Mo' Material Wealth, Mo' Problems

Winston Churchill is quoted with

"Show me a young conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart.  Show me an old liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains."

Taking a stab at what he was talking about, I would argue that it's not so much about politics (especially contemporary parties!) or beliefs, but rather about preservation.  I believe he was referring to the basic human reaction to gain: preserve it as best you can, using the same tactics used to get it.  Liberalism - progressivism - is a tool to be used to break the status quo.  It can be, and is, used to disrupt the current state.  Out with the old, in the new.  Young people for generations have served as the foundation (read: not the whole thing.  Please don't argue history with me. Same goes for my use of "liberalism" in the previous sentence.  We'rte talking about the base ideology, not political affiliation.) for ideological change.  "Old" people have, for all intents and purposes, served as the primary pushers and movers of maintaining that very status quo, integration to rock'n'roll.

They say each subsequent generation suffers and solves the problems of the previous one. But it's that preceding generation who still clings on, desperately  to their beliefs they undoubtedly fought tirelessly to institute.

What does this have to do with anything, you ask.  Well, I respond, a trend I've been noticing as I get older is that those peers I grew up with, as we all go about our lives establishing careers, buying houses, starting families, the same people I once recognized as progressives, are now beginning their journey into conservativism.  From this, I've been beginning to think that the more one gains, the more one has, sways their ideological (and inevitably political) persuasion toward the right.  It seems to me that, simply, the more one has, the more one wishes to keep it that way, even at the expense of others getting their's as well.  In case you're new to my blog, please take a second and shuffle through old posts to figure out exactly how I feel about personal entitlement.  Go ahead.  I'll wait.

Back?  Good.  So I'm assuming you've learned that I tend to scoff when someone believes their "entitled" to something.  That I tend to smirk when someone tells me they "earned this! No one helped me!".  That I, frankly, find those things ludicrous.

Now, I haven't quite figured out what to make of my observations.  All I can say for certain is that, form what I've observed, the more people have, the more they tend to think they've earned it all by themselves.  And the more people think they've earned it on their own, the more they will begin to resist any and all change to the society that "allowed" them that profit.  It seems that while one can, on occasion, move from the lower to the middle class, they forget exactly what it's like to be that low on the totem pole.  And those born into wealth, they will never know.

Activity and Productivity

Activity and productivity: the former often confused for the latter.

Even just in my short career, the jobs I've held, the organizations with which I've worked, the positions I've held - all included meetings.  Short meetings, long meetings, phone meetings, all-day meetings...you see where I'm going.  And, I'm guessing that you've sat through your fair-share of meetings as well.  But now ask yourself: was the usual outcome of these meetings an action-oriented plan? Or when you left, did it more seem like a simple opportunity to talk?  Really think about it. Sure, perhaps not every meeting (I hope!) but at least one or two almost seemed more focused on just gathering everyone together than on actual, measurable outcomes.

I think too often this adds to our argument that "activity" means "productivity".  We think that because we're busy, we're accomplishing something.  We get people together, we do stuff, we talk about stuff, we work through lunch or skip it entirely because we're busy.  But what are we accomplishing?

I read a bit ago (Drive by Daniel Pink. Great book.) about results-only work environments.  In these places, sure they may have a weekly meeting to touch base or what have you, but the entire idea rests on "this is what you need to do and this is when it needs to be done".  Usually not a 9-5 gig, not even necessarily a need to show up to the office at all, much less for a requisite 40 hours each week.  Joys of salaried positions.  The entire concept is focused on the task at hand.  You can spend 30 minutes on it or 30 hours on it, but as long as it's done right and done well, your activity is second.  Whether or not you were productive becomes the real question.  Now, obviously, many industries may not be able to incorporate this principle in its entirety, but perhaps a concept here or there.  I feel very fortunate that in my current position I am provided the criteria to meet, the result I am aiming for by the end of the week, and, as long as I can accomplish my task within the guidelines and protocols, I have flexibility and freedom within the schedule to achieve these results as I see necessary - autonomy with accountability.  And I believe I thrive under such a framework.

