Where Will the New Libertarians Come From?

Front Porch reprint from Tuesday, June 29, 2010

When Normality Is a Problem...

Battin' around a thing that we all deal with, whether it's our children, neighbors, trade partners, business associates, even 'fellow Americans.'

Let's start with the one on which we can all probably agree. There are periods in our lives when our parents become, well, not so smart. We know better. They can preach to us until the cows come home, but it's "only" our parents, mucked in the past whereas we have been exposed to the latest of everything. Just ask Al Gore. If we're old enough, we've grown to be embarrassed by our adolescent folly, and have re-embraced our parents' wisdom, perhaps even marveling at it. The flip side is...

As a parent, our grown up kid is still the squalling child whose diapers we changed, nose we wiped, and helped out of various scrapes in their early years. Playing the role of omnicompetent, omniscient mentor, benefactor, caretaker, we resist (subconsciously) this shift and behave as if they're the same little rug rat they used to be. But he/she's not. They're grown up (if you're my age) and have lots to offer if only we don't minimize the messenger.

As many of us have experienced, this whip-saw effect of images outlasting their usefuleness is unproductive at best, and can drive a wedge beteen us and our most precious relationships at worst. Fact is, this is NORMAL, for lots of reasons. It's merely our job to be aware that it may be happening, so we can allow for it, adjust, and preserve the best of our relationships.

Let's go to our business relationships. How many of us have had the the experience of being hard-pursued, wine and dined, by a potential employer salivating to make us an employee, rather than, say a consultant, or another person's employee? And what happens when we throw in with our suitor? It doesn't take long, does it?

The wisdom for which we were courted becomes fast disrespected in favor of the next consultant or hire. We're no longer the coming of the second saviour, even if we did the job. Again, this is NORMAL. Looking elsewhere for talent to magically solve problems of a business is NORMAL. It's easier than knowing how to manage the talent you've already coralled and less stressful to the ego than laissez-faire: letting the folks hired to get the job done take their full shot at it. The consequences of management looking for the 'greener grass' are astronomical, but not visible to the perpetrator. (Hope someone reading this this finds comfort in knowing this happens to many, many dedicated, talented folks---because, again, it's NORMAL!)

How does this apply to us advocates of freedom? Let's bet on NORMAL. The people closest to you are most likely to dismiss your message because...well...for many reasons. For their own purposes, they need to get the message 'independently', from elsewhere. You could write a book on this. Don't take it personally when this happens because it's...NORMAL. Remember, for every person in your own circle of non-influence, there are many open-minded folks in quest for truth and maybe even the rewards of liberty and independence, but they've blocked off their own circle of influence. Get it? The good news is there are more people out there who don't know you than do. Therein lies the success of those who rise to the top in terms of getting the message out.

There are always a few 'easy sales' within your circle, but be prepared to work outside of it if you are serious about your mission!!

As I said, you, we, could write a book on the why's of this subject, as well as the 'how do we work with it instead of against it." Would love to hear from you 'On the Front Porch.'

Copyright Jack Geene, 2010