“The tree is known by its fruit.” (Jesus)

Thanks to the internet and this blog an old, old friend of mine contacted me recently. We haven’t been in touch since Sunday School in the 60’s and I had almost forgotten about EJ but his voice was instantly memorable. We talked about everything that has happened since then and I would have to say my life pales in comparison to all the things he has done. EJ moved away while we were still in grade school and his family moved to the Middle East. EJ followed in his father’s footsteps and became a builder of churches. He was imprisoned numerous times, for his beliefs, but he always started over as soon as he got out. For the quiet kid with the big smile who never looked too ambitious, EJ has done amazing things.

When EJ asked about my life, I hesitated to share my story but he seemed to know more than I realized. He confessed that he had read every one of my blogs and been quietly keeping tabs on me for some time, through mutual friends. He liked the eulogy I wrote for my dad and he had his own fond memories of my dad teaching Sunday School. EJ wanted me to know how much my dad had influenced his life and how often he remembered my dad’s smile. When he started to ask me specific questions about my life, I knew he had been reading the blog pretty diligently. It’s kind of odd to think someone could be that interested in the silly little stories I tell here but EJ is not your ordinary friend. He recalled several times in the last few years when reading some of my funny stories was the highlight of his day because everything else was just that bad. He didn’t elaborate on his time in prison but it was pretty clear that he had suffered greatly.

Sitting here, safe and sound, in my suburban home, it’s pretty humbling to think there are missionaries like EJ who suffer every day for no more reason than their faith in God and their desire to help others. He talked about digging water wells in Africa, teaching kids to read with the Bible as his only book, and delivering food wherever there was drought. For all that, he was jailed and threatened while I sat at home watching baseball. It’s pretty clear to me now; the fruits of his tree are going to be a lot more valuable than mine. And yet, that’s not what he wanted me to realize. He actually thanked me for being his friend so long ago and for my writing. He even admitted that it was he who visited my blog from all those obscure little countries that I saw pop up on my WordPress reports. He introduced me to people all over the world and gave me his endorsement. That finally explains why I’ve had visitors here from 160 countries.

Apparently, words are a lot like fruit. They nourish our souls and give us strength. They can make us laugh and keep us from worrying too much. EJ told me he had printed out his favorites and kept them in a notebook. He even used the funny ones to amuse the guards when he was in jail. He knew that making them laugh was his best chance for freedom.

I’m starting to think I’ve actually done something worthwhile with my life. I wrote stories that people found amusing and helped my friend, EJ Sus, to make a difference all over the world. Now, I’m really glad I planted that tree.

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“Came to do good, stayed to do well.” (American saying)

Did you know there is an Office of Government Ethics in Washington, DC?

They even have a worthy mission statement…
“The mission of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) is to foster high ethical standards for executive branch employees and strengthen the public’s confidence that the Government’s business is conducted with impartiality and integrity.”

I wonder what they’ve been up to lately? The IRS is having some huge problems with impartiality, the Justice Department must have forgotten what integrity means and the State Department has failed miserably at protecting us from our enemies. Maybe it’s time for the OGE to get in touch with these departments for some remedial training. They might want to start by reviewing the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch that President Bush instituted way back in 1989 and were later codified in 1993 under President Clinton. That’s right, two different Presidents from two different parties believed that ethical conduct was critical to the function of government.

What the heck happened? Could it be that politics got in the way of good governance or was there secretly a statute of limitations that ran out after 20 years? I can certainly see where the Sunset Law might come in handy where ethics are concerned. They are pesky things to work around and they almost always interfere with the real business of government, reelection. But if there was a time limit on this Code of Conduct then how come the OGE still exists? It has always amazed me that once a federal department or agency has been funded it never goes away, no matter how little impact it makes. I personally think the OGE is an agency we desperately need in Washington but maybe it’s time to review its own Code of Conduct. Oh wait, they have the same one as all the other executive branch departments. The same one they are responsible for overseeing among all the other departments. If this keeps up the USPS is going to start looking like a veritable gold mine of government efficiency.

