Tuesday, September 11, 2012

I Don't Believe We Hate. We Have Chosen Not To Forgive

Mention the name Lord Acton and few react. And yet those who know of him have been profound in their statements of description. In book form readers of history have been impressed with his exalted social positions. A man of many faces and multitudes of personality changes. When not himself, that of being connected to entertaining guests on his English or Bavarian estate, Lord Acton was an invited visitor to one of the great houses of England or the continent. Inspiring were his method of Social Networking without the aid of computers and smart phones. He knew people personally; most of them distinguished historians and philosophers of Europe and America. Rather than type LOL, BRB and other means of short communication, Lord Acton would sit at tables chatting in English with his children while diving into German with his wife then French with a sister-in-law only to round the table using Italian while gently sharing experiences with his mother-in-law. And quotes? Oh this man was constantly brimming with what I'll dub Acton Speak. A language of his own. Words of wisdom. Speeches and lectures driven by a need to make words his paint then scatter it across the face of life's every day canvas. He once said," Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are always bad men." I love this quote! It proves what you already know. Your boss is a jerk. Lord Acton believed that no man of power made it into a decision making position without there being an act of corruption. President Bill Clinton carries the weight of two faces. As the sitting leader of the world's strongest nation he was impeached. Yet, if the laws that govern our rights to hold true to the purpose and meaning of our Constitution were to be changed...he would be elected President of the United States a third time this November. As much as my heart continues to ache two decades after Jim and Tammy Bakker fell at PTL... I still have enough room in my soul to support the man that led thousands to God. To admit that opens the door for Face Book "Wise Cracker's" and Twitter-pated Tweets to offer unheard of amounts of dissatisfaction. How dare I be so careless when selecting who and what continues to offer light after society has shamed the presence of their being publically and long after their placement in history? Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are always bad men. I knew what the snake was when I picked it up. Being one that produces commercials with clients that enjoy the absolutes of their vocal prints heard on web pages and car speakers; I've been introduced to several chapters of the real men and women of leadership. I find it fascinating to hear of their personal struggles with employees and coworkers completely addicted to wasting time and company money and although their knees are weak and patterns of the mind tilted...they still find value in the partnerships of participation. Think about that... Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are always bad men. The journey into becoming "bad" doesn't begin in the process of announcing leadership but during the cultivating of an open field freshly fertilized by desire fed by willingness. Chance cannot be challenged unless there's fire. Dreams don't become reality unless one is loyally dedicated to locating a destination. No mountain can be crossed until the feet of defeat are looked upon as being decisions made and in doing so the only action is to continue moving forward. So where does corruption fit in? What is corruption in the eyes of someone that believes what they're doing is right? As much as the slimming down of America has injured the employee, companies that have fine tuned their crafts of performance are stronger in productivity but not necessarily in image. I love talking with those sporting blue shirts and khaki pants at Wal-Mart. Valuable to me is their honesty of what its truly like to work for a company that's done more for the worlds thumb print in shattered societies than government rules and taxes. Everybody has a story as to why they hate Wal-Mart. From overcrowded parking lots to hideously painted bathrooms to enormously out of control working conditions and hours and yet the company continues to be more powerful than religion. Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are always bad men. As a consumer Wal-Mart has made my life better. As an American I'm deeply destroyed by the company's demand to outsource and or purchase cheaply made products knowing what they sell isn't made to make it so they fake it by offering guarantees and warrantees that are supposed to invite comfort to the circles gathering at your table. I would love to see the numbers on the amount of gas wasted while having to drive back to Wal-Mart to replace a product or get your money back. In the end, their decision to put a gas station in their parking lot was a brilliant marketing plan that shoves more of your money in the their channels of command. But your life is better due to their shape and size of leadership. Just like the computer and smart phone I don't know what life would be like without Wal-Mart. Why do we forgive some but not others? arroe@arroe.net

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