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As a rule, I normally keep my literary life separate from my professional life, but, in this case, the irony of what happened to me on Wednesday makes it worth mentioning. I spend my days on the telephone trying to save companies money on their energy bills. It's a hard job because people are stuck in their ways and the idea of change frightens them. There are other reasons as well, but they are not germaine to the context of this entry.
A few weeks ago, I hit upon the idea of calling non-profit organizations. I figured that they would be one of the first rungs on the economic ladder to be squeezed as a result of current economic conditions, making them more willing to listen to cost cutting options. It's been true in a few cases. I've been able to arrange several meetings and a few of those meetings have resulted in sales. It makes economic sense to have a better handle on what your electricity costs will be when you're organizational viability is in question. Certainly, that is the case for many businesses across the economic spectrum at this time.
My normal approach is to view the organization's website and get an idea of what they do. Then I look for a staff listing hoping to find the right person to speak to. When I came across the site for the Center for Community Change, I was initially impressed. The home page has a picture of Barack Obama facing a crowd and the caption reads "The Meaning of This Moment." I looked at the staff directory and found the name of the Accounting Manager. I figured, what better organization to call than the Center for Community Change. Surely, they will listen to a concept to save money.
Wow, was I wrong. The woman who answered the phone in the New York office was named Margie. When I asked for the Accounting Manager, she asked who I was, and when I told her, her response was, "What makes you think he'd be in this office?" I responded by saying that I saw him listed as the Accounting Manager and I wanted to speak to him regarding cost cutting options. Her response was, "Well, I don't know you and I don't know your organization so I don't want to speak to you." Boom. Down goes the phone.
Since this happens to me a hundred times a day, I wasn't angry or depressed, but I was struck by the irony of the encounter. On the mission page of the website, under a section entitled "What We Believe" reads the following passage: We believe that only together – by sharing our hopes, connecting with each other, and taking action together – can we change our communities and nation for the better.
I had to laugh. I'm not expecting this woman to fawn over me and spend money in ten minutes on what I am selling, but the abruptness of a woman who works for an organization trying to affect social change by bringing people together struck me as completely inappropriate.
It perfectly illustrated what really does have to change in this country. We desperately need to return to a spirit of civility if we are ever going to realize the dream that the Center for Community Change is fighting for. Otherwise, their dream will remain a pipe dream, no matter how many organizational objectives they achieve. This lesson should be impressed upon Margie and everyone else in this country who feels they have the right to be rude to people just because they annoy them or they have the ability to maintain their anonymity. Everyone is a person deserving of respect. Only when that is accepted as Gospel truth will the real spirit of community that this organization seeks become even remotely possible.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Let's Take A Deep Breath
Okay. Barack has done it. Things will change. But let's not try to rush it. Some people are already acting as if they expect immediate results. Mr. Obama already has to temper expectations. I am happy, but I am also patient. I have to be. Spend four years in jail and you learn patience.
Unfortunately, not all of the results of this election were so laudatory. Three additonal states passed bans on gay marriage, including California, which I never thought would happen. I am not planning to marry anyone of my sex, but I fully support anyone who wants to and I think their union should have all the rights that marriage between a man and a woman has. My reasoning is this: The reason that I see that the religious right wants to ban gay marriage is so that they can say that they are winning the moral crusade. Well, the fact of the matter is that the moral crusade is being lost every day. Lying is so pervasive and does much more damage to society than the union of two people of the same sex. If this was a truly moral nation we would not be in the economic mess that we find ourselves in today. The people who invented the derivatives that have brought down long standing institutions created the instruments to line their pockets with money, not to protect anyone. We trusted them to be able handle the risks and they failed miserably. Then they don't even have the moral courage to admit their mistakes. They hide behind excuses and point fingers in circular fashion until no one knows who is responsible. This is the moral crisis we face every day, not the destruction of the institution of marriage.
The institution has self destructed on its own. The religious right recognizes this, so in order to soothe their egos they put a band aid on the problem by attacking a peripheral issue. The passage of a ban on gay marriage will in no way address the decay of heterosexual marriage that has been going on for decades.
Mr. Obama has much that he can do, and I expect great things of him. But if we are to truly restore our inner greatness, then we must recognize and confront the real issues that are tearing us apart, that led us to financial reckoning and that promise to render us an impotent power on the world stage in the years to come. Mr. Obama can not do that alone. That must come from all of us.
Final note: When I looked at the map of the election results it confirmed for me why I will never move out of the Northeast. And its not just because I love the change of seasons. The coasts voted for Mr. Obama and the heartland went for Mr. McCain. That is a bit of a generalization but it does contain a nugget of truth.
