Runnin' Down a Dream (Apologies to Tom Petty)

Something has been weighing on my mind so hard, I could not even sleep tonight.

I wrestle with whether or not this is truly the medium for such conversation. However, I am enjoying putting words to paper, particularly when discussing life’s frustrations. The emotional repression that is required in everyday dealings falls away, as well as the negative effects of holding on to feelings of resentment and disappointment while expressing oneself artistically.

At any rate, the thing mentioned above is frustration with the difference between the stated ideals of organizations and their methods. It is a dichotomy that I readily grasp, as it is a personal shortcoming as well. To speak on the promotion of values and civility, yet displaying none (see the Obama/Clinton dispute – you’re both Democrats people) is no different than professing love of family but never moving toward them. Above all else, what this nation needs now is people who are willing to stop with the excuses, the fear, and the tactics of exclusion of others with differing opinions. Organizations tend to make their marks by riding the back of fear-mongering (join us so you don’t end up with them - we’re better) and omission (if you’re not with us, you’re nothing). It is a policy with which they should be wary.

I am a member of several organizations, each with its own “join us or die” gospel. I know this serves to motivate the members, but great care should be taken not to exalt oneself so much that the common man feels he has no place within, when the truth for an organization is that the common man is the lifeblood. Without them, what is left is a group a pretentious, preening, self-congratulatory windbags who continually fall short of their stated aims. One should never put themselves so far above the fray that they can no longer see the thing for which they fight. It is egotism, plain and simple and no organization can sustain itself in perpetuity. It must always return to the same people that are excluded in order to continue. Often this occurs too late and is considered an act of desperation. Whether a true assessment or not, it will often be met as an act of subtle manipulation or even worse an outright disingenuous act. A balance must be struck, lest the group teeter over the edge, ideals and all.

Wake up and smell the coffee. You need them more than they need you. Go backwards to move forward. Forget what you have become and remember how you began. Research your history. Review your goals and purpose. Then if you still feel like talking, then take a cue from Martin and runteldat…but not just only to each other.