do SOMETHING!

[LeatherneckPA]

I didn't want to hijack someone else's post, so I started this one. PaulNKS wrote: Starting somewhere ... anywhere ... is better than not starting at all ... GO FOR IT!. And I thought it was so profound that it beared repeating in it's own thread, kind of.

One of the things I hated most about my former career was the "Monday Morning Quarterbacks". Of course when they had the luxury of 12hrs to 96hrs to think over the situation they always had a a better technique and resolution than I had. But put them on the spot with a "table-top" simulation that was happening in real time and they were completely stymied. You have to remember that as the on-duty Lieutenant I had to think of ways to control a situation and restore order either while I was running to it or while I was fighting inmates. The fact that I could do that was what made me effective in that position.

All too often, I see people "in the world" who talk a great talk but are frozen into immobility by a lack of action. they are "waiting" for the time to be just right, or for all of the pieces to come together, or for the kids to grow up and leave, or for the stars to align, or whatever. But if a person waits for everything to be setup just perfect, they'll never get anything done.

The title of this thread is a reference to a recent song by The Eagles on their Long Road Out of Eden double album. I hope it's not just my imagination, but there was an awful lot of ecological metaphor on that album. And in the song Do Something the shallow person will hear that he is urging himself to "do something" to prevent his girl from walking away. A person who is listening for such things will hear the underlying message that most of us on this board would hear; we must take some action to prevent the destruction of our ecosystem, and thereby ourselves.

Do something
It's too easy not to care
You're not ready for the rockin' chair
Get up and do something
Do something
Don't wait too long
Even if it's wrong
You've got to do something
Do something
It's not over
No, it's never too late

The full lyrics are here (http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eagles/dosomething.html) for your perusal.

So don't allow yourself to be bogged down in a quagmire of inactivity and uncertainty. DO SOMETHING!!

[knittyhorse]

Good post. The structure of modern American society is such that most people can't conceive of becoming independent in any way. Prosperity and technological advances have created a society in which people are meshed and the interdependence seems insurmountable. People certainly need to take baby steps toward developing skills and resources that will allow them to prevail during tough economic times.

[randallhilton]

I didn't want to hijack someone else's post, so I started this one. *PaulNKS wrote: *Starting somewhere ... anywhere ... is better than not starting at all ... GO FOR IT!. *And I thought it was so profound that it beared repeating in it's own thread, kind of. So don't allow yourself to be bogged down in a quagmire of inactivity and uncertainty. *DO SOMETHING!!

Excellent point, LeatherneckPA.

Paralysis by analysis creeps in and keeps us from moving forward. Here’s how it played out in my head:

I’m no anthroprogenic global warming nut but that doesn’t get me off the hook for practicing good stewardship of spaceship Earth.

I’m not a survivalist but that doesn’t absolve me of the responsibility of taking care of my family when the society or distribution system breaks down.

We’ve had water supply, a larder, personal protection etc. in place for years but those two points of responsibility turned my head towards liberty from the energy grid. But since we’re in town, none of the energy sources make economic sense and for a while, that was messing with my head. Why install and maintain a solar energy system with all those batteries to coddle, not to mention the up front expense? Solar would require a lifestyle change and still take 10 years to pay back. Geez, in ten years, battery technology will have improved and I could just switch then, right? :-/

That’s paralysis by analysis creeping in.

Then I realized that it doesn’t have to make sense. :o The liberty that comes from being “off grid” has value that can’t be placed on a spreadsheet. But how much of my life and money do I spend on stuff that really doesn’t make sense anyway? For example: I have a pretty decent solar energy system sitting on two wheels in my driveway. I defy anyone to show me how my Harley makes sense. It gets just a little better fuel milage than our Corolla but only carries two people. I love to ride but that whole “Easy Rider” born to be wild thing is only a false sense of liberty. I have traded liberty for “bread and circuses.” That truly doesn’t make sense. (If anybody disagrees with me, send me a PM, I have a great deal on an Electraglide. ;D

So yes, LeatherneckPA, I 100% agree that it’s time to Do Something, even if it doesn’t make sense.

[MHinFox]

Excellent concepts and post ...and can be applied to so many things in life good job folks!