.

Images from Google

Stay Warm

This week I came across a map in “Business Insider” which identified the chief international import of each state and the District of Columbia. Some statistics are counter to what one would think of a situation, and others reinforce a belief. Probably rare is the statistic that will accomplish both. Yet, that is what the 2015 import statistic for Wisconsin provided to me. This blog post will explain this odd situation, paradox if you will, and why it resonates.

 The United States is a vast highly developed country that uses more oil and natural gas than any other country in the world. We like the independence and privacy our cars and homes provide  In 2015 the United States used more oil than the next two countries (China and India) combined. In consumption of natural gas, the European Union and Russia combined used slightly more than the United States in 2015. Given the national dependence upon oil and natural gas, and that Wisconsin has no energy supplies, although plenty of frac sand, I thought the top international import for Wisconsin would be oil. Oil did not even make the list of the top 25 imports, which is by 2016 dollar value. The top import in in Wisconsin for 2015 was sweaters. Yes, you read that correctly—sweaters. But it only gets better, the top category is for sweaters of cotton or other natural fibers, the second top import was for sweaters made out of man-made material. The top two categories are for the same type of clothing. Sweaters is used as a general category which seems to also include pull-overs, which would also include sweatshirts. This post will primarily use the term on the map--sweaters.

2015 Top International Imports by State (2016$)
Source:  Business Insider

Of the 51 entities for which a statistic was made available in the map, Wisconsin was the only one to have what the industry calls a soft-good as its top import. This, it seems is rather telling, apparently Wisconsinites like their sweaters. They wish to be comfy. Either that or they don’t know what else to give as a Christmas gift. There is also the work-place favorite of wearing and ugly Christmas sweater, perhaps the state demographics favor purchase of Christmas sweaters, leaving ugly to the eye of the beholder. In some places an ugly sweater may be considered something fun to break up the long dark nights of the north. Wisconsinites also seem to favor natural materials over synthetic materials. The data is not clear about how they calculate when both natural and synthetic material is involved in the same sweater. One can certainly understand sweaters as an import, since clothing manufacturing has gone overseas mostly to Asia. Asian sweatshops produce they products to keep prices low for consumers. This top import reinforces consistent stereo-types of Wisconsin, the land of the frozen tundra. We all know Wisconsin is cold, but so too are other northern Midwestern states.

Cotton Sweater
Google images

Minnesota’s top import was crude oil.  Maybe they like their heat.  In any event Minnesota is probably partial to flannel.  Think lumberjack red and black plaid flannel.  Wisconsinites keep warm by using sweaters. I myself have several cotton sweaters that I wear to work, and sweatshirts that I wear at home. Wisconsinites love to drive, and heat their homes, but apparently not enough to warrant crude oil being such that it does even makes the list, which is the top 25 imports. Wisconsin oil could come from the United States, but why would that not be the case for Minnesota and Illinois? Minnesota is closer to the fields of Dakotas, and Illinois has some large refineries. Iowa’s top import is natural gas, even though they are closer to the natural gas fields of the west. Crude oil, was the top import for 13 states, and refined oil for three (Alaska, Maine, and New Hampshire). Wealth, in terms of employment and creation of value, comes not so much from the raw material as the processing of the material into useful items. For example, it may be dirty but processing of oil produces more jobs than simply having oil fields. Alaska exports crude (its 8th highest export) and then imports refined oil--from overseas. (Its other top ten exports items were either food, think fish, or other raw materials (zinc and lead). Lack of manufacturing can lead to a boom and bust economy.

Packer Sweatshirt
Google images

Showing where wealth is concentrated, the top import in New York is diamonds, the non-industrial variety. While a consumer good, diamonds are certainly more discretionary than keeping warm. In Florida, the top import is non-monetary gold, which would equate to jewelry (like diamonds, consumer discretionary), or I suppose with the high elderly population for use in fillings. Some state imports don’t make sense. For example, cattle is the chief import for Nebraska, and I know they have a good number of slaughter houses, but do they import cattle to butcher? Beef is the chief import in South Dakota and one wonders why they have a penchant for beef from overseas compared to that grown nearby in other plain states. Six states, including the non-surprising California, have cars as their chief import. Michigan, long the standard bearer for American car manufacturing also has cars as its chief import.

