Posted: June-14-2010 at 9:23pm | IP Logged	Tweet

The gulf oil spill is a real mess. It is still causing a lot of
damage, and the estimates are now even higher on how much oil is
spewing forth.

Each disaster scenario has these three elements: TC, TP and ME.

TC is the entity that caused the disaster. TC is The Company.
In this case it's the formerly named British Petroleum now known
popularly or unpopularly as BP. Some disasters such as
hurricanes and earthquakes are acts of God harping from above.
TC is the big company or entity that caused the thing whether
you know all of the true details of the cause or not.

There is a lot of justifiable focus on TC. This time TC appears
to have been neglectful in their duties to responsibly do
things and thus caused the disaster simply by sloppiness.

Those affected by the disaster have a right to be angry at TC.

Then there's TP. TP is The President. He is the second target
of the mess caused by TC. People get mad at TP because he (or
someday she) didn't act fast enough, decisively enough,
intelligently enough or compassionately enough. TP didn't do
what we thought he should do and he didn't do it when we
thought he should do it.

When stuff really goes wrong, people blame TP.

Maybe if TC had done everything right the well could have still
blown up. Stuff does happen. Maybe if TP acted with the speed
of a Blackbird jet, stuff still would have flowed as fast and
gummed and slicked up the environment just as much. Maybe.

The point is, no matter how much we fuss and blame the TCs
and TPs during the current and future disasters (for they will
come), the only entity whom we really have control over is ME.

What am I (ME, not TC or TP) going to do about it?

In the gulf crisis, people's incomes have been surely hurt.
Fishermen are suffering. The tourist industry is down
tremendously because most Americans have cancelled their
vacation plans to go to the stricken areas and have decided to
go elsewhere.

This is what ME is going to do.

I'm going to the gulf within the next 30 days. I'm going to
find one of the worst hit areas. I'm going to book a hotel on
the beach. I'm going to look for one with oil on it. I'm going
to go to the local restaurants and leave extra big tips because
the waiters and waitresses will probably be some of the hardest
hit during the crisis. I will leave a large tip in the room for
the maid.

I will go along the beach and try to patronize some businesses
that have been hard hit by the disaster. My feet may get oily
but my soul will feel cleaner. Perhaps, I will put a little
watery crude in a jar and bring it back. Like it or not, this
is history and I have a chance to be a part of history instead
of just watching it on TV.

That's what ME can do. Not TC or TP - ME!

We can shake our heads and say what a terrible job TC and TP are
doing or we can look in the mirror and realize that we can't
change the entire situation but if 5% of Americans took the ME
responsibility, together we could ease the plight of many on
the coast.

TP asked Americans to vacation in the affected areas. People
complained and asked if TP was going to take his family there.
It doesn't matter whether TP takes his family there or not,
that's on TP not ME.

What matters far more is will ME (and you) take the family there.

When The Times invited several eminent authors to write essays
on the theme "What's Wrong with the World?" The great writer
G. K. Chesterton's contribution took the form of a letter.
It was the shortsest response of any of the great writers.

His full letter is below:

Dear Sirs,

I am.

Sincerely yours,
G. K. Chesterton


President Kennedy said it best, "Ask not what your country can
do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

Ask not what TC and TP are going to do for our stricken
countrymen and women. Ask what will ME do.

TC, TP and ME.

Fuss, fuss or act (donate, volunteer, vacation).

Choose

(from MountainWings.com)