Is it a waste of precious, valuable time attempting to incite compassion in the masses? I don't mean the "give us your money and we'll feed the world" type of compassion, and I also don't mean the "social program" type of compassion. I mean everyday, human-being, but-by-the-grace-of-God-go-I compassion. Do you feel the cold and impersonal wall of distance that greets each step you take in public? I do. And it breaks my heart, because I don't think compassion is a waste of time. It breaks my heart because I don't think compassion is too much to ask. Believe me when I tell you that sometimes a warm, sincere smile from a stranger is the difference between choosing to live or choosing to die.
What about leadership? Is that a waste of time and resources too? Is a title, a grander paycheck, and a corner office enough to transform a hard-working employee into a boss who will inspire excellence? I think not. Moreover, I think that it's a personal responsibility to ensure that I don't promote beyond my ability to lead, to inspire, to teach, and to impassion. Leadership - TRUE LEADERSHIP - requires transparency, empathy, humility, and the patience of Job. Dictatorship is NOT leadership. Standing on the shoulders of giants is NOT leadership. "Perfection" - whatever that might be - is NOT leadership. Accept that promotion if you dare - but ensure that you are up to the task, because leadership means courage enough to succeed and courage enough to fail, not just for yourself but for those you lead.
And craftsmanship? Is that a bygone concept as well? I think of my father, psychotic in so many ways, but a craftsman beyond compare. He applied his skill and deftness to everything he touched, be it a delicate, spider-web thin wood etching, a to-scale and perfectly recreated model airplane, or the implements he handmade to punish my sister and me. Hours of time, infinite patience, meticulous attention to detail, and a genuine love of creation were devoted to items that most people would be content to purchase in a department store. His perfectionism and eye for detail weren't exercised because he was going to sell the items, or because he was going to enter a contest, or because he wanted acclaim. He demonstrated pride in craftsmanship simply because that's the way it is done. My place of employment used to practically teem with such people. Now it seems that people do just what is necessary to get by; putting forth the least amount of effort necessary for a finished, but immature, product. Yet another insight that breaks my tired heart, as craftsmanship is very fulfilling... having a job is not.
Strange to say, but perhaps the most dismaying question of all remains - who do we represent when we egress the safety of our homes and face the world each day? What does my attire, my facial expression, the state of repair of my shoes, the condition of my vehicle, my attitude, and my speech say about my family? My friends? My employer? My upbringing? My personal code of ethics? Do those things - those superficial, first-impression, open-to-interpretation-by-anyone-on-the-street things - tell the world what I want the world to know? It's easy to say "I don't care what other people think," or "You have no right to judge me," but it's just as easy to accept that humans-at-large are going to make snap decisions based on my appearance, my grooming, my attitude, and my speech that have the potential to reflect on my children, my spouse, my friends, my employer, and perceptions of my ethical system. It only takes a few moments longer to think before I speak, to plan the next day's wardrobe instead of throwing it together at the last minute, to polish my shoes, or to ensure that my dress, manners, and attitude reflect the highest moral caliber - and the effort results in impressions that are pervasive and long-lasting. Otherwise, it only takes a second for a person - perhaps just the person I needed to talk to about a new job, or my child's IEP, or my elderly parents' care - to dismiss me outright. Is representation a waste of time and effort? Only if you truly don't care what people think.