Now I need to be fair here so let me be clear, I have no confidence in our Government’s ability to function with impartiality and integrity and that includes Democrats and Republicans alike. Does anybody else but me find it incredibly ironic that these two groups are defined as PARTIES? The first definition of party is this: a social gathering, as of invited guests at a private home, for conversation, refreshments, entertainment, etc. The literal meaning of the word party has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the function of government and yet we have allowed these two groups to hijack our nation’s capital for their own selfish interests and the pursuit of wealth and power.

Now here’s the hard part. We the people have no one to blame but us. That’s just how a democracy works. When we finally get inspired to make the changes that are really necessary to clean up Washington and do the dirty work that comes with it, then we can reasonably expect a better outcome. Until that day comes, “Came to do good, stayed to do well” is our new mission statement for the OGE. At least this one is truthful. That’s a start.

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“God moves in mysterious ways…” (from a hymn by William Cowper)

I hit the road last night at 10 o’clock. The destination was El Dorado with a 7 year old boy and his 7 month old sister. The trip there was uneventful, as the kids just slept and the thunderstorm was still getting started farther south. I headed for home at 1:30 AM with a cold rain to wake me up as I got gas. As I got back on the interstate the lightning was still behind me but coming up fast. I hit the cruise control at 79 but it wasn’t long before the storm was on me and visibility was lousy. I could see the lines on the road but not much else and my wipers couldn’t keep up. It was 2 AM and I was still trying to decide if I should wait it out at the rest area near Matfield Green or just keep going. Since I was driving a brand new company car I thought it best if I didn’t wait for the hailstorm that might be lurking in those dark clouds I could barely see in my rearview mirror.

North of Emporia the storm let up enough that I could see again but the lightning was stabbing at me from all directions by then. That kept me awake for another 30 minutes but by 3 AM I was only keeping one eye open at a time. Technically, I shouldn’t have been out there at all because I had already done a 6 hour drive earlier in the day and I still had a 7 hour drive coming up later Friday. Nineteen hours on the road in a 28 hour period is what we call bending the rules for the sake of children in an emergency. They’re okay and I made it home, so God must have been looking out for me again.

In fact, I know he was. As the clock ticked closer to 4AM, I was hanging on to consciousness for all I was worth. The energy drink had done its job for the first 5 hours but if I did it again I would never get any sleep before the next drive. I chose my most reliable method instead, loud rock music. The best part of a new car is the free 6 months of satellite radio and this night it saved my butt. I was switching back and forth between Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville station and Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Radio but even satellite has ads for satellite radio and I was getting desperate so I spun the dial even further and landed on Hair Nation. Ratt was playing something I remembered from way back when but it was the next song that saved me. Jackyl, with Jesse James Dupree, was playing The Lumberjack. I don’t know how I missed this song when it came out 20 years ago, and it was awesomely bad, but it did a great job of keeping me awake. The words were unintelligible but when he played the chainsaw, my spine tingled.

Apparently, Jesse Dupree and I are the 2 people on this planet who love the music produced by chainsaws. My love for that instrument dates back to my summers in Minnesota listening to my Grandfather crank up the volume on his Montgomery Ward’s model. My feelings for the man I was named after might have something to do with this deep bond but who cares. Chainsaws always inspire me to get up, go outside, see who is cutting and join in. No real man can sit idly by and not want to get his hands on that instrument of destruction and the sweet sounds it makes, not to mention the beer that gets consumed after the work is done. After hitting replay numerous times, I was fully awake, laughing out loud at the utter absurdity of my situation; dead tired, dark of night, bad weather and miles to go before I slept but happily humming along with The Lumberjack.

Who else but God could possibly have known what I needed at that exact moment in time? The whole night seems like God’s best work. He used the full moon to light my path on the way to El Dorado. He threw lightning bolts that were close enough to be entertaining without being dangerous to my health. He kept that drunk driver on her side of the road long enough for me to get around her and finally, when I needed it most, he gave me chainsaw music and sat next to me as we both shared a laugh. If that’s not God moving in mysterious ways, I don’t know what is.

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.” (Hebrew Proverb)

Editor’s Note: This blog was originally posted in September of 2009. In honor of my Mom’s 90th birthday, which we are celebrating today, I would like to share this once more for anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of knowing Jean McClintick Horst. She is the most amazing mother anybody could ever hope for and she deserves more credit than even I can give her in these few words. Happy Birthday Mom!

