11 October 2010

Own What You Bring - Personal Responsibility


I was thinking last night about a man I once heard speak in front of a large group of people. He was talking about the success his company was having and mentioned a very successful project they were supporting, then casually said something along the lines of - "It's not really something I would be proud to tell my mother about." This was followed by laughter.

This project did nothing to make the world a more beautiful place. It degraded both women and men. It took beautiful things and made them tawdry and cheap. And his company was profiting from it. And his only comment was that his mother wouldn't be proud. Other than this it seemed he had no duty to the world around him. His only duty was to his own financial success and power, a corporate giant's coffers and giving their customers "what they wanted."

When I think about the influence I have on the world, the "product" I bring to those around me, I want it to be something I can be behind 100 percent. That I know makes the world a better place, brings hope and peace to others. It's a great shame, A SHAME, that there are people in this world so quick to bring garbage to the masses for money, success and power. They encourage those they expose to these things to be less than they really are, to accept and expect less and to believe in less.

It is impossible to bring ugly into the world when we are living our best lives, when we are doing what we were meant to do. It's impossible to feel good or pretty or successful when we are not bringing pretty and good into the world. We should expect more of people. We should show our displeasure to big organizations more often. We should be more careful what we give acceptance to, how easy we make it for people so willing to make money at our expense.

I hope you'll join me in the quest to find our best selves, to do our best work, to bring goodness and beauty to the world. They are so many people in desperate need of a positive light, a kind word, an encouraging arm. Through our own examples and actions we can be encouraging to our families, to our local communities, to the media, large corporations and governments. There is no person, group or organization so large that they cannot be influenced for the better. You have great influence for good in this world. Never forget it.

2 comments:

Minnie said...

I so agree with you on this. How shameful that this guy felt no embarrassment in front of all those people announcing his own mom would disapprove of what he's doing. I think there is a lot to be said for personal integrity and clearly this guy has none. This is a topic my husband and I talk about a lot when the topic comes to the declining house values in our neighborhood. Like many, we are stuck with a home loan that exceeds the house value. Some are responding to this by abandoning their loans/homes and buying new ones, right in the same neighborhood, under a different name but for a much lower price. We would never do anything like that but do feel cheated big time because we tried to be so responsible before buying our home, crunching numbers and making sure we could afford the loan (and not one of those ridiculous ARM loans). Sorry I got a little off topic but I think all of it ties together because there will, unfortunately, always be people who take advantage of the situation for personal gain. But I do believe in karma and I think that those of us who strive to lead an honest and positive life are better off in the end. That's my two cents ... or two dollars since I went off on my soapbox. :-)

kalanicut said...

Minnie, I don't live far from you and definitely know a lot of people in difficulties. I had not heard about people letting this houses go then buying again under a different name. That really is appalling. I applaud you and your family for being so loyal to your commitments. I think you'll be rewarded --kharma is real. Plus you are showing a great example to your children. :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...