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TC, TP and ME
Editor’s Note:
I subscribe to a number of newsletters and blogs. Rarely do I re-print one in its entirety. Bail out and blame wastes a lot of energy, time and money while often not getting the job done. ME and WE get the best results directly!
The gulf oil spill is a real mess. It is still causing a lot of damage, and the estimates are now even higher on how much oil is spewing forth.
Each disaster scenario has these three elements: TC, TP and ME.
TC is the entity that caused the disaster. TC is The Company. In this case it’s the formerly named British Petroleum now known popularly or unpopularly as BP. Some disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes are acts of God harping from above. TC is the big company or entity that caused the thing whether you know all of the true details of the cause or not.
There is a lot of justifiable focus on TC. This time TC appears to have been neglectful in their duties to responsibly do things and thus caused the disaster simply by sloppiness.
Those affected by the disaster have a right to be angry at TC.
Then there’s TP. TP is The President. He is the second target of the mess caused by TC. People get mad at TP because he (or someday she) didn’t act fast enough, decisively enough, intelligently enough or compassionately enough. TP didn’t do what we thought he should do and he didn’t do it when we thought he should do it.
When stuff really goes wrong, people blame TP.
Maybe if TC had done everything right the well could have still blown up. Stuff does happen. Maybe if TP acted with the speed of a Blackbird jet, stuff still would have flowed as fast and gummed and slicked up the environment just as much. Maybe.
The point is, no matter how much we fuss and blame the TCs and TPs during the current and future disasters (for they will come), the only entity whom we really have control over is ME.
What am I (ME, not TC or TP) going to do about it?
In the gulf crisis, people’s incomes have been surely hurt. Fishermen are suffering. The tourist industry is down tremendously because most Americans have cancelled their vacation plans to go to the stricken areas and have decided to go elsewhere.
This is what ME is going to do.
I’m going to the gulf within the next 30 days. I’m going to find one of the worst hit areas. I’m going to book a hotel on the beach. I’m going to look for one with oil on it. I’m going to go to the local restaurants and leave extra big tips because the waiters and waitresses will probably be some of the hardest hit during the crisis. I will leave a large tip in the room for the maid.
I will go along the beach and try to patronize some businesses that have been hard hit by the disaster. My feet may get oily but my soul will feel cleaner. Perhaps, I will put a little watery crude in a jar and bring it back. Like it or not, this is history and I have a chance to be a part of history instead of just watching it on TV.
That’s what ME can do. Not TC or TP – ME!
We can shake our heads and say what a terrible job TC and TP are doing or we can look in the mirror and realize that we can’t change the entire situation but if 5% of Americans took the ME responsibility, together we could ease the plight of many on the coast.
TP asked Americans to vacation in the affected areas. People complained and asked if TP was going to take his family there. It doesn’t matter whether TP takes his family there or not, that’s on TP not ME.
What matters far more is will ME (and you) take the family there.
When The Times invited several eminent authors to write essays on the theme “What’s Wrong with the World?” The great writer G. K. Chesterton’s contribution took the form of a letter. It was the shortest response of any of the great writers.
His full letter is below:
Dear Sirs,
I am.
Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton
President Kennedy said it best, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Ask not what TC and TP are going to do for our stricken countrymen and women. Ask what will ME do.
TC, TP and ME.
Fuss, fuss or act (donate, volunteer, vacation).
Choose
~A MountainWings Original~
>From The Mountain: If you are in an affected area, contact MountainWings on why a MountainWings reader should come to your town. We may publish your story.
I don’t ever recall specifically asking you to forward a MountainWings issue to your friends, but the people in the gulf could use all of the help and encouragement they can get.
Your face (and money) showing up would be a great boost to them. If you can’t go and directly help the people, at least send this issue to people who can and might go. So forward this email or copy and paste the link below to your friends and it may increase the number who go and get oily feet and cleaner hearts.
TC and TP may not be moving as fast as you think they should. You cannot control their speed, but you can sure control the speed of ME.
Forward this issue to a friend or click the link below to Print, Share by Email, Facebook, Blog or other services: http://www.mountainwings.com/past/10166.htm
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