My Mom is one of a kind. She was born in 1923 in rural Minnesota. They didn’t have running water or electricity until the thirties but that just made her tougher. When she talks about walking a half mile to school in snow up to her waist, she’s not exaggerating.  Growing up in the country builds character because you just have to make do every day. There are no frills. If you want a drink you have to pump water. If you want to eat you have to grow something or catch something. If you want to talk to somebody you have to hike over to wherever they are.  The ironic part is that in spite of her childhood difficulties, she is one of the most positive people I know.

She never complains about the problems she encounters. She just gets up and does whatever it takes to fix them.  This summer she took it upon herself to mix up a bag of Quikcrete and fix the stone steps in front of the cabin at the lake.  She didn’t ask for help and she didn’t wait for any volunteers, she just did it.  Keep in mind she is 86 years old. If you’re less than 50 and reading this you should be amazed.  I don’t think she understands the words “can’t be done.”

With my family, it’s just a genetic predisposition to work hard. When you have 62 acres in Minnesota and a large extended family to take care of you have to do whatever it takes. My Grandmother was much the same only a lot more grumpy. She worked just as hard but when she got mad you made yourself scarce. When she got really mad she yelled at us in German, which none of us understood and made it easier to ignore her rant.

Somehow my Mom did not inherit her Mom’s temper which is lucky for me because I was not an easy child to raise. My list of transgressions is too long to recite here but the highlights include smoking cigarettes when I was 4, running away from school on the first day of 1st grade, having a traffic accident on my bike when I was 11 and vandalizing my 6th grade teacher’s car on April Fool’s Day. Each and every time she just gave me a big hug and told me she still loved me and then told me what my punishment was going to be.  At the time, I had no idea how much heartache I was causing her and how much she worried about me. She just kept holding on to me for dear life and praying I would survive my own stupidity.

I’m sure she still prays for me and for everybody, she’s just that way. God gave her a huge helping of empathy and compassion and she shares those gifts with all who need them. In this day and age, her prayer list must be filled to the brim. She does everything she can to be helpful to others. She listens, she shares, she cooks, she knits, she cleans and she cares and she does it all with a giving heart and without expectation. Mothers are easily one of God’s greatest creations. I can think of nothing more valuable on earth than a Mother’s love. If you’re lucky enough to have one of these gems in your life, you are truly blessed and it wouldn’t kill you to pick up the phone and call her right now to tell her that. You can even tell  her I said so.

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“Above all, do not appear to others as you are not.” (Robert E. Lee)

I just finished reading an article by Dorie Clark on Harvard Business Review. Dorie is one of my favorite contributors because she writes about things that all of us experience and she makes the effort to respond to those of us who like to add our comments. This particular article was titled, “You’re probably wrong about how others see you.” The link to the complete article is at the bottom of this post. She made the point that most of us are not good at self-perception. She offered some great advice on how to improve that ability, if we can stand the truth about ourselves. Which brings me to today’s topic, the truth about Guy.

I always thought I had a pretty realistic opinion of myself. I’ve never been outstanding at much of anything but above average, maybe a B-, would be a fair grade for my lifetime achievements. My GPA from college is nothing to brag about but I feel like I learned a lot and grew exponentially during those four years. I had a long and mostly successful career as the owner of Horst Graphics. Like a lot of entrepreneurs, I learned by failing and trying again. Back in the 80’s, I developed a reputation for my industrial photography that was well-earned. I spent years buried in the basement darkroom experimenting with film, cameras, and film processors. When the computerization of publishing came about, I took that leap and survived another ten years before printing in general began its decline. I can honestly say I enjoyed every minute of the 25 years I owned the company. It was the greatest learning experience of my life and every day was a new challenge.