Purchases can tell us a great deal about a culture. Anthropologists study past cultures by reviewing items found in their dumps, grave sites, and in the detritus of past homes. Diamonds and gold may last a long time, if they can be found, but crude oil is depleted and its use leaves a carbon footprint behind for future generations. As for those sweaters and Green Bay Packer or Wisconsin sweatshirts so common to us Wisconsinites, they will wither away leaving this number one purchase to the wiles of the internet. Wisconsinites, I think they can take some sense of pride in having chosen comfortable clothing as their top purchase in 2015.  It is also possible that government employees had just recovered from the impact of Act 10 and decided to splurge--Wisconsin style--buy a new sweater or sweatshirt.  It certainly sets Wisconsin apart from other states. It is an anomaly.  Wisconsinites thus seem to be a practical people just wanting to stay warm.

Indignity

On Good Friday, the Christian world recognizes the crucifixion, and death of Jesus.  If that in itself is not cruel so too was the way Jesus was paraded through the streets of Jerusalem, out of town to the hill known as Calvary, which was also known as Golgatha (Place of the Skull) in the Aramaic language common to the locale and time.  Many people in the world today suffer from some type of indignity.  In some cases it is brought on by themselves, some it is misfortune, some by birth, and others through no fault of their own.  As all are created in the likeness and image of God, should not all persons be provided some level of dignity?  Small acts of kindness can help to counter the indignity felt by parts of the human population.

Author Photo, 2013

The very use of the term crucifixion, at least for a Christian, provides images of the Roman punishment rendered by Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, to Jesus.  Biblical accounts tell us that being the time of a festival the governor was accustomed to the release of a prisoner, and the crowd yelled for Barabbas.  In one of the more pitiful statements of justification in history, Pilate noted that "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves."  The distance between Pilate's palace and Calvary would be about 650 yards, up hill the whole way.  Tradition has it that the route he walked is today known as the Via Dolorosa, although several earthquakes, and ravages of man later the exact route is not fully known.  In some places the first century route is 20 or more feet below current grade.  Although, they have brought up pavement stones from the era to current grade as a tactical connection with early first century AD.  In any event Jesus, with the later help of Simon, was required to carry the cross beam of the cross, not the post, and this would have weighed about 100 pounds. Even before being required to carry the beam up hill, he was stripped and tortured.  I could recount what historians believe to be the manner of torture, but it is even too gruesome for me to account, much less my poor writing skills to accurately portray.  Having been in Jerusalem, let me simply say what the experienced and educated guide described was enough to wonder how a man was still alive much less able to climb the hill to the place of the skull.

Recognized route of Jesus on Good Friday
Source:  Google images

The Romans were masterful politicians, and in an age before photography or videos, the horrendous humiliation placed on a person in public was a simple matter of deterrence.  Upon reaching the hill, Christ was then nailed to the cross, most likely either in the hands, in which case rope was also used to tie the arms to the cross beam, or perhaps into the forearm, between the two bones.  Historical accounts seem to recognize both methods being used in the early part of the first century.  What the accounts do not say is also trying to souls.  Imagine a warm spring day in Jerusalem, about 2000 years ago.  You have been subjected to all levels of humiliation, perhaps the worst when your own disciple disowned you at the crow of the rooster.  Is the worst is yet to come.  You are dripping with sweat and blood, your back sore not only from the beating, but from carrying a 100 pound piece of wood.  You now have nails pounded into your hands and feet, with the cross set up for all to see on one of the high points of surrounding the city.  You find it hard to breathe.  Then would come the  ridicule.  It was from guards, bystanders, and even one of the thieves to the side.  Then there was the insult placed atop the cross, mocking the claim of being a king.  They never really understood that the metaphor.

