Your moment of Zen

One of the incentives we use at work is a website called the "Good Job Blog". On it are listed members of our staff who have shown some initiative that goes beyond what is normally asked or expected. Anyone can be cited, and anyone can propose a citation.

It's a nice touch, I think, in terms of not merely motivating people to go the extra mile, but also because it shows people where opportunities exist to do extend themselves.

Many organizations use the same type of public exposure with their employee of the month awards. Some schools have signboards on their lawns that name a particular teacher, or a student, as an example for others.

As a Canadian, I have generally been uncomfortable with this kind of publicity, because we have a certain reserve about us, very like the British. A British comedian put it this way: "We don't talk about ourselves, you know. That would not be polite. Of course, we'll talk about anybody else..." And so, when I get the occasional mention in the Good Job Blog, I shuffle my feet, say "Awww, shucks" and go on about my business, even though there's a certain undeniable buzz that comes from seeing your efforts publicized.

In America, the saints and the scoundrels get unending exposure. With their enormous communications infrastructure, Americans never seems to tire of bringing people in front of a microphone or a camera, or plastering their picture (especially in the news media) on any convenient TV channel.

Why this need to publicize? Why does everyone have to know what everyone else says or does or thinks? How does that improve the life of the listener or watcher?

In some cases, it does. It is always worthwhile to hear or see the Dalai Lama. There are just some people who are wiser than the rest of us. But who the hell cares about Paris Hilton's jail time or her determination to sort out her life now that she's on probation? I won't even mention American Idolatry.

The internet has made it possible to have instant access to millions of people, most of whom are of little or no interest to the people who look them up. With new storage technology, it is possible to maintain records on almost anyone forever (or at least long after they die). Today I was reading about an FBI program that can locate, identify and record every keystroke on any computer that they want to examine over the internet.

America has been panicked by its government into trading privacy and liberty for security. We all know how this has been done over the last six years. And we also know how limited the security is, and how easily it can be breached. As Bob Dylan put it, "The times, they are a-changin", and not for the better. Where in Canada, do you walk into a public library past a sign that lays out penalties for carrying a concealed weapon?

There is hope, of course. But the way things look at the moment, the lame duck is still the top dog, wielding unconstitutional power as it suits his purposes, which, in the end, come down to oil and profits. The only instrument he trusts to ensure a constant supply of both is war.

J has a saying I like: "When the love is gone, there is only the money."

I would apply this to contemporary America. An administration that is as money-mad as this one is surely does not love America. But as the Dalai Lama put it so well: "If you have a situation that you can do something about, why worry? And if you have a situation that you can do nothing about, why worry?"