It’s now ten years later and I’m still looking for my next great challenge. I took up writing this blog in 2009 because I desperately needed an outlet for my unlimited mental capacity. That’s not bragging. I believe we all have more brainpower than we bother to use. My mind just has no off button and writing is a great way to burn up mental calories but I still need to be pushed to the limit of my abilities again. To that end, I keep looking for a better opportunity. I need to make a difference and sure, working with foster children is meaningful but it doesn’t really test anything but my patience. I’m only 59 years old and I would like to work till I’m 70 or dead, whichever comes first. There has to be someone who needs my experience and my ridiculous work ethic. I love working long hours and being the one who takes charge. When I put my name on my work it means everything to me and it’s a responsibility I readily accept.

In Dorie’s article, she talks about the need to use the internet to search out information about ourselves because that’s the first place people will look. In my case, Linkedin and this blog are the only digital footprints I have created and since there’s only one Guy Horst on the whole planet, I’m pretty easy to find. That realization was monumental because I had to face the fact that some of these blog posts might make people uneasy and if that happened would it make me more or less qualified as a candidate? Now the truth hurts. What if I am my own worst enemy and my honesty is getting in my way? Just consider for a minute, what if the only thing anybody knew about me was the last post before this one, “I would believe only in a God who could dance.” I can only imagine how that one would go over but is finding a new job and putting my best foot forward more important than writing from my heart?

I believe the real problem here is the internet itself and the way we get our information. I think the internet is like a giant smorgasbord of food with everything you ever wanted to eat, from all the best chefs everywhere. All the food is set out and everyone is given a spoon but we can only have one taste from each dish because we only get fifteen minutes to find what we like. How likely are we to find the one we like the best? What if the one we picked had too much paprika for our taste or it was too runny? What if our fifteen minutes ran out before we even got to see half of the items available to us? Did we get enough information to make a good choice?

In my particular case, out of nearly 160 posts, I can assure you there are some you might hate and others you will love. If I start worrying about how I look to everybody, everywhere then I’m not being true to my craft as a writer or as the person I really am. I’m not perfect and I’m not going to waste my time on earth trying to be something I’m not. I work hard at writing and everything else I do. I don’t have a lower gear. At this stage of my life, I want to teach the next generation the meaning of work and how to make a difference for others with the work we do. I need to be used for guidance, clarification and a sense of purpose that binds the group together and makes everyone more productive. I don’t need a title or validation that somehow my every word is precious. I just need to be part of the process of making things better for everybody.

If you really want to know more about Guy R. Horst, you’re going to have to read every last post on this blog. You can’t pick out one or two and expect a clear answer. On the other hand, you could just ask me yourself in person. If I can’t make myself known in less than an hour then I’m probably not going to fit in anyway and frankly I’m okay with that. No job will ever define my existence for eternity. I’ve already spent my whole life doing that and every day that I wake up again I get to keep trying. That’s all I could ever hope for. Now you know the truth about me.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/04/youre_probably_wrong_about_how_others_really_see_you.html?referral=00563&cm_mmc=email-_-newsletter-_-daily_alert-_-alert_date&utm_source=newsletter_daily_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=alert_date

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“I would believe only in a God who could dance.” (Friedrich Nietzsche)

I’m not a big fan of Nietzsche, he’s just too deep for me, but this quote caught my attention recently and I think he might be on to something important. It might have even inspired the dream I had last night. Please follow along and see if his words seem to echo my thoughts.

I dreamed I died in my sleep last night. It might have been a massive coronary but that part wasn’t really too clear. Dead is dead, all that matters is what comes next. Then I’m at the back of the line waiting for my turn at the Pearly Gates. It was an awfully long line and a bench or two would have been nice. I guess it’s just Heaven’s way of getting us used to eternity. So I’m standing there next to Neil Armstrong, who died last fall, and I can’t help asking, “Does it always take this long?” Neil realizes I’m new, tries not to be annoyed, and then he reminds me, “A lot of people get turned down and they always take longer because they argue and whine about everything. The lawyers are the worst; those guys can talk forever about nothing. I even saw one guy who tried to bill for his time.”