Cross section of Church of Holy Sepulcher with 1st century AD ground elevation
Source:  Google Images

The causes of death from crucifixion vary, but most common is asphyxiation. A crucified person cannot properly hold their body up right gravity works against them. and they slowly see the body compress as their arms stretch.  (which is why they break the legs of those who may not have died.) As all this is occurring imagine flies, gnats and assorted other insects gathering around your head, and open wounds, a natural reaction is to swat, but of course your hands are nailed.  Birds and/or buzzards fly above waiting for the moment to pounce.  It must have been excruciating.  And we think mosquitoes are bad.  There would also be the smell of death, and decay.  Down the hill, to the opposite side of the path, there was likely the human detritus of past crucifixions.  Thus, was the world of torture in the time of the Roman Empire circa 30 AD.

Plaque marking early AD paving stones near Holy Sepulcher
author photo

Five of the fourteen stations of the cross, as recognized by the Catholic Church, occurred within what are now the walls of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and another likely just outside its walls.  The condition of the current church of the Holy Sepulcher structure does not belie the reason for its existence.  During my visit the church was as dark and dreary as the clouds which covered Jerusalem for three hours that one afternoon so long ago.  It also is of course, in keeping with its age.  It was first built by the mother of the Emperor Constantine in 333 AD, before being destroyed in 1009 by a Muslim Caliphate, and rebuilt during the Crusades in 1048.  It is not the age or really the condition of the church which matters, however.  To people of faith it is  what is contained within its walls, most in particular the rock grotto which is the grave owned by Joseph of Arimathea, but would come to contain for a few days the mangled body of Jesus Christ.  In an twist of ironic coincidence, or "Godincidence" (a termed coined by my wife), the grave site was in the slope next to Calvary.   One within sight of the other. Probably within a couple hundred feet by line.  Did Jesus as he was dying see the place where in three days he would  rise again?  Christ lost his dignity that day, but regained it in a much more glorious manner than any before, or since.  Christ began the week with a triumphant ride into Jerusalem, and by Friday, was met with varied indignities incorporating a wide range of options.

Door to Church
Author photo

Today persons are still subjected to indignity of various types. Keeping his word on moving the world to recognize those in the peripheries, Pope Francis is doing his share to provide dignity to those to which the word is just a concept..  He is pushing the developed world to better recognize the plight of the third world, the refugees, the homeless, and the poor.  This, even if the reason for their situation may be of their own making, their own human frailty.  Does human frailty provide an excuse for their treatment and the way society tends to shove them aside?   Pope Francis does not think so.  He recently commented that one should help a beggar without regard for how the money may be spent.  Yet, in do doing may we perhaps be enabling a beggar or homeless person in a drug habit?  Obviously the Pope does not think so, as the person having a decision in itself provides some dignity.  He also likely hopes that mercy and charity freely given helps us as much as it may help the recipient.

Stone relocated above first century grade, said to have been
touched by Christ as he carried his cross
Jerusalem, Author photo

What, you may ask does an old man wearing a white cassock really know about the poor, and homeless?   Beyond the fact that as Archbishop of Buenos Arias he ministered among the poorest of the poor in the flavalas of Buenos Aires.  In addition, Pope Francis and his chief almoner have already welcomed refugees into the Vatican, they have already set up lodging for the homeless, and they have already provided showers within the walls of the small Vatican city-state..  Personal services are offered as well--haircuts for example.  Yet, this week they did more.  Perhaps it was fitting that during this Holy Week their next service was to open a free laundromat near St. Peter's Basilica.  St Peter's is one of the most recognized structures in the world, and named for the man who betrayed Jesus.  But, it is now a recognizable sign of mercy to the homeless of Rome.

