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“Most people prefer a problem they can’t solve to a solution they don’t like.”
So says Dr. Lee Thayer, an expert in the fields of leadership and communication. He has much to teach those who would lead, especially those who would consciously lead their own lives. That necessarily translates to leading organizations and even countries. The point here is about how we lead our lives in the face of what appears to be very dangerous.
The radical right has pursued an extremist agenda for decades and it has infiltrated all aspects of American life. It has its claws in education, in radio and television, in energy, in the halls of Congress, and now a radical has assembled a vigilante group of moneyed extremists to run the executive branch of government. It’s enough to spin any centrist in circles. Worse, it makes solutions look overwhelming and unattractive enough to freeze people into inertia.
So, the first step is decide to move.
It’s hard for anyone to leave the ease and familiarity of our comfort zones to confront those who would oppress. It’s far easier to give in to believing that the problem cannot be solved than to take action on the solution we don’t like because of the very hard work that will be required.
And yet that is what we must do. We do not have the luxury of simply sitting on the sofa and complaining about what is so very wrong and cannot be fixed. We cannot just hurl curses at what we imagine we are powerless to change, because the consequences of only hurling those curses may be catastrophic. If we squint our eyes we will see that the solutions really are preferable to believing this is a problem we can’t solve. Start with this.
Go to www.WomensMarch.com, click on the “The March” tab at the top, then “Sister Marches” in the dropdown to find a march in your city – there are marches all over the country. Then bring 5 people with you to the march on January 21.
You don’t have to be a woman to attend. All that’s required is to have had a mother – that includes most of us. This is about everybody’s rights.
It isn’t enough to simply believe. You have to stand up. Because this isn’t a problem you can’t solve. The solution is to stand up for what you believe in. Prefer that!
I’ll be looking for you at The March on the 21st.
Doubts? Read this.
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Ed. note: There is much in America that needs fixing and we are on a path to continually fail to make things better. It is my goal to make a difference – perhaps to be a catalyst for things to get better. That is the reason for these posts. To accomplish the goal requires reaching many thousands of people and a robust dialogue.
YOUR ACTION STEPS: Offer your comments below and pass this along to three people, encouraging them to subscribe and engage. Thanks! JA
Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
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One Response to Most People
dominickpalella January 18, 2017
Jack, if you think marching in the streets will solve any problems, recall the results of marches in the past, for example the civil rights movement. Go ask any person of color living on the south side of Chicago how they value their civil rights after that decade of marching to produce new laws in the sixties. And how those laws are enforced today, after our two private political parties change who they put in charge.
Sad to say, some people who march still seem to believe that politicians care what they think. Others are aware they have no power over politicians, except to try to replace them at their next election. They take to the streets and hear their favored politicians tell them they intend to influence the politicians in the other corporate owned political party – the people who could care even less what their fellow politicians think.
It seems to me that most people feel comfortable marching in large groups, but are very fearful of approaching their political employees individually, or in small groups as lobbyists. Every member of Congress has an office near public transportation. Is there any other reason why a few among their thousands of constituents are not visiting their office in person to demand they sign the petition available on my web site? The only other reasons I can think of is that some people prefer to be servants of their political leaders, or don’t have the capacity to use common sense logic. What do you think?
We need grass-roots organizations to stop involving people in foolish and ineffective activities. Marches, petitions and other political reform methods to plead with politicians to do the right thing do not address the primary problem with our political system. This is vetting and electing individuals who will listen and respond to their constituents, instead of political party leaders or their wealthiest financial backers. This must begin at our local levels of government. Stand up to march if you want to get some exercise, but don’t kid yourself if you think this is a useful way to influence politicians you have no control over.