As we inch closer to the front gate, I start to notice some big data that begs for analysis. For one thing, far more men are getting turned away than women and they are really shocked that high dollar suits and fancy shoes don’t seem to give them any edge up here. And titles like CEO, CFO, COO, CIO and Executive this or that just get laughed at with gleeful impunity. It turns out, we are all considered equal in the eyes of God and no amount of window dressing gets us a better place at his table. I can see Armstrong is thinking along these same lines as well and he turns to ask me, “I wonder how he feels about astronauts?” Since Neil and I are fraternity brothers (Phi Delta Theta) I offered to give him my personal recommendation and attest to his character, when his turn comes. He gives me that look like he’s thinking, “Oh boy, what’s that going to be worth,” but then he just nods and smiles.

The time drags on until finally there’s a commotion way up front near the gates. Word gets passed back that Michael Jackson’s attorney wants to be able to move Michael up to the front of the line without waiting any longer. Pretty soon someone comes on the loudspeaker and makes an announcement, “We have 4,953 Mike Jackson’s currently in line, which one are you talking about?” 4952 of them actually raise their hands and they take the tallest one. The attorney starts to rant and rave again and then disappears into thin air. The PA booms again, “Does anybody else have a problem?” Not surprisingly, all the other hands come down immediately.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, which in this case it was, I got close enough to actually see the Pearly Gates. Given my religious background, I’m looking for St. Peter but I can’t seem to find him anywhere. There seems to be only one person who is really in charge and it’s a woman. This is going to sound crazy but she looks just like Granny Clampett from the Beverly Hillbillies. She even sounds like Granny and clearly, she is the boss. I strain to hear what she is saying to a well-dressed man who just entered the gates, “Senator who? Heck, no. You’re in the wrong place! NEXT!” Granny continues to dole out judgment without hesitation and I see Andy Williams get in just because she really liked Moon River and Andy always smiled a lot.

More time passes, I guess, and Neil Armstrong finally gets his shot. Granny looks him over and asks one question, “What were you really thinking when you walked on the moon?” Neil pauses, obviously trying to find the right answer and then says, “I want to be the first man to ever take a leak on the moon.” Granny peers out over the top of her bifocals and says, “I knew it. Every man wants to do that. At least you’re honest. Welcome to Heaven, Mr. Armstrong.”

Now it’s my turn and I’m still looking for St. Peter. Granny grabs me by the arm and says, “He ain’t here. Been retired for a long time.” So then I ask to see God because I’m just that stupid. Granny shoots up out of her rocker and locks eyes with me, “I’m the God you’ve been praying to all your life. How do like them apples?” My brain shuts down but my mouth keeps going, “But God is my Father and you’re a woman?” Granny laughs out loud and says, “We’re a team, God is your Father and your Mother. Your Father went fishing today with Jacques Cousteau and he left me in charge. I do most of the work around here anyway so passing out judgments isn’t that hard.” My brain finally starts to function again and then I just roll my eyes and let out a smirk, “That’s just my luck. I swear Granny, I meant to call all those girls back in high school and I only drove over the speed limit when I had to or it was a nice day. I tried to do it right and be a good person. I washed my share of dishes and did some laundry. I never took your name in vain even though my church attendance could have been better if there weren’t any games on Sundays. I worked hard all my life and what about all those foster kids I helped, that should be worth something.” Granny just kept rocking and listening until she held up one finger and said, “How come you never asked me to dance?” I wasn’t sure where she was going with this question so I said, “Because I didn’t know how to dance and I didn’t want to embarrass myself.” Granny was obviously irritated by this answer and I thought I was done but then she smiled and said, “If you’ll dance with me now, all is forgiven.” The next thing I know, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs are playing some bluegrass music and Granny and I are cutting a rug. When the song is over, Granny gives me a hug and says, “I like your blog so I was going to forgive you anyway but I just wanted to see if you believed in your Heavenly Mother. I have always loved you and even though your dancing sucks, I want you to be with me in Heaven. Now please go get in line for Gene Kelly’s dance class.”

Now that’s the kind of God I’m talking about. Thanks Nietzsche.

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“Wall Street Lays an Egg.” (Variety magazine headline October 30, 1929)

Today is April 1st or for those of us who love jokes, practical or otherwise, it’s April Fools’ Day. This special day dates back to 1392 when Geoffrey Chaucer made reference to it in one of his Canterbury Tales. For me it has always had special meaning because I almost got into huge trouble for the prank I played on my sixth grade teacher. I’m not about to encourage the youth of today by recounting this foolishness but, rest assured, spending the day in the principal’s office made a lasting impression on me and I have never been that foolish again.

