[ba-unrev-talk] Making a Difference
I've been a little cranky as I read some of the banter here on institutions,
who the bad guys are and all of that. The victimhood that is latent in the
popular demonization of Microsoft saddens me. (01)
I can let go of that, and I have nothing I want to say to promote that
particular level of discussion. (02)
Something else came up, though. (03)
Last evening I was in the break room of a small company and one of the
people there, a young man, suddenly announced to the people he was sitting
with that he would be flying to Israel in two days. I'd met him before and
I asked how long he would be there and what was the occasion. He told me 15
days and that it was a peace mission that he and a group of people were
going on. (04)
I didn't know what to say. All I had known about this fellow before that
was that he was a photography student. (05)
I said, "Godspeed," while tears came to my eyes. This fellow has a vision
he is willing to take personal action and responsibility for. He is putting
his ass on the line. And I don't think he is going to fix something. He is
going to cause something and live what he stands for. (06)
I realize that I have the good fortune to know others who have done similar
things, including a young Syrian woman. I have been overlooking the import
of that. (07)
Maybe, just maybe, they are the unfinished revolution. And whatever we do
here must honor and empower that. (08)
There is a scene in the film "Gandhi" where this tiny man with a small voice
goes to the front of a room while all of the lawyers and politicians in
Delhi are having a conference on how they want to have things organized if
they ever get to be the government. He slowly talks about where they should
find India and what India really is, in the people and villages spread
throughout the countryside. I think of that a lot. (09)
There is a scene in the film "Schindlers List" that I can't get out of my
mind. When the people get together and fashion a ring for him, they
inscribe it with a Hebrew saying that I don't know. But I can't forget the
translation. "He who saves the life of one man, saves the world entire." (010)
I've also been rereading Fred Brooks' "Silver Bullet" paper and the
follow-ons from that. We have more than enough technology. Really. The
fundamental questions are not about more-better technology. (011)
And I think the concepts of OHS are cool and valuable. Mastery of
complexity, the ability for coordinated inquiry and action across time and
space is appealing. I wouldn't be hanging out here otherwise. Yet somehow,
that is not sufficient and it never will be. I think we forget that. I
know I had, and I had this powerful reminder last night. (012)
-- Dennis (013)
Dennis E. Hamilton
AIIM DMware Technical Coordinator
------------------
mailto:dennis.hamilton@acm.org tel. +1-206-932-6970
http://DMware.info/ cel. +1-206-779-9430
ODMA Support http://ODMA.info/ (014)