And now what?

Those of you who know me won't be surprised by the fact that I don't particularly care for other people telling me what to do. I know I'm not alone in this regard, and I'm certainly not the most adamant about it. I simply like it when others give me the benefit of the intelligence and ability doubt.

And yes, I've spent the better part of the last month trying to outline what I think are some of the reasons why things are not as they should be. And, yes, one of the primary reasons for lack of betterment, if you will, part of the blame, if you will, can be laid squarely at our own feet. We don't do anything about anything, but we still complain that things shouldn't be the way they are.

You can't have it both ways. If you want things to be different, you have to be different. If you can't take being different, you've got a bit of an unsurmountable problem. You might consider having yourself institutionalized. You're not really doing anyone any good, not even yourself. Still, apart from such drastic measures, I thought that the least I could do is point in a couple of reasonable directions.

First, get a backbone. Everybody I know has a spinal column, but there are very few people I know who have a backbone. Stand up. Lift your head. Look people in the eye. Open your mouth. If you don't agree with what you're being told, say so. If you are feeling pressured, say so. If you think you're being intimidated, say so.

Second, use your newly found backbone to reinforce others who seem to have trouble finding theirs. Set a good example. Stick up for what's right even if you are not directly involved or affected. Just a little support can go a long way in getting others to stand up straight too.

Third, be honest. No fibbing, no lying, no tricking, no deceiving, no glossing over important details, no stretching the truth, no uncomfortable omissions. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Fourth, do what's right. Take all that you've accumulated over the first three points here and put it to work. Whatever you are doing, you have to firmly believe that every other person on the plant can do the same thing, for even less reason that you're doing it. (A lot of you will think you've knocked off 1 to 3, but a lot of you are going to choke on this one.) If it's right for you, it's right for everybody, and I don't care what it is you're doing.

And finally, get involved. In what? Anything. If something's bothering you, find some others who are bothered by it too and get together. Talk about it. Think about it. Decide to do something, then stop talking and do it.

We don't need a huge government program and we don't need some church or sect telling us what we should or shouldn't be doing. We should know. If we don't, we don't deserve to go out in public unchaperoned. There are those of you who will be quick to tell me that either (a) this is what you do all the time anyway and/or (b) these couple of little things are going to make any difference anyway. Well, this is what I have to say to that:

A. It's not what you do, it's only what you think you do. Take a step back, give yourself the same once over that you give everyone else, and I guarantee you, you'll see the difference.

B. You haven't done it yet, so you don't know if it will make a change at all. Try it first, evaluate it after you've tried it.

Again, it's all not all that complicated. It can be rather simple ... if we want it to be.