As I have finally grown up and out of my youthful penchant for tomfoolery it has become clear to me that April Fools’ Day is alive and well and living comfortably on Wall Street. I have only been tempted by the market twice in my life. The first time I made a risky bet on a poorly managed company and made a nice profit. The second time I bought stock in a well-run profitable company and lost my shirt. It was only then that I realized how foolish I was to believe anything being said by the dealers in this huge casino. I haven’t been back since I read this grossly understated headline from the Wall Street Journal published the day after the crash of 1929, “Stocks steady after decline.”

The market’s recent climb has brought thousands of uninformed investors into a self-perpetuating system that is so ridiculously rigged in favor of the investment companies, brokers and analysts that it makes me think I’m better off in Vegas. At least there you know the odds are against you. I can think of no other industry where the people who control the market also forecast the market, regulate the market and get paid whether the rest of us win or lose. Somewhere in my fading memory, I seem to recall a long-lost ethical standard known as conflict of interest.

So, in honor of April Fools’ Day and my ignominious part in its long history, I have decided to share some pearls of wisdom from people far smarter than I am when it comes to Wall Street. Here goes.

“October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August and February.” Mark Twain

“With an evening coat and a white tie…anybody, even a stockbroker, can gain a reputation for being civilized.” Oscar Wilde

“When countries have had a string of boom years, megalomania sets in and their governments and large investors come to feel that ordinary economic rules that apply to others do not apply to them.” Lester C. Thurow

“Wall Street indexes predicted nine out of the last five recessions.” Paul A. Samuelson

“Every time you think you’ve got the key to the market, some SOB changes the lock.” G.M. Loeb

“I like to buy a company any fool can manage because eventually one will.” Peter Lynch

“Wisdom says you can make 1,000 percent on your investment, but only lose 100 percent.” Gershon Evans

“Financial genius consists almost entirely of avarice and a rising market.” John Kenneth Galbraith

“The stock market seems to have a way of finding news appropriate to its frame of mind.” Albert Haas Jr.

“A banker is a person who is willing to make a loan if you can provide sufficient evidence to show you don’t need it.” Herbert Prochnow

“These capitalists generally act harmoniously, and in concert, to fleece the people.” Abraham Lincoln

“I recently made a killing on Wall Street. I shot my broker.” Groucho Marx

“A banker is a fellow who lends his umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain.” Mark Twain.

And last but not least here’s one more suggestion from Mark Twain, “Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed.” Therein lies the essence of Wall Street.

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“The more we elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.” (J.B. Priestly)

In my six decades of life, I have witnessed an astonishing regression in mass media. In the 50′s, radio and newspapers were the dominant forms of mass communications. We had a TV but only three channels and reception was spotty at best. We willingly performed artistic movements with our rabbit ears antenna in order to achieve maximum clarity. Heck, I would have held the antenna over my head for an hour if it would have gotten me a better picture of Annette Funicello on the Mickey Mouse Club. Maybe that’s what we’re missing out on today, participation, the sense that somehow this is a team sport. The technology of today has made it so easy and fast to get every last pixel, that we just don’t appreciate the quality of the content as much. Now we just flood our senses with unlimited stimuli and hope something sticks. I really doubt that we would be so addicted to smartphones today if we all had to wear beanies with antennas, just to get a good signal.

Good communication is a two-way street based on interactions and exchanges of information. At its best it’s unrehearsed, unedited and unstructured but full of facts and wisdom waiting to be discovered and reflected upon. I can still remember the night JFK went on TV to talk about the Cuban Missile Crisis. I went to bed that night wondering if I would still be alive the next day. I have only experienced that level of communication a few times in my life. In 1969 I watched Neil Armstrong take a Giant Leap on a color TV and in 2001 I watched America come crashing down on my big screen with 100 cable channels of coverage. Unfortunately, each of these historic events became progressively less clear to me because of the advancing technology. Watching live coverage of the WTC disaster should have been completely and easily understood but it wasn’t because too many people twisted the story to fit their personal narratives. Speculation isn’t communication, it’s deceit and it’s intentional. We can’t know much of anything by turning on a smartphone. Without the opportunity to ask questions and experience the human response we are only getting about 10% of the necessary information we need to make value judgements and gain some degree of real wisdom.