Laundromat in Rome opened by the Almoner of Pope Francis
Source:  CNN

To us laundry is mundane chore, but to the homeless it probably poses challenges.  The laundromat, with six clothes washing machines and dryers is also due to the generosity of two American Companies.  The machines have been donated by Whirlpool and the detergent and softening agents are being provided by Proctor and Gamble.  The money for the building remodeling, the sleeping bags, and other largess shown by the Vatican comes from donations, but mainly from the sale of papal blessings.  The cost of a papal blessing is rather minimal, about $20 to $25 plus postage (and you don't pay until it is received).  But, these small contributions total up.  As Catholicism continues its steep decline in the developed world, the blessings will fall to those of a third or developing world who can least afford them, and then in the long run the papal almoner will have less funds to distribute to those in need.  If you desire you can order a papal blessing for certain occasions by clicking here.  Or, if you so desire you can donate to the papal charities by clicking here.  One can also support a charity in your own locale that provides services to the homeless, or the poor.  In Dane County, Catholic Charities was chosen to run the county homeless shelter in downtown Madison.

Church of Holy Sepulcher
Author photo

As Jesus was dying on the cross 2000 years ago he was treated in the most humiliating manner, and died through one of the most hideous of means; a way that today is only copied by barbarians of ISIS. But, that does not mean that what we consider our highly civilized society above humiliating others.  On this Good Friday, we could recall many of the memorable phrases mentioned by Christ.  But, let me leave you with one:  "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it me." (Matthew 25:40)

Art work in need of Restoration in the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Author photo

Millennials of Minneapolis

For the past few years my wife and I have made a trip to the Minneapolis area. The main purpose is to see our son and his girlfriend, and we often pick from suggestions they offer.  I am often bemused by what I see and discover in the world that is Minneapolis. A 2014 post was about the diversity of uses in one Minneapolis neighborhood.  Each locale presents a unique opportunity, but large metro areas often present variety of activities. My wife and I being baby boomers will see things differently than our children. But, that is what helps make life and experiences amusing and memorable. Minneapolis, according to "Forbes" is tied with San Diego for number 8 on the list of best cities for millennials and generation Z (now often referred to as the I generation). If one looks at the population pyramid for Hennepin County, which contains Minneapolis, it has a large number of persons in the millennial age cohorts. Of course, that can be expected because Millennials are the largest population group in the nation mostly due to the mortality of us Baby Boomers. This post will examine what I see occurring with the Millennials from my visit to Minneapolis.

Minnehaha Falls

Research opinions seem to differ, but there is much information to say that millennials prefer city life. That is certainly visible in Minneapolis, and in Madison, WI as gentrification is occurring in neighborhoods. It is a situation not unique to those two cities.  However, others say that this generation is at the point in their life where they will live in a city (given their age), but will be like other demographic groups and move to the suburbs as children start to arrive.  The cohort is likely so large that they will be able to influence housing in both suburbs and cities.  However, Millennials are, as a whole, delaying marriage, more likely to engage in cohabitation, and delay in having children. This means they may stay in the city longer than generations earlier who had children at an earlier age. In any event a number of the generation also seem to be sucking up the single family housing supply in such cities.  Not everyone desires a large suburban house.  The large apartment construction boom of the past several years has been to meet the demand of housing for the young millennials, just like a large apartment boom occurred over in the 1970's to meet the baby boomers.

Fireworks over St Anthony Falls

 The renewed interest in urban America is a good thing. After all there is substantial public investment already in place with streets, utilities, and mass transportation. Taking advantage of such infrastructure only makes sense.  And for those interested in a low carbon footprint, city living produces a more reduced carbon footprint than country living.  With the back-to-the-city move, corporations have taken notice. In August 2016 "The New York Times" had an article on how for decades corporate America created sprawling campuses in the sprawling suburbs. Cities are once again more attractive to corporations, since they are not the cesspool they were often viewed to be in the 1960’s and 1970’s. But, this new move also has to do with the corporate structure where there is often more decentralization, and/or smaller work forces. The corporate office may be downtown, but the communication advances now present allow more specialized functions to be handled in different locations. Although not all are in this vein.  Epic Corporation built its massive sprawling campus at the west edge of Verona, WI, about a generation ago. Yet, as of February of this year its main bulk of workers lived in downtown Madison. Epic funds a bus service from downtown Madison to its vast suburban sprawled campus. My Millennial son does a reverse commute to the corporate campus of his employer in Richfield, MN.  That employer is located along that most suburban enhancing of highways, Interstate 494. As corporations moved to the suburbs reverse commutes have become common, providing more challenges to traffic planners.  The odd thing about the Twin Cities is that while it is 16th largest Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) in the nation, Minneapolis is the 46th largest city.  Combine St Paul with Minneapolis and the population would be slightly larger than Milwaukee.  By comparison, Milwaukee ranks 31st as a city, and 39th in population of the SMSA.  (Of course, with Lake Michigan, the population surrounding Milwaukee has half and available land are to develop.)

