Usually the
saying goes “crumbles” but, sometimes…
I
am not really sure where this old saying began, or to whom we owe the
everlasting comment but, in the time it has come to be with us, we have taken it to refer to that moment in life when something negative happens that is not in
our control or in our plans… as if to say...that’s the way it goes… Or so it has come to be
accepted in the general and constant mentions this old standard gets.
For
most people, daily living is a continuum of repeated events: sleep, awake,
wash, dress, work, go home, eat, watch TV or read or, if lucky, converse and
then sleep again… to be repeated tomorrow, in case you missed something important today.
Of course, we have the weekends along the way, during which the most likely alteration
to the routine is not to work and perhaps add an outside dinner or a couple of
drinks and, if a practitioner of any given faith, a Sunday (or Saturday
afternoon) get together with the other members of a congregation.
For
some reason, there are some of us for whom this accepted general routine
becomes an aberration to be shunned. I do not say this is right or wrong, just
unacceptable for those who make up this group. When a person rebels, there is
always a number of others who immediately add up their efforts and, in an
aggregate manner, do their utmost to convince the rogue to come “back to
his/her senses”.
“Push, but don’t break the envelope” is a
saying often used by many who can’t even describe that somewhat mythical
“envelope” to which it refers. But, since many do say it, it must be profound,
right? In my sales and management career,
over the course of a seeming lifetime, this little phrase has been thrown in my
general direction more times than I can remember. Yet, if rules or parameters are
the stuff of which the envelope of reference is made, then I say that it must
be broken once in a while.
And
I do not mean this in a “civil disobedience/revolution” way but even a
gently or, at times not so gently made rupture is needed. Why? Because this is
the only possible way in which those rules and parameters will accept and include new
ideas and advance or evolve, in order to remain a viable controlling set of
applicable rules. Those adapted rules that will be able to deal with the changes being experienced
at the core of that very society the “envelope” of reference is supposed to
contain within.
Society
itself, at large, is a funny and at times funky animal. Yes, a living,
breathing animal. Maybe not in the way you and I live and breathe, but it does
live and breathe a life of its own and will, through that group of fanatically avowed members who
make up its internal defense system, wreck havoc amongst those
“insider-outsiders” who disagree with the status quo and would like to see it
change.
Like
the non-swimmer who has fallen into the water and doesn’t quite know what to do,
these defenders will do what they think necessary to frantically wave their arms and hands
in order to quell any disagreements with what is. Yet, those very folk who may at one time act
like an internal menace, are the ones who will bring on the changes needed so
that the very society that openly shuns them, can morph and go on living.
Often, they are called Non-Conformists… and other names and epithets not worth
repeating. And it is indeed a good thing there is a group that does not,
unquestioningly, conform to the existing
norms…
Imagine:
A society in which groups of different people are put into a ghetto like place
or space and subjected to unimaginable harassment, with little hope of improvement; a society in which women do not vote or are not allowed equal pay for
equal work; a society where religious freedom does not exist… A society where racial make up is an open mark for shunning someone. A society where
civil laws do not exist or will not help the individual; a society where all
that is intellectually consumed by the average individual is censored so as not
to allow or foment a thinking process… a society where no one is allowed to
express their thoughts openly, especially if in disagreement with the powers
that be… A society where there are no internal “checks and balances” that will allow member or group of members to, from within, disagree and use the established structure and system
to improve it.
Believe
it or not, the above described societal “envelope” was very real and very much
the ruling thought pattern in many countries; including this one we live in…
and not so long ago, as history goes. In fact, it could be argued successfully that there are societies where it still is the ruling pattern.
Think
about it, next time you see or hear someone disagreeing with the status quo and
your immediate reaction is to shun the voice that asks you to take a second
look. The overall good is not always what we, as individuals, would consider
our own very best option. But society, that funny animal, sometimes wants each
one of us to sacrifice a little so that others will have a chance to get ahead.
That is a voice that cannot be ignored.
So…
Sometimes… The Cookie will not Crumble, but will loudly Rumble!!
Be
Well … Be Back!!!
Final Notes:
- Pray for those who are fighting an illness which
may take them away from their loved ones… Every request is heard, and
counts!!
- Follow us on Twitter … @RJAsPandora
- Any comments please send to otherboxp@yahoo.com
- Remember: We are “On Air” every Sunday night at
6:30pm EST (GT –5hrs). http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theotherbox If the link does not work, please just copy and paste
to your address bar.
- “La
Otra Caja de Pandora”… The
Spanish language Blog… “otracaja.blogspot.com”
… Bienvenidos!!!
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