The last thing our current media wants is an exchange of information. They clearly don’t want us to know what they know and they go to great lengths to make sure that never happens. Here’s a quote from Lewis Mumford in 1951 that seems to predict exactly why we have this problem with the media… “With the further development in the 20th century of the telephone and the radio and ultimately television, all of the inhabitants of the planet could theoretically be linked together for instantaneous communication as closely as the inhabitants of a village. Indeed, it is conceivable, though not at all probable, that the Sermon on the Mount could now be preached to the greater part of all mankind at the moment it was uttered, provided such a notorious agitator as Jesus of Nazareth could be admitted to studios controlled mainly in the interests of commercial advertisers or totalitarian governments, and allowed to speak without submitting a prepared script.” Let’s replay that last part once more, “allowed to speak without submitting a prepared script.” Does anyone else find that statement to be deeply disturbing? And he said this in 1951!

If mankind is ever going to achieve its potential for greatness we have to start with effective communication. The Sermon on the Mount was one of the very first instances of mass communication and those words are still being repeated today because Jesus made his case for all of humanity with clarity, interaction and thoughtful responses to anyone who asked a question. His message and wisdom have been with us for 2000 years even though Gutenberg didn’t invent the printing press till the 1400′s. Communication that matters doesn’t need technology to facilitate it. Communication that matters is available to everyone every day but we’re going to have to put down our smartphones first. We’re going to have to look into the eyes of the person we are communicating with, feel their emotions and respect their views as we speak and if we fail to evoke the responses we are hoping for, we will have to try again until we get it right. Maybe, by struggling to communicate, we will begin to understand and empathize with others and find a better way for all of us to go forward into the future. When we get our response ratio up to 1 to 1 then we will have the bright future Jesus promised us.

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.” (Jonathan Swift)

It has been said that history repeats itself. Usually, hundreds of years pass before mankind forgets about the lessons of the past but now it seems we may be speeding up the process. I’m starting to see some unsettling trends that remind me of the McCarthy Era of the 50′s. For those who may have missed this ugly period in American history, I highly recommend reading the Wikipedia article about Senator Joseph McCarthy. Here’s the link to the complete article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_McCarthy

As an infant in 1954, I was one of the few Americans alive that Joe McCarthy didn’t try to incriminate with his hearsay evidence, blatantly false statements and outrageous accusations. The Senator from Wisconsin was famous for his ability to prove guilt by association. All he had to do was create a chain of relationships leading back to someone else who was potentially a communist sympathizer and then all the subsequent links were painted with the same broad brush of guilt. Refusing to name others who might be seen in this same light was no better than admitting your own guilt. McCarthy never bothered to produce evidence to support his claims but being investigated by the Senate Subcommittee on Unamerican Activites was nearly the same as being convicted in a court of law. McCarthy got away with this egregious behavior for years before Joseph Welch, an attorney representing and Army officer brought him down with his famous rebuttal, “You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”

Edward R. Murrow, a well-respected CBS newsman, took up the cause of challenging McCarthy and clearly defined why this matters to all of us when he made this statement,”We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men … We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.” Murrow’s impassioned retort to McCarthy’s fear mongering led America out of the darkness of the 50′s and into a brighter future.

Now for the current edition of this same debate. As much as I love the best parts of the Internet, I hate the plague of anonymity that gives people the chance to say any vile thing they want while hiding their true identity. This is no different from the tactics McCarthy used to intimidate good people in the 50′s. Hearsay is rampant on the Web and unattributed accusations are a daily occurrence. If we don’t take steps to restore some sense of truth and responsibility to this medium, we will surely devolve into bitter partisans who trust no one. In many ways, I think our government has already reached this end and it scares me to death. Disinformation has replaced rational thought and we no longer have any confidence in our elected officials or the media charged with keeping track of governmental proceedings. Edward R. Murrow was giving us a warning 60 years ago when he said, “We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason.” If we can’t trust each other to speak the truth and live up to our words, what chance do we have of solving our national problems?

