Drive A Stake In The Ground

During the Land Rushes of the late 1800's, especially in places like Oklahoma, anxious settlers would line up at a specified place, at a specified time. When the signal was given ( often a cannon or rifle shot) they would rush into the unclaimed territory and stake their claim. The claims were determined by driving a stake into the ground. Many of the new land occupiers would immediately take decisive action and begin making modest improvements to the land to further establish their claim to ownership. The stakes that these settlers drove into the ground would often include their name and approximate location of the claim.

There comes a time in every analytical task that someone in charge has to say; "We are done with the exaustive analysis. The time has come for us to drive a stake into the ground and begin the work of making our plans work." Moving too fast can create issues but moving too slow can be even more destructive. "Sooners" were the settlers who would slip into the territory before the official start and stake their claim sooner, by bending the rules. The "Sooners" are still out there and if they get their idea staked sooner that you do yours, you will likely be in a reactionary posture.

The phenomon of a paralysis of analysis is as real as it gets. We can literally think a plan to death or think a plan to a status of stagnation which is really a death that has already taken place, but the realization has not yet been accepted. Thinking is good, thinking so much that you fail to take comittted action is not good. The very real possibility exist that if you wait too long, you will lose critical momentum.

You are going to feel a lot better once you make a decision after careful deliberation has taken place. Just like the people in the land rush who did not really know a great deal about the land they were claiming, they claimed it and then they made it work. Had they continued thinking and stayed at the start line when the signal was given to rush, the result would have been dramatically different.

There is safety in the multitude of counsel and therefore it is always a good idea to get the advice and opinion of others and then weigh the options. But after you have carefully considered the possibilities and then set your sight on the desired outcome, get in your horse drawn wagon and go drive a stake in the ground of the territory you have selected.  You will discover, that after the commitment is made and action is taken, you are going to find a way or make a way to get to where you want to go.

It goes: Bang, beweekered and clampestuz.

"When I am driving about 38 miles per hour, it goes: "Bang, beweekered and clampestuz."

These are examples of the ridiculous and peculiar sounds we make as we are attempting to describe to the bewildered mechanic, the sound our car is making and therefore indicating to us, that something is terribly wrong. The description rarely helps the mechanic determine the source of the strange sounds and after they have given us their assurances, we leave our beloved vehicle, wondering what is wrong and how much it is going to cost us.

Sometime later we call to check the status only to be told that the mechanic road tested our car, at 38 miles per hour, and could not hear; "Bang, beweekered and clampestuz." Therefore they could not determine what was broken and since our car was not making any strange noises, we are free to come and get our vehicle.

This is an example that probably fits most of us when dealing with problems concerning our vehicles. Most of the mechanics I have dealt with are honorable and when they can't hear the strange noise they really can't fix the problem, because they cannot identify it.

All problems, big or small make noises, even though most of these noises are silent.  A great course of action is; when you hear the strange noise that a problem is making, identify and deal with it as soon as possible. Waiting to fix something that only occasionally makes a strange and disruptive "noise" is never a productive idea. Soliciting the help of others in identifying and correcting the problem is  very productive idea. Just because the problem is not screaming for help and others may not hear the troubling noise does not suggest that the problem does not exist or is is going to fix itself. Baby alligators can't inflict much damage, but you ignore a baby alligator and before you know it you are face to face with a full grown beast of a problem, that makes a lot of noise.

Problems unsolved cost money and compromise relationships the longer you wait to correct the problem the more it is going to cost in direct and indirect costs. Problems that are identified and dealt with quickly and resolutely give clarity to all involved. Don't dither, or wither, deliver!

The Veteran I Knew Best

My Father served in World War Two. He was an Army Corporal assigned to the Coast Artillery Corps. He voluntarily enlisted May 7, 1942 and after basic training, was shipped to the Philippines. Shortly after arriving in the Philippines he was captured by the Japanese and served the remainder of the war in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. The camp he was held in was, Fukuoka called "Pines" by the prisoners because of a stand of pine trees in the camp and area.

My Father did not talk much about the time he was forced to spend in the prisoner of war camp, except to share a few rare glimpses into the daily lives of the prisoners. He talked about unbearable conditions, deplorable food supplies and the occasional eating of bugs to gain some badly needed nutrition. He did share the story about the day he arrived at camp and the day he was liberated.

ARRIVAL:
 He and other prisoners were lined up to face the commanding officer of the camp. The commanding Japanese officer held a rather large piece of bamboo in his hands. After looking each prisoner in the eyes, he then walked behind each of the prisoners and struck them, as hard as he could, in the back with the bamboo. He then walked around and again looked each of the prisoners in the eyes. Then he walked behind them and struck selected prisoners again! My Father was not struck again and he later learned that the Japanese officer struck only those prisoners the second time that had tears in their eyes.

LIBERATED:
On the day my Father and the other prisoners were liberated from Camp Fukuoka they took all of the Japanese soldiers who remained (many of the "brave Japanese" officers had already fled) and threw them in something he called "Honey-Pots." A "Honey-Pot" was a vessel that all of the prisoners human waste was deposited in. My Father laughed heartily when he shared this story.

My Father is The Veteran I Knew Best. He suffered many health problems as a result of his imprisonment but he never openly blamed the War, the Army or the Japanese. He was a proud solider and he served his country well. He volunteered to fight, to preserve freedom and The American Way and because it was; The Right Thing to do, he did it The Right Way, and when duty called he responded, Right Now. I am proud of his service to The United States of America and proud of all who serve and have served in our military to protect and preserve our freedom. My Father is The Veteran I Knew Best.

Our Veterans deserve our very best. They surely have earned our respect and our continued support.