Wipe off your tears and write a check. Don’t wait for somebody to ask for your participation. The good things that happen in this world are the result of people taking responsibility; good things don’t happen when people wait around for the government to do their bidding.

The “greater good”? I thought that was Karl Marx’s catch phrase.

In particular, we in the techie realm should stand up and cheer his “man to the moon” promise of getting America off its dependence on middle eastern oil within 10 years.

If that’s not a clear, ambitious call to action, I don’t know what is.

Here’s a short blog post I wrote on the speech, called:

Rhetoric: Why it matters
http://thenetworkgarden.com/weblog/2008/08/rhetoric-why-it.html

The video of the speech is in embedded in the post. Must-see if you haven’t seen it yet, if for no other reason than the melodic nature of the narrative (your political viewpoints notwithstanding).

Cheers,

Mark

If we make helping others our focus, it will be ever more present in our children to do the same and more when they are adults.

Very nice thoughts. Your last point is important to remember. In business we get very caught up in trying to get ahead, trying to find winners and losers. In trying to get noticed and in trying to make money.

But we should all remember that behind all businesses are real, normal people. People who might be in need, or might be in a position to help those in need. Or both. Our ability to connect on a human level is what makes us more than robots, after all. worth stepping back and remembering that.

Nice post. Thanks.

I grew up in a family where politics is part of our family DNA with deep roots in public office. I must say that it took 40 years, but, I found myself last night shedding a tear over the speech.
Cheers!