I would strongly urge everyone to take a stand on this issue by inflicting shame on those who hide their names and misuse the Internet for their own selfish purposes. The best way to do this is to terminate their Twitter feeds immediately. If enough people turn off these voices of dishonesty they will have no audience for their hate-filled speech and their words will evaporate without any harm being done. This is freedom of speech in its purest form, the right to stop listening when necessary. Let’s hold ourselves accountable for the things we say and the things we do as fellow citizens. If we find the courage to affect this change then we can reasonably expect our elected officials to do the same. Let’s remember the lessons of the past and vow to act responsibly, now and always. Elbert Hubbard expressed this moral obligation best when he said, “Responsibility is the price of freedom.”

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

“Great change dominates the world and unless we move with change we will become its victims.” (Robert F. Kennedy)

I made a new acquaintance this week on LinkedIn. He liked something I had written on the Harvard Business Review and invited me to join his discussion group on disruptive technology. I’m still not sure if I can add much to his group but it did cause me to think about this subject in terms of a blog post. For those of you who may have missed out on this theory, here’s what I know about it in a nutshell.

Disruptive technology has existed since time began. The entire history of human development is filled with evidence to support this theory. Every great achievement took us in a new direction. We found a way to make fire and cook food. We learned to hunt with a bow. We learned carpentry and metallurgy. We developed written languages and recorded our collective knowledge. We learned to mass produce the printed word. We took gunpowder and made weapons. We invented the steam engine and then electricity. We turned electricity into labor-saving devices. We built atomic reactors to power our technology. We built computers to help us invent more disruptive technology and with computers we built a platform for communication that connects us all.

In retrospect, all of those achievements seem to be monumental but none of them came without a consequence. In a perfect world, the benefit of disruptive technology would always exceed the cost but in our imperfect world that may not always be true. The first time I read about disruptive technology was nearly 15 years ago and it scared me. I was right in the middle of the great desktop publishing revolution of the 90′s and it was painful to realize my days were numbered. I tried to develop another revenue stream in multimedia production but we were too far ahead of that market and ultimately changing technology did us in. It has been 10 years since I closed the doors of Horst Graphics and now I can comprehend the implications of disruptive technology for all of us.

The last 50 years of American business has seen the rise of ruthless bottom line efficiency and cost cutting. This mindset has been the basis for all the most disruptive technological advancements of this period. Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma and best practices for all industries have squeezed all the fat out of every company that is still competitive but we may have reached a critical mass juncture. I believe our emphasis on Who, What, When, Where, How and Why has gone as far as it can go because we really only improved five of those six. It’s the Why that’s been neglected. Now most people would argue that Why is the easiest one of all to explain, to be more competitive and more profitable. I say that’s missing the point entirely. Why is much deeper than that and until we place an even greater emphasis on it, we will never achieve the greatest good.

If we only frame the question, “Why?”, in terms of competition we are limiting ourselves and our future because competition inherently means there are only winners and losers. Those who adapt are the winners and those who don’t are the losers but is that all the better we can do as humans? I think we have to work toward some point in the future where the greatest good is the common good. That doesn’t mean that all people everywhere have exactly the same lifestyle but rather that all people everywhere respect each other’s contributions to making the planet better for everyone, not just the winners. If we could focus on helping each other find a better way to coexist there wouldn’t be such a need for winning at all costs and technology would be less disruptive.

My hope for the future is less disruptive technology and more constructive humanity. Let’s all start our conversations with a compassionate, “Why?” If someone else has to lose in order for us to win, what does that say about us as sentient beings? Trust me on this point, disruptive technology is the greatest equalizer of all time. If winning is the only measurement we use to define our existence then today’s winners will be tomorrow’s losers. We can be so much more than that if we just start looking out for each other, finding ways to work together toward a common goal and focusing on the planet as a whole, not just us against them. I think Jim Wallis summed this up nicely when he said, “It is the experience of touching the pain of others that is the key to change…Compassion is a sign of transformation.”

©Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Guy R. Horst and grhgraph.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.