The Problem Solver: Ground Zero
As I sit here pondering the weight of the world and how much of life has changed since September 11, 2001 I feel many things. I feel sadness, I feel afraid not for myself but for my children, I feel anger at how soft we have become, I feel skeptical of all the information being given about our current state of affairs.
I feel.
The numbing, sobering events that have plunged our country and the rest of this earth into a tense, sometimes hysterical, yet somewhat more (dare I say it) civilized world is and will continue to have a tremendous impact on the business of balloons along with probably every other and any other business I can possibly imagine.
I have collected a few thoughts from friends and others who seem to have made some sense of the madness that has helped me put some of this into perspective.
The Spiritual - Perhaps some divine being made our planet in seven days. From September 11th and for six days forward we, our country – our world, were left to set about building a new CIVIL-ization for ourselves. Yes, a new world has truly been created. It is now up to us to individually and collectively be responsible enough to build a new exciting world of prosperity. We are being given a second chance to put the humanity back in the human race.
The Philosophical - From the mid-1980’s until just about a year ago, the United States of America along with a great deal of the free world, had been living a great and prosperous life. Excesses were many in food, living conditions, recreation and travel, employment, job benefits and so much more. Playtime is over.
The Emotional - It’s easy to cry these days isn’t it? So many heart wrenching stories in the news. You can’t miss them on the TV, on your radio, in the newspaper or magazines. Heck, it’s in this magazine now, too. Pick a topic – any topic. There’s the loss of life, families and friends left behind, the injured and sick, layoffs, new threats, Anthrax, military actions, and the biggest one of all – what might be next. A tear in the eye, a sob, or a good balling may just be the dose of compassion we need to never forget. Those who forget are doomed to repeat past indiscretions. So many have spoken about the Holocaust of World War II in these terms. Never forget, never forget.
The Realistic - This brings me to us – our balloon family. As I see it, 2001 started out pretty slow for the balloon business. If I may state the obvious, the events of September 21st sure didn’t help. We too have a lot of rebuilding to do. We must look for new and better ways to work. We need to establish new or rebuild old relationships. We must spend our limited funds much more wisely. In short – we’re going to have to work much smarter and much harder to not only prosper, but also perhaps just to survive.
Survival of the fittest has never meant more than it does today. For now we are all in a constant state of 911. Our lives and our businesses are now in a never-ending emergency mode and probably will be for some time to come. How we respond to this crisis is all that counts.
Stay cool, stay focused, and stay tuned.
Mark
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