We Are More Alike than Not!

Are we humans as varied and different from each other as we believe or do the ties that bind us together, damn us as a species? No, I don't think there's enough variation in our species to set any of us apart. Just as there are obvious similarities between myself and everyone else, similarities like number of eyes, ears, how we breath, the fact that we have hair, there are emotional similarities as well. We all feel hurt, guilt, shame, joy, sadness... These are all human traits. There are of course, different levels of emotion and just like the physical aspect where there are differences, in the scope of things the differences are minor. You have blue eyes, I have brown, so what?

So if you're looking down on us from above, you're not going to parse the human race into specific categories unless you have some specific (and weird) need.

An argument could be made that our thoughts, and our actions set us apart from each other. You are a serial killer, I am not! I would listen to that argument, I'm not sure God or any other intelligent being would. Why, because in a sense we are all serial killers of something, in some way. Even being responsible for participating in a society, in a culture, that creates murderers, rapists, thieves and cons is an indictment on all of us. And we are all alike when we call out that it is not our fault, when we claim there is nothing we can do.

Most of us don't! Most of us won't.

I have always said that we are more alike than different, and that while we should recognize the differences we should not let those few and minute differences divide us. We do!

We search out differences, we struggle and fight to retain them and indeed we celebrate those differences because in reality, they are few and far between, and meaningless to all except the individual. And to the individual, his history, his culture, his belief system, his skin color is paramount. We are all the same in that regard.

Life as a Simple Thing

Life is not a simple thing yet many, and by many I mean most, live their lives as a simple thing. To be brunt, people have a tendency to take the easy way out, to do what is safe, what is comfortable, what is acceptable. I'm not a lot different although I'm beginning to not like that well traveled path. I mean, the dividends are nice, the end results are OK. I've got a good life, a decent house, a nice wife, good kids, and I'm somewhat respected.

That's not enough?

Don't misunderstand me. I'm not exactly unhappy, I don't have that right. For whatever reason, I've ended up in a pretty fortunate position. While I'm sure hard work had a lot to do with where I'm at, I'm well aware luck had quite a bit to do with me and my lot. So, I am grateful!

Yet, there's something missing, something I can't quite put my finger on, something left undone. Now anyone who has ever spent time reading anything I've ever wrote, knows that in my younger years, I believed in manifest destiny, not yours, mine. That's not what this is. It's not about saving the world, the whales, feeding the poor or spreading liberalism across the land.

That sense of leaving something undone is cause for a sense of guilt I can't justify. I think it's because I took the easy way out, I took that path that lead here. I could have done more but didn't want to. I'm not going to lie about it, that's the truth.

The question is, why didn't I care? It's not that I wasn't busy working, not that I wasn't busy raising a family, not that I wasn't busy in politics, not that I wasn't busy in building my life... I certainly was.

I've done everything I was supposed to.

But see, the thing is, I've always been a radical, I've always thought in radical terms, and it turns out, I'm not even close to being a radical. I've done everything right, everything to help myself out, help my family out, but I've done very little, if anything to change anything, to make anything better.

I've kept it simple, kept it safe.

Through the Tunnel and Around the Bend (or financially, things are starting to suck)

Yes, my pickled, pie eyed friends, while you were snoozing off your lustful, wanton night of debauchery and cheap whisky, thieves broke into your abodes, raped your women, abused your children and took off with your new 60 inch, high def moving picture screen, so their is no football today.

Uh, why did Fred just put a bullet through his brain?

Oh, I'm sorry, took the easy way out, did he? Well, seems the sensible thing to do when you can't see the forest through the trees. What? Dave's left his wife and kids and is running for the hills?

Sheeeeeesh..., over a tv!

I think very slowly, but surely, people are waking up to how much financial trouble we are in. Before you go wild and beat my thin ass, I'm not talking about the poor, the homeless, the tea partiers, the occupiers, as much as I'm talking about hard working, middle class Americans, the backbone folks. People I hang with!

Middle class America knew there were problems, and in fact were tightening their belts just as I have. I've cut back on groceries, changed how I pay bills, tried to work some overtime, don't go out to eat or a movie at all, anymore! We've cut a lot of the fat. OK, I've still got my smart phone but I'm seriousely thinking that will be going when my contract is up in April.

And now my property taxes are going up, substantially!

After 17 years of never really missing a mortgage payment, I'm wondering if it's all worth it. I don't want to spend the last half of my life struggling financially. I guess I'd be allright if I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, or even a bit beyond, but I don't. What I do see is everything getting worse, and a lot worse.

I don't see anyone paying attention. Yes, I get the nightly news but screaming about the financial ills and political diatribe isn't paying attention.  Really! Who gives a shit if Hermain pinched a girls ass some twenty years ago? I don't! Politicians are not dealing with the problems. At both state and federal levels, our politicians are playing political games and you and I, are the game pieces.

When will you have had enough? When will it be imporatant to you, that your voice be heard? Probably when it's too late and no one cares. I almost don't care now.

I would hope that our media is asking tough questions, and I mean some god damn, ball splitting, holdin' 'em accountable type of questions. Questions that don't let politicians run from the facts. That's not happening cuz the media, and all of the media, is part of the problem. They care about ratings and entertainment or in their language, profit.

It's up to us, the backbone, the working class to stand up and change things. No one else will.

If you don't speak, no one else will.

Shot w/ Rob

On leadership

Leadership is defined as having the ability to socially influence others in such a way to get something done. Of course there's a bit more to it, and in fact there's an entire cottage industry that has sprouted up to teach us all exactly what good leadership is. Now it all goes without saying, there's a vast difference between what a boss is, what a manager is and what a leader is and yet at heart, all three need to have a unique awareness of the other and what those differences are.

Of course you can't delve too far into what makes a good leader without understanding what our current school of thoughts are. The first has to do with inherent traits, as in you're born with certain traits that rise to the occasion when needed. The second is basically one of process, in which you learn how to lead through interaction with others. Truth is, you and I know it's probably a bit of both, a little of this and some of that.

Some years back, OK, a whole lotta years back, I worked for a person who was just an ass. Yep, you know the kind. He would from time to time, sneak out at 2 or 3 in the morning and peek in windows just to make sure people were not sleeping. As a young kid entering the worlds work force, I found this a bit frightening when I head from my co workers that our boss would do this and I resolved he'd never catch me sleeping.

He never did! The take away is that after a few months I quickly learned that those he was responsible for supervising, ridiculed him for his behavior. He might have been a boss, but he was certainly no leader.

On another occasion, I asked him a simple question and he basically brushed me off and said something stupid about it wasn't my job to question.

Point being, a leader is one who trusts, who teaches. The catch is all this is why would any manager take the time to trust his employees or bother to answer their questions?

And that answer is what differentiates a leader from a generic boss or manager.

That's right, he cares! The fact that a good leader cares, isn't all inclusive, but it's the starting block for good leadership. If you don't care about the goals that need to be obtained, if you don't care for your employees, you're probably in the wrong position.

Missing....

I'm missing summer sunsets, campfires, smores, beer, shots of tequilla, grilled burgers over coals, coffee with grounds, cool mornings, poision ivy, weed wacking, neighbors up and down the road, fire flies and of course, summer friends.

and it's been in the 80's all week!

Shot w/ Rob