Unfortunately, not all of the results of this election were so laudatory. Three additonal states passed bans on gay marriage, including California, which I never thought would happen. I am not planning to marry anyone of my sex, but I fully support anyone who wants to and I think their union should have all the rights that marriage between a man and a woman has. My reasoning is this: The reason that I see that the religious right wants to ban gay marriage is so that they can say that they are winning the moral crusade. Well, the fact of the matter is that the moral crusade is being lost every day. Lying is so pervasive and does much more damage to society than the union of two people of the same sex. If this was a truly moral nation we would not be in the economic mess that we find ourselves in today. The people who invented the derivatives that have brought down long standing institutions created the instruments to line their pockets with money, not to protect anyone. We trusted them to be able handle the risks and they failed miserably. Then they don't even have the moral courage to admit their mistakes. They hide behind excuses and point fingers in circular fashion until no one knows who is responsible. This is the moral crisis we face every day, not the destruction of the institution of marriage.
The institution has self destructed on its own. The religious right recognizes this, so in order to soothe their egos they put a band aid on the problem by attacking a peripheral issue. The passage of a ban on gay marriage will in no way address the decay of heterosexual marriage that has been going on for decades.
Mr. Obama has much that he can do, and I expect great things of him. But if we are to truly restore our inner greatness, then we must recognize and confront the real issues that are tearing us apart, that led us to financial reckoning and that promise to render us an impotent power on the world stage in the years to come. Mr. Obama can not do that alone. That must come from all of us.
Final note: When I looked at the map of the election results it confirmed for me why I will never move out of the Northeast. And its not just because I love the change of seasons. The coasts voted for Mr. Obama and the heartland went for Mr. McCain. That is a bit of a generalization but it does contain a nugget of truth.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
A New Reason for Hope
At the request of a reader, (yes, I actually have a few readers) I am enlarging the font in this blog.
Sometimes, it's great to be right. I said in September that Sarah Palin would be a liability to John McCain. Where would the race be today if he had picked Joe Lieberman, who would have allowed him to reach across the aisle to Independents and more conservative Democrats? We can only speculate.
Strolling past a TV on Friday night, I heard a commentator say this is arguably the most important election in 150 years. Not being a scholar in the area of presidential politics, I cannot agree or disagree with any legitimate authority. But it is clear that Mr. Obama's election signals the beginning of a new era of hope for the American people.
Given the economic possibilities, hope may be the most precious, intangible commodity around soon. I pray that we do not experience a lost decade similar to what Japan went through when their bubble burst. But if we do experience an extended period of contraction and retrenchment, our sense of national unity and pride will be severely tested. Then we will see if we degenerate into partisan squabbling and turf wars or pull together for the common good.
Another prayer that needs to be said is that no sick person assassinates Mr. Obama for the sake of his twisted agenda. I'm sure it's a subject already being discussed in some of the darker corners of our society. 9/11 is a national wound that has still not healed. Mr. Obama's untimely death would take even longer to recover from.
I was only two and a half when JFK was killed, but I remember my mother and many other people talking about where they were when they heard the news, like the moment was frozen in time. I want to remember where I am when Mr. Obama hands the reins of goverment over to a worthy successor, whether that person is a Republican or a Democrat. It may seem a little premature to look so far forward, but if a dire economic situation unfolds, the long term view may be the only ray of hope we have. That in itself would be a sea change in the American psyche, and would probably serve us well. It's too bad a crisis has to unfold before we can experience some positive evolution, but Mr. Obama is a worthy first step. On this day, I am behind him 100%.
Sometimes, it's great to be right. I said in September that Sarah Palin would be a liability to John McCain. Where would the race be today if he had picked Joe Lieberman, who would have allowed him to reach across the aisle to Independents and more conservative Democrats? We can only speculate.
Strolling past a TV on Friday night, I heard a commentator say this is arguably the most important election in 150 years. Not being a scholar in the area of presidential politics, I cannot agree or disagree with any legitimate authority. But it is clear that Mr. Obama's election signals the beginning of a new era of hope for the American people.
Given the economic possibilities, hope may be the most precious, intangible commodity around soon. I pray that we do not experience a lost decade similar to what Japan went through when their bubble burst. But if we do experience an extended period of contraction and retrenchment, our sense of national unity and pride will be severely tested. Then we will see if we degenerate into partisan squabbling and turf wars or pull together for the common good.
Another prayer that needs to be said is that no sick person assassinates Mr. Obama for the sake of his twisted agenda. I'm sure it's a subject already being discussed in some of the darker corners of our society. 9/11 is a national wound that has still not healed. Mr. Obama's untimely death would take even longer to recover from.
I was only two and a half when JFK was killed, but I remember my mother and many other people talking about where they were when they heard the news, like the moment was frozen in time. I want to remember where I am when Mr. Obama hands the reins of goverment over to a worthy successor, whether that person is a Republican or a Democrat. It may seem a little premature to look so far forward, but if a dire economic situation unfolds, the long term view may be the only ray of hope we have. That in itself would be a sea change in the American psyche, and would probably serve us well. It's too bad a crisis has to unfold before we can experience some positive evolution, but Mr. Obama is a worthy first step. On this day, I am behind him 100%.
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