Hope Is Not Enough (Cont.)

Duct Tape Isn't Enough does not focus on blaming the bad guys for our problems or finding the right good guy to act as our savior. There are no messianic good guys or demonic bad guys in the book. Many of those who survive the tragedies of 911 and Katrina, and who will be able to survive the present financial crisis and the tragedies of the future will call upon the skills and the work attitudes of resilience to manage the situations they confront. Optimism, flexibility, teamwork, confidence in ourselves and the rightness of what we are doing have sustained human societies throughout history. To survive the hard times of the 21st century we need to go back to the past and practice what we know works. Many of the skills and attitudes that we need are the same ones that our parents and grandparents used to survive the Great Depression, World War II and Vietnam, the same skills and attitudes that their parents and grandparents used to build our nation. They are the spirit of America. Blinking lights and computer screens, like duct tape, are wonderful inventions, but they are not enough to hold our world together. A GPS unit may help you find your way to the hospital, but it will not help you find your way when you are feeling lost in the ICU waiting room as your husband or wife clings to life.

To be continued...
Ron Breazeale, Ph.D.
Author, Duct Tape Isn't Enough

Hope Is Not Enough (Cont.)

Our nation survived 911. The dead were remembered. Iraq was attacked and Wall Street in time went back to business and usual, but little did was done to prepare the public for dealing with the aftermath of another financial collapse or another terrorist attack on American soil.

Duct Tape Isn't Enough is not focused on preventing adverse events from occurring but on preventing human beings from being devastated by them, on building the skills and the attitudes tht a required to survive adversity. Tragedy and adversity re a part of life. We lone cannot control the world economy, but we can exert restraint and insist on effective regulation and oversight of our financial markets and institutions. And unfortunately, "Greed is good" has been the motto of too many Americans for far too long.

And we certainly cannot control the weather or natural forces, and most likely we will not be able to prevent, forever, another terrorist attack on American soil. Some experts believe that our new President has 30%-50% chance of having to deal with some type of nuclear crisis in one of our major cities. It is certain that during his term, President Obama will spend much of his time dealing with the financial mess that we re in and that more will be expected of him than any human being can possibly deliver.

To be continued...

Ron Breazeale, Ph.D.
Author, Duct Tape Isn't Enough