I have been writing about perspective recently. Transition periods usually have points of reflection. Looking back and remembering, wondering what if or being thankful for people or events. I was watching a movie this morning and a certain theme hit home. The scene involved a dying man talking about how the view on the way out is very different from the view going in. I'm not dying, other than getting older, so relax but this idea struck a chord. I can apply this to various periods of my life both personal and professional. The beginning always gets the best press. People and places are new, excitement and discovery at every turn, basically a youthful view. There is only time and the possibilities are endless. Then a funny thing happens; the shine starts to wear off. A routine begins and a new set of priorities emerge. We start to mentally look for the trade up. Jobs or relationships, it doesn't matter. This is why the beginning is always remembered more fondly than the end. Relationships are not usually great places to be at the end. I don't believe I have ever heard someone talk about how great their breakup was. "It was perfect, we spent the weekend tearing at each others egos then we made a scene at her parents house on Sunday. I can't wait till next weekend!"
We don't like endings. Look around it's everywhere. Didn't get enough Bush or war with Iraq? The sequel is here so now the first war and Bush become the beginning. TV shows dust off their alum to do Disney reunion movies. The Growing Pains reunion is in heavy rotation this month. I was really fine not knowing what happened to them. We can't just let them go. Music has the same cycles as they dust off classics once they've languished in obscurity for the minimum ten years. Tiffany got a boob job and now we see her all over magazines and talk shows again. The malls have moved on why can't we. We idolize and revere the past once it is beyond our grasp. Romanticize a new twist or detail to a plain old memory and now you have something.
We change our attitudes and actions as we move through our life. I think that once you travel and gain a larger "view" of the world people and places are more similar than ever. I like some of the finer things and while I once wondered why anyone would pay more than $100 for a watch, I now own 3. It's all about the priorities and obligations. Obligations come first. Children and spouses, college tuition and houses, vacations and school clothes keep the average family continually hustling to keep the wheel spinning and the cash machine flowing. Being from NY I don't have a fear of talking to people or making a joke to a total stranger. This is a handy skill in that I meet a lot of people and for the most part they do open up to me.
I sometimes wonder why people would share so much personal information with me. I guess I make people comfortable, I have been using this talent in my professional life for years. Teaching and training adults is very different from teaching kids. In college I prepared for a teaching career so I had to spend time student teaching. The hardest part of working with the kids was keeping their attention. I quickly learned that in the corporate training world the challenge is getting their attention. Again my view going into teaching is very different from the present. I had some great teachers coming up and a few have made a lasting impact on my life and one continues to add value to my life today. I thought I would follow that path and I did but just not in the ways I thought would.
Does anything ever really come out the way we plan it. Maybe it's not supposed to, otherwise we would all be living our dreams and life just doesn't work that way. Terrible things happen everyday around the world and people cope, mourn, and/or move on. America has it better than we want to believe. I remember my first trip into the real true world of poverty and struggle. During the late 80's I did a short military tour in Honduras. The people there make less than $300 a year and in some ways they are tougher and happier than many of us. In their world of houses without glass, children without shoes, and long days working on pineapple and banana plantations the worries and planning revolve around the next meal or rainstorm. These are very primitive drivers and they perhaps illustrate why our society of materialism misses some key global trends. We are worried about oil and cable TV, to SUV or not to SUV while the rest of planet is still getting the food, clothing, and shelter thing together.
Human psychology has many examples of the hierarchy of needs. My college texts used Maslow's model to illustrate this phenomenon, or reality depending on you personal view. The basic premise is that our survival needs supercede any social or spiritual needs we may have. Gotta eat! Gotta have shelter! Gotta procreate! Until those needs are satisfied everything else stays on hold. Think about it. If you are naked, hungry and alone in the world the basics come first. And they stay the priority until we feel secure in those areas. Once we get the big boys nailed down we can move up the tree a branch at a time until we reach spiritual enlightenment. As countries go we have our act together (yes we have poverty and other social problems, but in the broad sense our bags are packed and we are ready to enlighten the rest of the world.)
This both good and bad. Since we are fat and happy in houses watching cable we can afford the luxury of criticizing the rest of the world. Going into our history and moving forward we have become somewhat hypocritical in our positions. America took what it wanted, killed those who got in the way, and changed the land to suit our desires. The effects of our actions were not fully known then. Look at all the areas of our country that have become forgotten dumps or living ghost towns. We moved in tore it up then moved on to a new piece of land. Land is power and resources and we wanted it all. We are of course sorry now for some of our history and we plead ignorance because it all happened so long ago. If we had known that acid rain would be the result of pouring smoke from factories into the air, or dumping toxic chemicals into holes would poison ground water we never would have done it. We didn't know but since it's all in the open now we can stop/prevent other nations from making the same mistakes.
This superior attitude makes the world look at us and squint. They see us as doing whatever we felt like doing to our land (manifest destiny and all) and the people who lived on it to establish our wealth, but now we threaten and boycott those who do the same in our world today. Yes if we knew then what we know now it would have been different, but would it have been less horrible? Nope, we humans are very adept at adjusting and working around obstacles. Also our development and history wasn't televised, dissected, or otherwise scrutinized since the technology wasn't available. The view going in was again very different than today.
So are we in or out? In deep shit and out of the loop if you ask me. We are giving the world outside our bubble a common enemy. I hear you yelling, no. We are peacekeepers and humanitarians. The world is better because the USA is on watch or so we think. Hey where's all the help and votes of confidence from our wonderful allies? Everybody has a condition or agenda for their participation. Makes me think of when Italy joined the Axis powers late in the second World War with the hopes of cashing in on the German victory. Ooops. They stayed neutral and even quietly played both sides of the war for a while before making the wrong lotto pick. People want to be with a winner and their view going in was one of victory and new wealth taken from vanquished foes.
I suppose without some sort of plan we might not accomplish anything. The view going in is hopefully one of optimism and possibility and of course we should change course as life progresses. If the opening view is incorrect then adjust, adapt, overcome. Get in and take action but let's use the examples above as a caution. Be careful. I suggest taking actions based on what will make the best and greatest impact for everyone involved. Impractical? Yes because we are America and only we know what is best and correct. We'll give a nod to NATO or an oil producing ally but if push comes to shove we hold our wealth and technology as bait or we threaten to withhold them if we don't get a quorum. It's time we started to walk our walk and really try to make the world a place for all people. Pipe dream, utopia, John Lennon, Gandhi, or pick your favorite eastern teacher and try to live the words not just appreciate them.
So are you in or out?
Peace,
Sean