Rebel Status
I quit my job.
I must admit, I will miss it, the being part of a cause, giving voice to the hopes of a great many as well as articulating and strengthening the values by which they stand. Suddenly, however, I was confronted by a reality I had never even considered: the command had gone over to the Dark Side. They no longer had (have) any use for Truth or willingness to stand on Principle.
I’ve been dumped as a boyfriend a handful of times - which is why I should have seen this coming - but once again I thought everything was fine, so I’ve been open mouthed with shock at what was truly in their minds. The ethics are faulty, which is bad enough, but the rationalizations are comical: in an upcoming speech, ‘We cannot emphasize the negative. Carter did that with his ‘Malaise’ speech. Those don’t work.’
Hang on,’ I wanted to retort. ‘Be sure to tell that to President Roosevelt, whose Date Which Will Live in Infamy speech plunged right into Japanese deceptions, extensive damage, and lives lost. That seemed to achieve its intent.’
Roosevelt had a track record of handling crises very correctly through the Depression, while Jimmy Carter established a pattern of urging deprivations like a 55 mile an hour speed limit, turning thermostats down to 65 degrees at night, and naming a Federal Reserve Chairman who increased interest rates to the point of plunging the economy into a recession. THEN Carter made his famous ‘crisis of confidence speech,’ which only became self-fulfilling, as industries collapsed, joblessness increased, and America endured a 444-day hostage crisis at the hands of Iran.
The most maddening part of it all is that the opportunity to make this point has been lost. It won’t matter to a team that has tossed principle, ethics, and intellectual rigor over the side.
I will be replaced by Artificial Intelligence, which knows to sit quietly during meetings.
So, adrift, here I am. I turned 60, while still playing hockey, chugging along in the weight room, and coaching kids. In each case, good faith effort has been rewarded with results, which is how things are supposed to work in life. I’ll have observations on all of the above, including handling some unanticipated changes. I’ve also come to an important conclusion: I now know why guys my age are into World War Two history.
It was the golden era of getting things done. A crisis calls out brains and brawn, and often bravery has to make up for gaps in the plan, but victory is woven by stories of people who remain true to principle, intellectual rigor, and fighting for justice.
In this era, or in the midst of life’s vagaries or disappointments, folks just naturally reach for the narratives that inspire them to remember that other guys had it worse before winning out in the long run.
At any rate, I’m still an optimist, but now I’m a rebel.