McNeely Conservatory, St. Paul

But, the Millennials are in Minneapolis in part because Minneapolis is currently the economic engine for the Midwest. If we define the Midwest as the seven states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Iowa, and Indiana, then in terms of population growth from 2012 to 2016, Minnesota was middling, ranked 25th in the nation, but it ranked the highest of all of these seven states. Its growth was just over four percent, with the next state, Iowa ranked 29th coming in at 2.9%.  (WI ranked 38th.)  What makes Minneapolis attractive to Millennials? If you look at one news take on the "Forbes" article it is two main things: snacks and salaries. According to that news account in the "Minneapolis Star Tribune": “Millennials want to be paid well for their work and they want to be fed snacks while doing it. Turns out that Minneapolis companies score high in both of those categories and then some.” Millennials who were said to be coddled by helicopter parents and where all got a gold sticker and trophy, apparently need snack food.   If the locations we have visited with my son are any indication, it is not just snack food that attracts Millennials.

US Bank Stadium

A few examples can suffice. Two years ago we went on an excursion on a warm sunny summer day to Fulton Brewery across the street from where the Minnesota Twins play. They were also, at the time, building a new brewery. We then headed north to Dangerous Man brewery, in northeast Minneapolis, which a co-worker claims is the hip of hip areas in Minneapolis, because that is the area in which a former co-worker new resides  Both places were packed, and I mean packed, but with mainly young people—that is Millennials. Last year in late March we visited Surly Brewery, and again that place was packed.  Its beer hall tables left no place to sit.  This past weekend, we visited Tattersall Distillery, which was crowded but not packed, and I commented to my spouse on our entrance that we increased the average age in the room by fifteen years. Do you see a trend? (I wonder why so many were indoors on such a nice hot day in Minneapolis.)  At work this past Tuesday, I was surprised to hear that another co-worker had also been in Minneapolis last weekend, just as were we, but attended Whiskey On Ice (and yes, the web sites have the O in “On” as uppercase) at the Depot in downtown Minneapolis. The co-worker is a Millennial himself, although at the upper end of that cohort. Do you see a trend?  Alcohol. And it is not the common brand stuff of which I grew up drinking years ago—Pabst, Miller, and of course, Old Style. Back in my day if we wanted a good beer, it was Special Export, or perhaps a Point Special. Millennials are helping to drive the craft breweries and distilleries. However, some argue that Baby Boomers started the movement since they have cut down on how much they drink (which creates the ever present beer belly) in the past, they want higher quality beverages—and craft beverage makers responded to that demographic and taste shift. In this scenario, the younger generations benefits from the changes brought on by the Boomer crowd. The drinking aspect of this age group is not lost on my wife.

