Sort of a secret. For continuing readers, it’s not much of a
secret. Here it is: I write this blog to clear my mind of ideas that clog up
the works. While doing this daily task, better ideas push to the surface. Sharing
them is fun. It also informs my own brain. Logic often takes over and
discoveries pop up. That makes the process even more fun.
Clogging up the works was not the only problem. I felt
powerless over public discourse. What we read, hear and see is provided by
others – mostly people with an axe to grind, a dollar to make. In the long run,
we become numb to the messages. In the short term, we become irritated at the
nonsense spewed.
I know; I’ve spewed my own share of nonsense. I must admit,
though, I have done so as a means of venting my own frustration. I hope I’ve
made that clear over these past several years.
Some have asked me why I write this blog daily. The answer
is simple: the noise in the public square of opinion never shuts down so my
mind doesn’t either. And so I write to make sense of it all.
Making sense of things is what I do. I have done this in my
career as well. Study circumstances and current problems – of organizations or
business firms – and then determine what actually is wrong, if anything, and
what the options are to address those problems. It is a challenging thing to do
but very rewarding intellectually. Over time I became able to see things many
people couldn’t. That gave clients a fresh start to work through challenges and
become more successful.
Although not the same thing, public issues are also logical
and capable of being addressed productively if enough of us think through the
issues. I have come to believe that we all need to lend a hand to identifying
the most important issues we face and then decide to do something about them.
This is not impossible work. What is impossible is the intractable behavior of
our elected officials who give in to the ideological argument. This inevitably
leads to gridlock.
Gridlock. Nothing gets accomplished. The troubles just stew
in place and create more complex troubles. Seems infantile to me.
Why not attempt to make some sense of this and move on?
So I write this blog. It is my exercise. Perhaps in
futility; perhaps not. It helps me cope to air my thoughts. It makes me
accountable for what I think and write.
Of course I get reactions; most are positive; some negative;
the silence from others tells me either the issue is unimportant, or they agree
with the position in the main.
Negative response is fine. At least the naysayers are not
dead or in a coma. Why they prefer to personalize their comments remains a
mystery. At least I’m honest and stand up for what I believe and think.
After all, this is an exercise in identifying ideas that
might work. They might not, too. The mix of them, however, can be very fruitful
in uncovering other ideas that work. That’s a good thing. Just because I didn’t
think of it doesn’t make it wrong. It just makes me slow!
So, join in the conversation. Be polite. Be supportive of
the efforts of others. And hope that together we make a difference.
Even if we don’t, my mind is at peace. And still working on
those problems we share!
January 15, 2018
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