| You're Exceptional, But Not By Entitlement | | | | nation of Victims for the last few years. |
| | | | Entrepreneurs figure on taking care of |
| Years ago I started a home business running a | | | | themselves, and others... they might go to high |
| contemporary acappella group. It was rewarding! I | | | | school morning, noon, and night to get a chance |
| got to craft the group's "brand," matching | | | | to get ahead. Victims expect to be taken care of, |
| everything from the type of music we did | | | | and feel entitled to an easy existence... they might |
| (mostly original stuff I got to write and arrange), | | | | care more about their home gaming systems |
| to our promotional materials, to our costumes. | | | | than about their country, and might be very |
| And, of course, the most rewarding thing was | | | | vulnerable to electing a government that says it |
| that I got to work with some wonderfully | | | | will make the redistribution thing work for the first |
| talented singers, people I really loved and all of | | | | time in history. "You don't have to work, at least |
| whom I miss these days. | | | | not very hard - we can "reform" industry to put |
| The idea behind the "brand" was to distinguish our | | | | your union in charge of your company. Yes, we |
| group from the dozen-or-so other acappella | | | | can! You don't have to worry about the future - |
| groups doing business in our market. I have to | | | | we can "reform" Wall Street so that everybody |
| say we did a pretty good job of standing out | | | | gets an equal share (pittance) of the wealth. Yes, |
| from the crowd, generally. Toward the end of the | | | | we can! You don't even have to work out or eat |
| experience, though, I had a disagreement with | | | | right or do anything to keep yourself healthy - we |
| one of my fellow singers who had developed a | | | | can "reform" health care so that no one is allowed |
| different view. The whole discussion started | | | | to be healthier than the plumpest avid-gaming |
| because I had invested in some blue-and-silver | | | | couch potato. Yes, we can! All you have to do is... |
| costumes, and my colleague thought we would | | | | nothing. We can take care of you." |
| look good in black-and-white. We would, I agreed, | | | | Oh, yeah. We have allowed people to gain power |
| but I pointed out that we had a lot invested in our | | | | in our country who are certainly "taking care of" |
| brand and in looking different from all the other | | | | America. But it's OK, we're told. It's still America. |
| groups, almost all of which used the | | | | It'll be different this time because it'll be us. |
| black-and-white costume theme. | | | | The fact is, our only hope is that the |
| "It will be different," she said. "It'll be different, | | | | home-gaming generation wakes up and realizes |
| because it'll be us." | | | | that freedom isn't free, the future isn't certain, |
| Hmm. | | | | and the Constitution of the United States that we |
| I was reflecting on the distant memory of that | | | | celebrate today is the only thing that really makes |
| discussion today, a day which has been | | | | us special. It isn't "us." It's only us if we get back |
| designated as "Constitution Day" in the U.S. I was | | | | to being the ballast of the world that our Founding |
| thinking that the generation of young adults in this | | | | Fathers designed our nation to be. |
| country these days seem to have some of that | | | | Luckily, many of my kids and their friends are |
| type of attitude. I've heard some of my kids' | | | | already wide-awake to this truth. |
| friends talk about how they get that socialism has | | | | Think a totalitarian collectivist state can't be |
| never worked, and that communism and | | | | formed in America? Think again. While we focus |
| redistributive policies have generally failed, but that | | | | on getting to the next level on our auto theft |
| it'll be different this time "because it'll be us." It'll be | | | | game, the current government is pushing full-bore |
| us Americans, and we never fail! We can make it | | | | toward exactly that. Unless you want to see your |
| work! Yes, We Can! | | | | children and grandchildren wearing state-provided |
| Oh, boy. | | | | uniforms and singing the same "patriotic" |
| Meanwhile, I read an article about the difference | | | | state-mandated tunes in their schools, you're |
| between high school in the U.S. and high school in | | | | going to have to wake up, pay attention to |
| South Korea. Korean kids go to school morning, | | | | what's happening, and make some changes. It's |
| noon, and night, and they work on learning | | | | your ability to do that which makes you, as a |
| through the weekend. They don't have | | | | nation, special... and that's the black-and-white |
| "cheerleaders" or "glee clubs" or, of course, | | | | truth. |
| "acappella groups." They don't have time for that. | | | | -30- |
| In contrast, how many young American adults, | | | | Michael Hume is a speaker, writer, and consultant |
| from high school age through their twenties, | | | | specializing in helping people maximize their |
| seem to have centered their entire existence | | | | potential and enjoy inspiring lives. As part of his |
| around entertaining themselves? | | | | inspirational leadership mission, he coaches |
| In this country, we have become complacent, | | | | executives and leaders in growing their personal |
| forgetful, perhaps even lazy. I've said many times | | | | sense of well-being through wealth creation and |
| there are two types of people - The Victim and | | | | management, along with personal vitality. |
| The Entrepreneur - and we've been acting like a | | | | |