Tattersall Distillery

My wife also noted the importance of food. The popular Italian deli, Cossettas in St Paul, had long lines winding through the building when we visited Saturday night. While completing our hike at Minnehaha Falls Saturday morning, the restaurant in the shelter was not open, and by the time we completed our hike the patio was full and lines were present. This at about 11:00 am in the morning. It only seems natural that if the Millennials of Minneapolis desire snacks at work they also want good food. Yet, I see more than a food connection.  This last September the bird killing US Bank Stadium with is massive glass and metal structure opened in downtown, on the site of the former Metrodome. Yes, they beat the Packers in the second week of the NFL season.  It is at the end of the conclusion of two decades of new stadium construction/remodeling in the NFL. Lambeau field has been remodeled and expanded several times in the past 15 years, but the major 2002 remodeling followed the then neo-traditional craze of stadium construction, as did Miller Park. The neo-traditional craze began with the construction of Camden Yards for the Orioles in Baltimore. The sharp angles and modern design of the stadium, however, would well seem to fit the image of a city attracting Millennials. Glass and metal are often referred to as “techie.” What better group to find tech attractive than Millennials and the following I-generation? You know Millennials have come of age when there are television shows that pick on them; I think of the show called The Great Indoors. Its stereotyping of Millennials is funny.  A recent episode of NCIS had the agent cell phones hacked, and two young special agents were flummoxed as to how to get to a location without use of their cellphones.  Boomer boss, Gibbs, suggested use of a map. Yes, one can depend too much on a device.

Fulton Brewery

Like most humans Millennials gravitate to their own group. They wish to be working in an area where other Millennials are working, according to the "Star Tribune."  This does not bode well for communities that have low population cohorts of that group—think rural areas. Communities need young persons to help them survive.  Like most humans, it seems this younger generation wants it both ways. They want high salaries, (measured by mean income) as noted in the "Star Tribune", but the same article also commented that they want a job without stress. To me it seems somewhat of a paradox.  Is the use of alcohol by Millennials a means to offset job stress?   If so, they are not the first generation to find that helpful. The saying when one gets home from work “I need a drink” has been around a long, long time. Heck, I have even heard my wife say it once, just once.  Of course, if the stress is low are they drinking because they find it enjoyable?  A novel reason why to drink.  They also wish to gravitate to jobs that produce high levels of job satisfaction. That can be a good thing, but someone has to do the dirty work.

Surly Brewery

However, I think when people stereotype Millennials they mainly reference those that are college educated. A November 2014 NPR report noted that about two-thirds of Millennials lack a bachelor’s degree. The article went on to note that Millennials with a college diploma, at that time, earned $17,500 more a year than those without a college degree. Additionally, at that time, the report noted, 88 percent of minimum wage workers were 20 years or older, and of those 4 in 10 (40%) were college graduates. So, even a college degree was not a guarantee of a well-paying job for that age group. Even worse, the unemployment rate for Millennials without a college degree (aged 25-32) was over 12%, with 22% of that cohort below the poverty line.

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

In the end, when persons talk of the Millennials the traits may not hold true to all in the demographic group. I would find it hard to believe that a Millennial earning minimum wage is getting a drink of spirits from Tattersall Distillery at $9.00 a drink. More likely, they bought a quart or pint off the bottom shelf. As for beer, it is not is also more likely a Bud Light, over a can from Surly Brewery.  With drinks at that price, I can see why they delay having children.

James Hill House, St Paul

To be fair to our son he also had sightseeing at many locations that his age cohort would probably consider old person stuff.  We walked the Landscape Arboretum, the McNeely Conservatory, the James Hill House, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  The hike of Minnehaha falls area, fireworks on a summer evening at St. Antony Falls, and Como Zoo were something both age groups could enjoy.  And of course, just because we increased the average age by 15 years in a distillery, does not mean we did not enjoy our drinks.  I also have to say I enjoyed the tour of Surly, and Fulton, and well appreciated Fulton's Farmer's Ale--and at 11% alcohol who wouldn't.   As for the US Bank Stadium, I am sure many a boomer is attracted to the Vikings.  But, showing the draw of the Packers, I talked to a man at Tattersall (of course a Millennial) who has a dog named Lambeau.  He is a Packer fan, lives in Minneapolis, but was born in Albuquerque, NM.  His father hailed from Chippewa Falls, WI.  What makes for an enjoyable time is being able to observe and learn, marvel at the wonders of nature, but also be amused at people, the things we do and things we create. Travels to even a not so distant land, even if it is Minnesota, can be a learning experience.  Oh, and we had time to visit with our son, too.

Photos by author, varied dates between 2014 and 2017