So what about you?  What sort of rigidity do you require?  Complete? Some? None?  And really pay attention to whether you're just doing stuff, or if it's a necessity to achieve your outcomes.  Are you working toward something, or just working?

The Honest, Hardworking Man

I recently heard this poem used in a commercial (unfortunately for Busch Light...), and it struck me as very timely. We're entering into an era where the income gap in the world's richest nation is higher than it ever has been, and is still widening.  Somehow, in some way, we seem to accept the growing gap between the rich and everyone else; as executive salaries skyrocket while ours stagnate. We seem to be content allowing the fruits of our labor to line the coffers of billionaires rather than grace our own tables.  In that respect, I find this to be very appropriate:

The Honest Working Man
 Marie Joussaye

As through the world we take our way
How oftentimes we hear
The praises sung of wealthy men,
Of prince, and duke and peer.
The poets tell us of their fame,
They are lauded o'er the land,
But you very seldom hear them sing
Of the honest working man.
They praise the wealthy banker,
The purse-proud millionaire;
Their pockets have golden lining,
So they're praised from everywhere.
Let others sing the praises
Of those darlings of the land,
But mine shall be a nobler theme--
The honest working man.
Let monarchs prize their glittering crowns
And all their royal host,
Let lordlings brag of their blue blood--
They have nothing else to boast.
But what is all their rank, compared
To our hero, true and grand,
One of fair Nature's noblemen--
The honest working man.
His hands may be both rough and hard,
His clothes and speech be plain,
But you will find his manly heart
Without a spot or stain.
And there are some whose clothes are fine.
Whose hands are soft and white,
But the secret records of their lives
Could never bear the light.
May Heaven's choicest blessings fall
Upon that hero's head,
Who bravely toils throughout each day
To earn his loved ones bread.
You'll find no monarch who can show
A record half so grand.
God bless great labor's true-born knight--
The honest working man.
So now of Fortune's favored ones,
Henceforth let less be said,
And more be spoken of the man
Who toils for daily bread.
God bless each hardy son of toil
That labors in the land.
Let us give three cheers with right good will
For the honest working man.

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

As the relatively recent "psychological" movement of Positive Thinking would have you believe, positive thinking will bring one wealth, friends, and wealth.  That simply thinking happy thoughts will help you ace that job interview, land the perfect partner, win friends, sway any argument, and generally come out a winner.  Apparently, if I wake up every morning with a daily affirmation that "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, by golly, people like me!", I can land whatever I want!  If I repeatedly tell myself "I will get the job, I will get the job, I will get the job", and perhaps click my heels together three times, I, in fact, WILL get the job!

What a load of hooey.  Positive Thinking seems to be very based on the idea of getting more stuff.  A bigger house.  A better job.  More money.  More happiness.  All without reflecting on and being content with what you have.  Ambition isn't a four-letter word, but a continual battle to acquire more stuff eventually hits a roadblock, and that's where we get down on ourselves.  Coincidentally enough, such a movement really provides another opportunistic avenue to lay fault squarely on YOU for many systemic issues keeping people behind.  Now, I'm not saying that all bad things that happen to a person are outside of their control, or that people shouldn't take responsibility for the circumstances in which they may find themselves.  I'm simply of the mind that saying someone isn't wealthy because they didn't want it enough, or because they didn't believe in themselves.  Not happy?  Not successful?  It's YOUR fault.  All your fault.  You should be ashamed.

And, see, I don't buy it.  I am absolutely sure that people do have a say in their future, that each one of us has the ability to influence the outcomes of daily circumstances.  But I don't think that simply thinking happy thoughts will get you there as some would have you believe.  Rather, I believe that by closely monitoring our perspective of daily hurdles, we can essentially affect our attitude, which in turn may potentially lessen the burden.