Welcome to Fried Green Tomato Friday. I usually have funny posts this time of the week, but this one is a little more serious. Hopefully, it will make you think.
Back in November when I was in the middle of NaNo, Piper Bayard’s writing partner Holmes was interviewed by Ellie Ann Soderstrom’s blog about being an intelligence officer (click here for the post). I made a comment on the post, and Holmes’ response stopped me dead in my tracks. With his permission, I have copied the response below.
“I tend to take a very broad view about what constitutes national security. I am one very small piece of a huge mosaic. I am always aware that many people have given far more than I have to ensure the freedoms that we enjoy in our western civilization.
There are young people (and a few old ones) in and out of uniform around the globe risking their lives for us as we write this blog. We should never forget that they will not all come home alive or with their limbs intact. Whatever I have paid is insignificant compared to their sacrifices.
One need not carry a rifle on foreign soil to defend freedom. When a nurse does his/her job well while short staffed, when a good teacher manages to inspire a child while managing a class of thirty youngsters, and when a factory worker avoids short cuts and turns out a truck that works properly they are all using their integrity to make us strong enough to maintain our freedoms.”
While the first paragraph shows Holmes’ humble nature, and the second paragraph expresses most people’s gratitude for those who sacrifice life and limb, the third paragraph was the one that floored me. As individuals we have to be aware of how our actions, no matter how large or small, impact our nation. I work in manufacturing, and I’m damn proud of it. I sell industrial products to keep businesses running; conveyor belts specifically. I’ve always taken personal pride in the companies I’ve worked for, and the products we produced. However, I never really considered what Holmes pointed out above about how it strengthens our nation when we take pride in what we do and accept nothing less than our best.
Thanks for making me think, Holmes, and thanks once again for your service to our country. So do the rest of you agree with Holmes? I know I do. How can we strengthen our nation by small acts? Let us know your thoughts.
~clink~
Thanks for sharing the comment by Holmes. Wow. Deep, and wonderful.
Marion, I looooove this new profile pic!
You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by. ~clink~
Must say I adore Holmes, not just for his dedication but that incredible mind of his that sees with such wonderful clarity of thought. I very much agree with him and think that this is one of the components that the U.S. used to have that may not be so prevalent anymore. It is also the key that can return us to health.
Thanks for sharing this with us, ROWbro. ~clink~
You’re welcome, Gene. I agree that we need to get this back as a country. Thanks for coming by. ~clink~
What a terrific reminder! We all need to do our part to make the U.S. strong. And being people with integrity is a huge piece of that.
But, I still thank each and every person who has served our country in her military (civilian support included!).
I do too, Lynette. Thanks for commenting. ~clink~
This post resonates with me on so many levels. Since beginning this blogging journey, I’m constantly surprised (in a good way) by what others blog and by the comments left. Holmes’ post and subsequent comment made me stop for a moment when I read it and think of all the people in the world and how we all need each other. Reading your post and how his comment affected you brings a smile to my heart. I love that this little niche we’ve created for ourselves is always challenging us to see the world in a new way and touching others through words.
I couldn’t agree more, Tameri. It is a wonderful thing. Thaks for stopping by. ~clink~
When we think about it, it’s so true. When we consider all of the small corruptions that lead to a corrupt society, it only makes sense that all of the small integrities would make us more pure as a people. It’s so easy to think we don’t matter, and so much harder to put our own craving for significance aside and simply do our best to be as decent as we can be in all of our unglamorous endeavors. Thanks for a great post, Kerry.
I’m glad you like it, Piper. Small things make a big difference over time. Thanks for coming by. ~clink~
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As a teacher, I try to always be aware of how the smallest word or action on my part can have a ripple effect through the children I teach. Sometimes we never see the effect, but we hear about it later through a third party. Thanks for the reminder that the small things we do can have great meaning.
My father is a retired teacher, and I recently had a FB friend tell me that he learned so much about “doing the best you can” from my dad in his shop class. He taught me that too, but I sometimes took it for granted. When I mentioned it to my dad, he just shrugged it off and said, “no big deal.” I later found out from my mother that the comment actually meant a lot to him, but he didn’t want to make a big deal of it. Small lessons do mean a lot. Thanks for what you do as a teacher. ~clink~
Great post! And I completely agree.
The thing standing between the standard of living we’re used to in this country and the attitudes of some other very developed, well-off countries is *integrity*. In some countries, bribery is normal, corruption is normal, and shortcuts are normal, and that attitude undermines everything. How can people trust their lives in a car, a plane, or anything if they worry about corruption undermining the manufacturing quality?
Yes, we have some instances of bribery and corruption in the U.S., but we have *expectations* that it shouldn’t exist. Even with our poor-customer-service cable companies, we *expect* them to show up between the noon and 5pm window and not when they get around to it at some random time next week, and we *expect* to NOT have to bribe them to make things happen. That’s not the case in other developed countries in this hemisphere.
We all carry the burden of maintaining that integrity and in expecting from others around us. Only by expecting it from others will it make the news when people fail. If bribery and corruption become so common that it’s no longer news, we will have lost the fight because then the expectations will change.
Wow. That’s rather philosophical of me for a Saturday afternoon.
Yes it was, Jami. I agree with that philosophy. Thanks for stopping by. ~clink~
Hi Kerry (and guests). Thanks for the kind quote. I’m glad that it resonated with some folks.
Glad to do it. ~clink~
I read the article but had missed the comment so thank you for pointing it out. It’s a poignant and beautiful way to look at what each and everyone one of us do to contribute the welfare of our country. In our small ways, we do make a difference and it’s so important that we take pride in that, acknowledge it, celebrate it, and be grateful for it. Love it!
I agree. I know you’re from Canada, and I have found Canadians to be very proud of their country. One thing I wish Americans would do is what Canadians do at sporting events during the singing of the national anthem. I was blown away when I went to the Air Canada Centre and saw a Leafs game. I think every person in the place was singing “O Canada” as loud as they possible could. It gave me chills, and I’m American. Very cool. Glad you could stop by, Nat.