Kiss of Truth

To imagine the evolution of our country as if in a personal mental slideshow, each image beginning slowly, and progressing ever faster to today – including the construction, destruction, pollution and population – is as dizzying as the nausea of extreme inertia, pulling down in a whirlpool within a cesspool. Technology makes our planet smaller, numbers are ever larger, and danger is much closer; we become a little numb, somewhat desensitized and distant. It is a natural defense mechanism, a way to cope, lest we become mad within the chaos. The rollercoaster does not stop and let you off until the ride is over…and nobody can know when the ride is over. It is impossible to be extremely naive in our times.  Yet in our numbness we tend to practice dumbness.

I marvel at the ignorant stupidity of that intelligent species called mankind. There seems a duality in every corner of the reality of the human condition. We have recorded history and enjoy the wisdom of hindsight, yet we ignore our hard-learned lessons and repeat every mistake; we tend to know what is right, yet we do not always choose it; we can put on a military uniform, enter into combat, kill dozens of other humans, destroying their homes and families, then come home in that same day, stroke the cat, display the gentleness of sensitive understanding to our loved ones, and get on our knees and pray, believing we have done God’s work. We can justify any behavior, yet some actions are punished while others commit the same crimes and are not. We profess happiness in a mal-contented existence. And, for every “composer” in the world, there is a “decomposer”.  No, I do not excuse myself. I am guilty by association, yet remain obligated by unspoken forces to participate in the fabric of society. To tear this cloth, attack the status quo relentlessly, or divorce myself entirely – even if it may be ultimately correct in the scheme of the cosmos – is a sin, punishable by such terms as “crazy”, “lunatic”, “outcast”, whacko”, or “recluse”.  I am continually amazed, yet never shocked and surprised. I ride the last car of the coaster, resisting the g-forces, trying each day not to practice hypocrisy, and I watch… speaking only now and again.

Here we sit in yet another time of self-inflicted crisis, together and apart. Our economy has taken a nosedive. We have choices and we have the advantage of historic knowledge. Will we know the right path to take and do what is right? Is there indeed one “right” path that leads to economic recovery, or might there be more than one right answer? Our economy is an extremely complex system, and therefore it seems logical that the solution is also complex. Three items, however, I think are crucial to the resolution: 1) we must not panic and thereby worsen the situation, 2) “united we stand and divided we fall”, and 3) we must put as many people back to work as possible. Panic tends to cause paralysis. Also, many of us may disagree with our reasons for making war, yet we still support our troops. We may not agree with everything our chosen leader is doing to heal our economy, but it makes more sense to band together in support, than to attack, find fault, and divide our country. For my contribution to positive change, I built a website: EconoDude.com.

I often think of the analogy of the two bike riders.  Both of the bicyclists’ narrow front tires become trapped in a groove of the pavement, their balance is disrupted, and they are both about to fall. The first cyclist is overcome with fear, looks in the direction of the fall, and crashes. The second, more experienced rider does not panic. She knows that she must look away from the direction that the bike wants to fall, and thereby correct her bike.  She does not crash. From experience, she has applied useful knowledge.

Let me be candid. I am a struggling entrepreneur, philanthropist, writer, and professional hotel manager who has been “unemployed” since mid-September. I have a family to support. While my dream is to make Turrell Enterprises successful (www.turrell-enterprise.com), my foremost need is to locate a career position in my professional line of work: hotel management. Some prospective employers might say – in light of my ambitious dreams – that I may not make a solid commitment or not be around for long. The reality and truth is that if they are willing to invest in me, I am willing to invest in them. My daughter loves her school, we love our home in central Massachusetts, and in this economy our house is not worth what we paid. Additionally, like so many millions of other good people, our credit rating is now damaged due to my extended unemployment. These factors negate the possibility of relocation. On the entrepreneurial side of my endeavors, if you visit the link above, you can see that I have solid concepts. Currently I lack the contacts and capital to realize those pursuits, yet I remain tenacious. I have just built EconoDude (www.EconoDude.com), in the hope of positive contribution to our ailing nation, and I operate two blog sites: www.KissOfTruth.com, and www.ProtectionDude.com. I keep busy and ever hopeful. Again, like so many millions, I just need a break. The g-forces of my personal rollercoaster pull particularly hard right now. I keep up the good fight.

My father has said many wise things to me. One item in particular stands out. He said: “The only way I know of to change the past is to make the future what the past could have been.” He used the word “change” in a metaphorical sense; of course he knows that the past cannot be changed in the most literal sense. Those words still mean so much to me and I work hard to be worthy of them. I now have a similar saying: “The only way I can change the world is to work on changing my own little corner of it.” Thanks, dad, I’ll carry on.

My intent in this piece of writing has been to speak of the swirling mass of national evolution and time, how our human condition affects our actions, to mention our shared current economic situation, and then to demonstrate – by revealing a piece of my own frustrations – how we all share a reality of struggle in common. Further, as I conclude these thoughts, my prayerful wish for you (my reader) is that your reality – your little corner of the world – gives you more of what you want, need, and dream about.

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March 19th, 2009 | Tags: balance, business, change, destructive, econodude, economy, fear, frustrated, future, giving, hope, ignorance, intelligence, invest, love, nation, prayer, success, technology, thought, unemployed, unemployment, war | Category: Consistent Action, Flexibility, Goal Setting, Mental Preparation, Motivation, Research and Development |  Email This Post | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL