Chasing Crazy

Fifteen is my limit on schnitzengruben.

Right now there are three specific things that are making faces at me in the window of the car in front of me as I sit in traffic on the Southeast Expressway. One: the debt crisis. Two: Congressman David Wu. Three: an article by Julien Smith, "How to tell if you're doing your life's work." The first two get under my skin because my mom would have slapped my face, and I bet their mother's would too, if I behaved that way in public. The last is the one I could be my own on an island, I just didn't agree with the point of view.

Let's get the first two out of the way, they're linked. The debt crisis has not been about the constituents for several weeks now, its been political. That is wrong and sends a bad message to voters and our creditors. Compromise doesn't occur by telling the other side to compromise. Compromise occurs when you sit down at the table with your list and their list and compare notes. Compromise takes care of both sides, not your side. Here is a nice little four point plan by Tim Sanders if you'd like to read more on compromise.

Congressman David Wu will resign because he made an unwanted advance on a woman. However, he won't until the debt crisis is squared away. He isn't staying on because he's on the debt crisis management team. As Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News stated, "He will stay on because the Democrats need every vote possible." I feel like our representatives have made fools of us. I think they can fix it, but it will take time and perseverance and leadership and compromise. When and where will it come from?

The last bit of crazy. I plum didn't like the article by Julien Smith. His POV was in the opposite direction of mine, that's OK, but what put me over the edge was the folks that gushed about its truth and awesomeness. They must be mad. Read the article, leave a comment. I'm not going to go into it. I'll tell you my favorite anecdote instead. An assistant coach of mine from Nigeria told me this after I perpetrated crazy one day. I try to use this to keep me out of trouble. It didn't work today.

"My brother was away for a long time and finally came home to the village. We had a celebration. While everyone was dancing and eating, my brother notices one of the villagers chasing a chicken. Over the next days and weeks, my brother saw this man chasing the chicken from sun up to sun down. Finally he started asking around. He always got the same answer, 'I don't know, it's what he does all day, chases that chicken.' The answer didn't satisfy my brother, so he started to chase the man that was chasing the chicken to find out why.

Let me ask you. Who would you rather be? The man chasing the chicken, or the man chasing the man chasing the chicken?"