There but for Fortune

"We are all erring creatures, and mainly idiots, but God made us so ...
and it is dangerous to criticize." Mark Twain

When I was working in a scene shop many years ago I had a boss who was fond of saying, "It’s just as easy to build it right the first time.", which is sensible - except for the fact that there was only one ‘right’ and a whole universe of possible ’wrong’.

I had another boss whose favorite take on morality was, "If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem." He used this phrase mostly when I was questioning his approach to solving a problem. It was very effective, since it immediately put me on the defensive and had the ring of wise counsel to it. After many of these incidents I came up with my rejoinder. If you’re not part of the problem, you ARE the solution.

We live in an era when it is acceptable to not only know your neighbor’s business, but to have an opinion about it. And we are encouraged by the media to express that opinion, whether it be an informed one or not. Our current cult of celebrity leads us to a comfortable "holier than thou" smugness about the foibles of the rich and famous. Let us seek to remember that old phrase "There but for fortune go you and I."