Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

As entrepreneurs, we recognize the `destiny of self-government` and the sacred fire of ambition, dreams and the vision of accomplishing great things because we know we can.

The entrepreneur has his or her detractors. There are always those who are available at a moment`s notice to shovel discouragement in your path. There are always those available with a litany of reasons why you will not and simply can not succeed.
 
The message out of Washington is clearly that we, as a nation, can not do it by ourselves. The trumpet of big government has been sounded throughout the halls of Congress and through the West Wing of The White House. The idea that we can not take responsibility for our own destiny and that the government can do it better than we can do it ourselves has taken root. The belief that the government can protect us, nurture us, empower us and care for us better than we can for ourselves is the thinking of the day.

Our founding fathers, for whatever flaws they may of had in the establishment of our nation, carved this nation out of vision, blood, sweat and their dreams. They looked beyond the struggles of their present station in life, fought, bled and died for that which they believed and looked into the horizon. They saw a future where anything is possible for the individual who wants to be better, do better and who is determined to claim the future as their own.

As Ronald Reagan once said: "The future does not belong to the faint-hearted. It belongs to the brave". As the threat of terror and economic uncertainty dominate
our national life, we too must look beyond the present and into the horizon. We must face the challenges of the present, knowing full well that in the final analysis our destiny is not given, but rather it is made. We must be sensible that the American people can achieve great things against unbelievable odds and the entrepreneurial spirit, despite the current economic climate, burns like never before.
 
This takes courage and resolve. It requires us to look deep into ourselves, recognize our potential and dream dreams that never were. Then, through the imagination, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit, we move forward.

We must brave the storm and stay the course. We must recognize the basic, foundational principles upon which this country was born, while recognizing that progress and change do not always go hand-in-hand.

We can do it as individuals and we can do it as a nation. We don`t need the government telling us what we can achieve and what we can`t. We must approach this era knowing full well that the final verdict will not be rendered by the media pundits or the political talking heads on the networks. The final verdict will be rendered by our children and the generations who will look back upon our efforts today with either pride or shame.

We must be resolved to leave them a legacy and a nation better than when it was placed in our charge.

Will Griffith, Chairman
www.griffithcorp.com




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Will Griffith
INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNAL

Will,
Those are fine sentiments and ordinarily, would be readily understood. In past days, the ideas of individual responsibility would be an incentive, a goal, and something everyone applauded.

But the question today is about the basic character and psychological profile of some number of people. How many people, and what`s the reason so few people want individual self-government?

Is there a difference, generally speaking, between the overall American population today in relation to the general population in 1929?

In order to be self-governing, each person must make decisions. When a group of people form a town, then have to decide about the laws that will govern that town, how many people can "remain undecided?" At what point will the number of "undecideds" cause a failure in the town`s organization?

The main problem I see is that there`s no philosophy and moral sanction for individualism. Countless people believe that free markets, another form of self-government, will always fail because people are greedy. It`s why capitalism is under attack, and so many people want government controls over those supposed greedy people.

For people to take personal interest in making their own decisions, they have to feel good about that way of living. They have to be excited, interested, and see it as part of a grand adventure. Not so long ago, that was a major reason for someone to start their own business.

Self-determination used to be something everyone (in general) really wanted. Does that hold true today? Is that what most people really want? Do they feel good and excited about making their own decisions?

Mr. Landes, you are absolutely correct. There are differences and the mood of the country is different. Our reality-t.v., microwave (immediate gratification now, whatever the cost) mentality has contributed much to an era of apathy.

People are not motivated, excited or enthused about taking control of their own destiny. There is an entire generation that has yet to experience sacrifice, and therefore can not appreciate the opportunity times such as these present.

A great many people do NOT want to make their own decisions. It`s too much of an inconvenience in "their world" and routine.

There is a major element lacking Craig, I agree. There is the opportunity to inspire people again, of this I am certain.  It all depends upon our willingness to speak the truth, even when politically incorrect to do so. Whether or not they choose to hear it is another matter.

Best Wishes,
Will Griffith
www.griffithcorp.com



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Will Griffith
INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS TRIBUNAL

I find it interesting that prior to the turn of the 20th century it was more common to enter an apprenticeship to learn a trade than to "find a job" as common wisdom would dictate.  My personal perspective is that this fact has contributed greatly to the degradation of self-motivation and individuality.  The constant corporate indoctrination of their employees to accept the hive mentality creates a sense of insignificance which often translates into social life.  When you reward someone for their "semantic loyalty" (blindly following the corporate rules) above their loyal individuality you create the perception in people that all of those things that make them unique and valuable to this human experience is essentially irrelevant.

I know this may sound somewhat cynical.  Fine.  I can accept that.  Never-the-less, I have seen little to deter this observation, and way too much to support it.  History continues to build upon it, which convinces me that much of the unrest in our society is a very human instinctual dissatisfaction with being herded toward an ideological and sociological slaughter.





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Alysyn Bourque
CEO, THE GRIFFITH CENTER

Alysyn, you bring up an interesting issue, and one that`s been examined in science-fiction novels for many years. It`s the functional value of the hive, versus what used to be seen as a free system of anarchy.

For years I wondered how we would ever come to the final, conclusive proof that this so-called free-market anarchy is better than the hive. And in fact, we have that proof. It`s the combined mathematics of fractal mathematics and complex system theory.

There`s a fabulous saying a friend of mine used as his signature line: "To those who cannot hear the music, the dancers appear mad."

So too, without complexity theory, chaos theory, and fractal math, it would seem that the only reason free-market (or laissez-faire) capitalism function is through greed and egocentric isolation.

But when we add into the mix the ballet of inter-relationships we see in the cosmos, "suddenly" a whole new picture emerges.

The problem I think we`re having in modern society is that with decades of perhaps one of the worst educational systems in the free world, too few people even know that mathematics exists. As with anything in reality, when people stop paying attention to the laws of reality, that reality will come back to bite them in the ass. (That`s a technical expression.) :-D

Hives and mob psychology have a great deal in common. But the reason hives can`t work in human societies is that the goals and direction toward which a hive must move come out of instinct.

The human race has free will, which by definition cancels out the entire concept of instinct. They can`t both exist simultaneously in the same being. Even there, though, we hear geneticists and modern anthropologists telling us that we have an instinct for this, and an instinct for that.

Many people believe that their entire life is formed out of their genes. Nothing about their personal choices effects anything. And the result is modern-day ethical relativism, and the push toward zero personal responsibility.