Excuse me...I hate to interrupt, but...your house is on fire."

Reprint from Front PorchThursday, July 22, 2010
Concern Without Matching Passion is Worthless...
Welcome to the Front Porch. I'm a little worked up tonight...

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You discover that upstairs your house has caught fire. Meanwhile, downstairs, the adult party is in full swing. You know that there are children at risk upstairs, not only from flames, but smoke inhalation and misguided efforts to flee the scene.

Do you...

Quietly walk up to one of the partiers and say, "I'm sorry, but is it convenient to speak to you now?" Is this a time to be sensitive about whether your friends think you're "cool"? Do you non-chalantly say, in a low-key way, "It's just my opinion, but it seems to me we might have a problem here?"

Do you ask for a meeting of interested parties to 'discuss', 'evaluate' and produce suggested recommendations?

Or do you yell, at the top of your voice, "The goddamned house is on fire and we have to get the kids from upstairs!!"?

Pretty obvious, eh?

Well, our Republic, our very civilization is on fire. A five alarmer. When do we start behaving in sync with what we know to be true? We must match the gravity of our perceptions with our response to those perceptions. Failure to do so will only deem us inconsequential, perhaps loony. No wonder our otherwise benevolent friends take what we say with a grain of salt.

Get EXCITED!!!

We've enjoyed our apathy and gift from previous generations too long. Hopefully we're coming to the abrupt realization that freedom and prosperity are not entitlements. Act like it. You'll lose friends. You might save the world for your children.

In the words of a fellow who saw the handwriting on the wall, "LET's ROLL!" Anything less passionate is cowardice.

Am I wrong?