Time to Reflect: Step Twelve

As I take time to reflect upon the past week one thought kept creeping into my mind. The seed for the thought was a discussion of the current banking situation, but I’ll get to that in a moment. First, the thought was life is a double-edged sword. Wu Ting-Fang, a diplomat in the Qing Dynasty and minister to the U.S., Spain and Peru from 1896 to 1902 and 1907 to 1909, said, “Education is like a double-edged sword. It may be turned to dangerous uses if it not properly handled.” As a teacher and former school administrator it is clear to me my lessons on tolerance, understanding, and peaceful co-existence were not always applied on the playground and in life. Getting back to the discussion on banking, the author being interviewed stated banks were reluctant to give credit because it hurt their bottom line. He then pointed out, and here is where the double-edged sword comes into play, that credit is actually another way of saying debt. Wow, it suddenly occurred to me that my credit rating, something I have always been very proud of, is actually a debt rating. Since my creditors see me as a good risk they welcome the opportunity to let me pile up debt. Here again, Minister Ting-Fang’s words ring true. For my education had taught me an excellent credit rating is to be prized. However, the second part, that it could become dangerous if not properly handled was lost on me, and apparently a few other people, too. Another double-edged sword that constantly plagues me as a teacher, student and writer is the line between perfection and performance. In attempting to make something as clear as possible, or to know all there is to know about a subject, or to find just the right word, its always a question of is this the perfect answer or do I need to stop my quest for perfection long enough to actually perform the task at hand. No doubt Akio Toyoda and his engineers and the guys at NASA struggle with this delicate balance as they try to move forward on the road and in space. It occurs to me that at least part of our frustration with government, and particularly lawmakers, is the stagnation created by their inability to perform as they try to find the perfect solution. While there are many more such double-edged swords, the last one I want to reflect upon is the idea of security and freedom. My first flight came shortly after my oldest daughter was born. Her first flight came a few years later. Her sisters were even younger when they started to fly. Many of us view our freedom to travel as a symbol of our constitutionally protected freedom or as truly free citizens of a civilized society. Yet, as we move into the era of full body scan security there seems to be an ever-increasing cost to something we all know is supposed to be free. As usual, your comments, reflections, and thoughts are welcome and appreciated.