“To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the thoughtless act of a single day.”
–Winston Churchill
Tag Archives: #quotes
Hard Realities, Practical Necessities
Americans know that something is wrong. We can feel it. It is easy to place blame; there is a lot to find fault with. But, many of us sense that something profound is happening, something that goes far deeper than the headlines, something that has been a long time coming.
For the majority of Americans, social and economic conditions have been deteriorating for a long time. We are increasingly vulnerable to potential systemic disruptions. Some threats are obvious; others lie hidden in a complex web of instability.
Our failure to prepare reflects a lack of both information and imagination. We accept the present as normal, even when it is unhealthy, distorted, or dangerous. Most of us expect that every day will be like the last.
To recognize that something is not right, or that current circumstances could lead to pain, requires some imagination. This can be overdone, of course. But, so too can carelessness.
Imagination applied rationally is a survival skill. Let me offer an example.
James Rickards is a monetary economist who advises the Department of Defense and the CIA concerning terrorist threats to the global monetary system and financial markets. Writing about our well-equipped intelligence agencies, staffed by smart people who are intent on protecting the United States, he tells us that these agencies were monitoring most of the individuals who subsequently carried out the 9/11 attacks.
Analysts were aware that several were being trained to fly airplanes. In short, the intelligence community had the information it needed to warn of the impending attack.
The only thing missing, says Rickards, was imagination.
That our family and friends think we are being alarmist when we express concerns about the future is easy to understand. They are human. At some point we may need to care for them, so we must trust our perceptions and think through the implications.
There are numerous resources available, in bookstores and on the web, which can help us prepare for a long crisis.
However, this blog (and book project) is focused instead on the personal, social, and relational challenges involved: the effort to build dependable communities, and to accept moral responsibility in an increasingly disrupted and desperate world.
Local communities can organize themselves around felt-needs, when we are ready to rise above our differences. But, having little positive experience working with groups can be a problem when trouble strikes.
We may have experienced community in a church group, club, or sporting pastime, but not usually in the immediate neighborhood where we live, and not in the face of threats to our safety and well-being.
A dependable bond among neighbors will be necessary to meet essential needs. But, most of us do not know our neighbors and cannot depend on them. We might not even have introduced ourselves to those we see regularly on the street or in the grocery store.
Our natural inclination to be independent and to avoid troublesome arrangements has led to the widespread loss of local associations and trustworthy relationships.
For many decades there have been few compelling reasons for Americans to seek meaningful community with our neighbors. Yet, when things stop working we will have no one to depend on except each other.
If we are to find safety and security in a crisis, it will be necessary to develop a range of interpersonal and organizational skills, and hopefully some technical knowledge as well.
Most of us can learn how to grow food, or at least to work with others who do. But, as the crisis deepens we will discover necessities we had not thought about. Organizing our lives without electricity or a functional sewage system or safe drinking water will require that we cooperate to solve problems, and in some cases solve them quickly.
It will be this personal engagement with one another, forced by hard realities, which will bring Americans together where we belong – as good neighbors in our communities.
Hiding under a rock might feel like a good idea in a shooting war, but it will not lead to the kind of world most of us want to live in.
Tom
Next week: Security and the Use of Force.
A note to new readers: Blog entries adapted from the forthcoming book are posted on most Fridays at the main blog site and on the Facebook page. To receive alerts by email you may click “Follow” in the column on the right.
Union and discord…
“All your strength is in union, all your danger is in discord.”
–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Doing the impossible…
“There is nothing wrong with America that faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and the energy of her citizens cannot cure.”
–Dwight D. Eisenhower
“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
–Francis of Assisi
Foundations for Security
In seeking security for those we care for – access to food and clean water, the safety of our children, or a defense against a collapsing civil order – we would do well to consider the qualities of order and stability that security requires.
Safety depends on the conditions we put in place around us, and therefore upon our ability to provide for necessities and to create a dependable environment. This will not be possible without active trustworthy relationships with our neighbors.
With deteriorating social and economic conditions we will be exposed to the failure of institutions and systems we have depended on for basic needs. Our neighborhoods may feel less safe. Police protection may become less dependable. We are likely to see some of our fellow citizens become disoriented and lose their balance.
We may be required to organize our communities effectively to meet needs and resolve practical problems.
It may also be wise to think carefully and rationally about the potential for sociopathic violence. But, let’s be clear: The possibility for violence is only one among a wide range of security concerns. In the coming weeks I will touch on some of these, including ways we can both prepare for and limit violence.
As we experience increasing social and economic disorder, I expect it will become increasingly clear that we must assume responsibility for our own necessities.
Food security will be a major problem if we do not learn how to produce and preserve food. Hunger is not fun and hungry people are often not very nice.
The greatest test for some may be the sudden recognition that we do not really know how to be self-sufficient. Our well-being will depend on how we respond to these challenges. And so, as we find our way forward in a new reality it will become apparent that the requirements of security are in fact the requirements of stable communities.
That said, let’s be realistic about the relative nature of security.
President Dwight Eisenhower, a five star general, reminded us of the limits: “If you want total security,” he said, “go to prison. There you’re fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking… is freedom.”
Like President Eisenhower, Helen Keller also had a way of putting things in perspective. Being both deaf and blind gave her insights into life that the rest of us would do well to think about.
“Security is mostly a superstition,” she said. “It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”
Fear can interfere with our ability to address problems and to keep our heads clear in difficult circumstances. However, security concerns certainly do need to be addressed to keep our families safe and our communities productive.
I suggest that a sequence of responsibilities applies to local communities: Freedom depends on security, which depends on stability, which in turn depends upon honesty, trust, dependability, and forbearance.
There is one other essential component as well, which I call “constructive action.” By this I mean the active condition in which dependable working relationships develop. We have already discussed the critical importance of trust and dependability at length. These depend on constructive action, guided by principle and a sense of purpose.
Principle and purpose cannot exist frozen in time. I believe stability is only possible when we are in motion.
Constructive action supported by a shared sense of purpose will be the only way to navigate through dark times. For family and community, a stable foundation is our first priority. Constructive action allows us dynamic flexibility in responding to what the world throws at us.
All of this will depend on our readiness to work closely with people we have differences with. We cannot be tentative about it. Building trustworthy communities will not be easy. Our future depends on it.
Tom
Dear readers: In the coming weeks I will consider several issues related to security for families and communities. I look forward to your comments and constructive feedback; this project would be impossible without you.
A house divided against itself…
“And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.”
–Matthew 12:25 (KJV)
Common sense…
“Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
Moral courage…?
“It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare.”
–Mark Twain
Never doubt that a small group…
“It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”
–Samuel Adams
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”
–Margaret Mead
Live as if you were…
“Learn as if you were to live forever; live as if you were to die tomorrow.”
–Anonymous,
taken from “Team Player” by John C. Maxwell
Don’t judge each day…
“I am an optimist. It doesn’t seem to be much use being anything else.”
–Winston Churchill
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”
–Robert Louis Stevenson
“Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.”
–Charles M. Schulz (“Peanuts”)
The foundational principle…
“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.”
“When the trust account is high, communication is easy, instant, and effective.”
–Stephen R. Covey
Liberty and the American Idea 