Some links may be affiliate links. I may earn money if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these links on this site.
Rob Knowlan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Pushing Buttons
Did you ever have a really bad day? Not as bad as the guy in Hawaii who hit the wrong button at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency this weekend. It helps to put things in perspective, doesn’t it?
There is so much wrong with that scenario. How did there come to be a “wrong button” to push? Why didn’t the guy know not to push that button? Why isn’t it under one of those little “don’t press this button” lids you see in the movies? Luckily, he won’t have to worry about that anymore. He’s been given other responsibilities. Hopefully, they’ve labeled the button a bit more clearly for whoever took his place.
We’ll probably never know exactly what happened, but I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. Most of them occurred when I had an overbearing, PITA boss hanging over me trying to micromanage. Just maddening.
When you’ve got a boss hanging over your shoulder like the world is going to end if you don’t do the (let’s be honest) utterly meaningless thing that you’re getting paid to do, mistakes are likely to happen. Now, unless you’re doing something of life and death importance like performing paramedical care in an ambulance or keeping a nuclear power plant from melting down, chances are that whatever you’re doing is going to have the same effect on life, the Universe and everything if you do it after lunch, tomorrow or next week. People just have no freaking perspective.
What actually matters?
Good question.
Let’s take a cue from Conan the Barbarian:
That’s certainly one possible take. I love that meme, frankly. It’s a great depiction of the turn our country has begun taking under our new President. Not only is he incredibly effective in spite of all of the obstacles being put in his path, but he is doing a bang-up job of trolling the ever-lovin’ F*** out of the opposition. Dear me, it’s a great time to be alive.
In the grand scheme of things, what matters in life is loving and being loved. What matters is taking care of those who depend on you. What matters is doing the thing you were born to do and doing it so well that you can’t help but make the world a better place. That’s what really matters.
Some More Rules
Rule #106: There is no honor in poverty
This guy needs bigger ears. This is Ferengi-style commerce at its most crass. Hey, well, there’s a lid for every pot. Problem is, pots have a tendency to boil over when left cooking too long. Sure, you can get crazy rich selling in the way these folks are depicted doing. There are specific personality types who respond to that kind of stimulus, even thrive on it.
Not everybody, though. Honestly, there’s something to be said for finding your muse. If your muse is a frothing, Type-A, high-pressure sales exec, go do that for as long as you can. Set your bucks aside for the time when your candle burns out.
There are a lot of other ways to get yours.
We all need money, but we also need meaning. Do what you are called to do in life. Find your mission. Bring value to your community. When you bring value to the market, the money is inevitable. You don’t have to cram anything down anyone’s throat. Do what you were born to do and they’ll come begging to buy from you.
Here’s a more mature perspective on this particular rule:
Rule #107: Not yet cited in Star Trek episodes, movies or novels
You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist. ~Indira Gandhi
Well, actually, if you’ve ever shaken hands with someone who has really debilitating arthritis in his hands you’ll know that’s not literally true. The sentiment is certainly accurate, though. It’s hard to find common ground with someone who wants to dislodge you violently just for having a different perspective.
I’ve been known to troll, condescend and lambast people for having a differing point of view. I’m sure we all have. Unfortunately, our country and even the world have grown so polarized that we can’t laugh it off and go have a late supper anymore. You have to make a conscious choice of whether you like someone enough to overlook their odious outpourings these days.
I’m as guilty of it as anyone. My list of blocked Facebook users is long and growing longer. I honestly don’t know when the pendulum will finally swing back towards unity. We’re so divided and the most strident among us are working their level best to push the pendulum even farther.
It’s absolutely awful.
Rule #108: Not yet cited in Star Trek episodes, movies or novels
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?‘ ~ Martin Luther King Jr
Do something, preferably something good. Good doesn’t always mean nice. You can be cruel to be kind. Some people actually need a (figurative) slap upside the head now and again.
In this highly polarized world we’re living in, the problem is compounded by the slack-witted efforts of some to socially engineer a kinder, gentler life through Political Correctness. It’s become a mortal sin to trigger someone’s offense. God forbid anyone would be offended by anything. We should all be sweet, lovely, soft-spoken, ultra-sensitive milquetoasts. Nobody need ever say something that triggers anyone else. It’s just not done. When it is, there’s some all-knowing schmuck there to correct our coarse behavior.
Again, the pendulum has swung too far into Fantasyland. We need to get some balance. We don’t need smarmy know-it-alls stepping in to gently correct our barbarous misdeeds. We need to speak plainly and call a jerk a jerk. Letting people know where they really stand is a reality check that so many of us go without in the guise of being inclusive and non-judgemental. What the hell is the matter with judgment? How can you tell good from bad, safe from unsafe, wise from foolish without some modicum of judgment?
