Truth, Justice and the American Way

I don’t know how to tell you this, but truth and justice are unfortunately not the American Way anymore!! I wish I had better news, but they haven’t been for quite some time now, in case you hadn’t noticed. Truth, “perception is reality.” Perception is not reality, reality is, but perception is juicier. Justice, have you seen the news lately. American way…please read on.

I see it every day in all sorts of ways. People are out for themselves, that is what the last two generations have been taught more than anything, “look out for number one,” but it has become more than just looking out for number one. I would agree that taking care of one’s self first makes sense relative to being able to care for others, but that is not the way people live their lives. They have taken “look out for number one,” and made it all about them, and having everything they want, and serving their own “agendas,” whatever that might be.

This year for me has been a year of dealing with all sorts of people from many different backgrounds, areas, and ways of life, and I know that there are still good people out there, but unfortunately there are so many people, young, and now older, that are absolutely going to make every decision based on what is best for them. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.” I realize that saying comes from Star Trek, or at least that is why most people know it, but I don’t think that matters, what matters is that people should listen to phrases such as this and realize just how true and vital these kinds of ideas, ways of thinkin, are.

“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.” Would you not feel better if that was the way your company ran their business, or if that was the way your school, your kids school, the state universities in this country were run? Would you not feel better if our country, the United Nations, and the governments of the so called “super powers” were run?

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.” What is amazing in these words is that the phrase “the good of the many outweigh the good of the few or the one,” is echoed throughout that passage.

As I read those words from beginning to end, I run across words and phrases such as “perfect union,” “justice,” “tranquility,” ”common defense,” “general welfare,” “blessings of liberty,” “to…our posterity.” Union, common, general, posterity, these words were not chosen by accident, of that I am certain. These words were “chosen,” “inked,” deliberated over by men whose sole purpose it was to create a United States, a free world, but one that we could find a way to share together.

And yet, on a daily basis, sometimes on an hourly basis, we are faced with the prospect of dealing with individuals, groups, organizations, corporations, governments, that do not operate under any scenario or premise that would have them focused on the “good of the many,” but rather on the ”good of the few or the one.” Worse yet we have one generation reinforcing for the next, incorrectly, and inappropriately, that this is the right, best, the proper thing to do, action to take, decision to make.

Why?

Some of the best and most successful companies in this country, and around the world, operate on a very simple principal, “the customer comes second.” If you have not read the book by that title please do so if you get the chance. It is a great read with some great concepts, not just applicable to business. I will give you one guess what the entire approach is based on, put others first and it will all come back to you and then some. From a business sense it is talking about putting employees first, supporting them, encouraging them, making them happy, do that and your customers by default will be very well taken care of and will keep coming back. Put others first and it will all come back to you and then some. “Pay it forward.” See that movie if you haven’t, but all of this is saying the same thing, “look out for number one,” by putting others first!!

Thank you again for getting this far with me.