As to ‘What are you doing for others?‘, I’ve said as much. Do for others and your needs will be met.
Ages ago, in simpler times, most everybody was a hunter/gatherer. You spent all day foraging for edible flora or hunting for edible fauna. Except for the guy with the broken leg. He sat back at the encampment feeling useless. Some of these guys withered away in despair. Some of them figured out a way to be useful in exchange for a portion of everyone else’s foraging. If that guy could make pots or tools or weapons or clothing, he could barter them for breakfast lunch and dinner from his more mobile neighbors. It was a win-win. The able foragers had more time to go looking for food, knowing the other guy was doing stuff they didn’t have the time, skill or inclination to do. That was a simpler time.
The thing is, nowadays, there are so very many ways that you can be useful in your own way. You might be somebody that your friends and family consider a bit of a wastrel because they don’t need whatever you do, but you might be an absolute rock star to somebody in another state, country or continent. Never underestimate the power of simply being you. You are awesome. You just need to figure out what form your awesomeness takes and who needs to receive whatever it is you have to offer.
So, keep that pointless day job. You’ve got bills to pay. While you’re at it, figure out what you’re really meant to do in life and figure out how to transition to that mission-driven existence. It’s a lot more fulfilling when you’re doing what you’re doing because YOU are the single best person to do that thing. When you are uniquely qualified to provide some kind of value to society, whatever that may be, it’s almost criminal to refrain from doing that. A total waste. That’s why you feel like you’re wasting your time doing what you do if you’re not doing the thing you’ve been put on this Earth to do.
Rule #109: Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack
In the episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine titled ‘Rivals‘, Chris Sarandon played an alien con-man named Martus who came into possession of some alien doodads that enhanced luck. It gave him an unfair edge over Quark’s business and threatened to shut the Ferengi barkeep down for good. After it’s discovered that the luck-gizmos are causing reality to warp, they’re destroyed and he’s arrested. In the final scene, he thinks he’s being bailed out by his “rich lady friend”, but she’s also a grifter who’s been conning the con-man.
MARTUS: Alsia! I knew you’d come to get me out.
ODO: Inside.
(Alsia enters the other cell)
MARTUS: What’s the meaning of this?
ODO: Ask him.
QUARK: Your lady friend over here just tried to scam me.
MARTUS: Scam?
QUARK: Asteroid mining. To think anyone would be foolish enough to be taken in by that old trick. But don’t worry, Martus, I’ve come to get you out.
MARTUS: In return for what?
QUARK: Nothing. Pure generosity.
(Odo gives a derisory laugh and leaves)
MARTUS: You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?
QUARK: Taken in by one of your own victims and no one to turn to but me? I can’t remember when I’ve been so entertained.
MARTUS: I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Now how about giving me two thousand Isiks to book passage out of here.
QUARK: You want me to give you money? Ridiculous. Of all the ungrateful arrogance.
MARTUS: Unless you want me to stay here on the station.
QUARK: All right. I’ll loan you five hundred Isiks. You can book passage on a cargo ship.
MARTUS: Fifteen hundred. After all, I do have expenses.
QUARK: Six hundred.
MARTUS: Twelve hundred. I still have my dignity.
QUARK: Dignity and an empty sack is worth the sack. Rule of Acquisition number a hundred and nine.
MARTUS: All right. Eight hundred.
QUARK: Go on. I’m listening
This is certainly an example of the proverb that “pride goes before a fall“. Even in his defeat, Martus is still trying to cling on to his sense of importance. That’s how it is for so many people out here in the real world. Even when the world is burning down around them, they’re trying to figure out “What’s in it for me?“. Dignity is an important human trait, but only when it’s legitimate. When you’ve been a fool, you’re only compounding the foolishness by trying to maintain the illusion. The world needs more honesty and genuine dignity. Don’t try to take shortcuts. Be who you are meant to be and do what you’re meant to do for the betterment of the world. Here’s another excellent quote from Dr. King:
All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
Rule #110: Exploitation begins at home
What the “Sages” are promoting is absolutely ludicrous, but there is some tiny morsel of truth buried in the silliness of it all. If you have tasks that can be done by your spouse, your kids or any other family members or friends who might be living with you, it might be worth considering letting them do it. Maybe your teenagers have mad social media skills or a knack for graphics. Maybe your husband was a programmer who can tweak your pages or program WordPress plug-ins for you. There are probably “exploitable resources” among your family and friends. You don’t have to run a sweatshop. Only a Ferengi would expect that. However, a family business can certainly benefit from family involvement if there are useful skills to be found in-house.
We all have bad days. Most of us won’t have a bad day that involves frightening an entire state’s population. It helps put your own problems into perspective. At least you’re not having as bad a day as that guy in Hawaii had. Keep smiling and keep doing what you do. The dark clouds will pass and you’ll have a better day tomorrow.