HILLARY
Upon reflection, 2008 is certainly one for the record books. A historic presidential election, a financial crisis, and tragic reminder that terrorism is still a real threat. I am deeply concerned about the state of our country, and the state of the planet, yet I manage to find personal joy where I can and try to help out my community when possible. Perhaps 2009, and all of the coming political changes, will create a sense of hopefulness that I don’t currently possess.

JACK
My traditional attitude in years past was to look back, reflect on what happened that year, and contemplate where we were going. Actually, for me, it was more of an academic exercise. The past is history and the future would take care of itself.

I cannot remember feeling a sense of anxiety as I do today. Of course there were remarkable times in our history – times of triumph and years when we tasted defeat. I think not only in terms of the world at large, but also of my own personal situation. The times that I felt directly involved in shaping our history was when I fought in WWII and when I fought against the War in Vietnam. Now, as I think of it, it is quite interesting that those years that stand out in my mind was when I was a warrior and then felt even greater emotion when my mind and my body, and my longing turned to peace. In the first instance I was following orders, and never had any regrets. But in the peace movement I assumed more of a leadership role, helping to organize a group called Business Executives Against the War in Vietnam.

With all of this as a background, and having reached the advanced age of 85, I now have a feeling that I am in the middle of history, witnessing an enormous degree of change, both in events an in reaction. The United States has never had to face the problems of 2008. On the economic front, conditions grew worse than I could remember. On the political front, we were evolving into a completely different population. I have been amazed since the election that many Republicans told me they had voted for Barack Obama, and people that I considered set in their ways overcame their prejudices to vote for an African-American. The presidential campaign that had “change” as it’s banner-head is about to be tested. I don’t believe our new leaders can now understand the depth of our problems, but they seem very confident in the solutions they will offer. I would like to hear from you where you believe we are headed as a society.

HILLARY
I go back and forth on my thoughts for the future. Part of me is quite hopeful that the new administration will set up policies and programs that will lead our country, and the rest of the world, towards greater communication, environmental responsibility and economic strength. Another part of me believes that the new administration will not be successful, and we will sink deeper into a depression that will affect the entirety of the planet in a way that’s never before been seen. I think we as a nation are vulnerable to attack, both economically and violently. I see the U.S. in a similar position that the former USSR was in at the end of the 1980s.

Recently, I saw a television program with a classroom filled with 3rd graders who were sharing their concerns about the environment. They felt that the best way to make a difference was to change our lifestyles. Similar to what I’ve spoken about before – turning off lights, using cold water to wash clothes, using a water pitcher instead of plastic bottles, etc. I am hopeful that it seems our current levels of consumption will not be the norm in the future, if theses kids have anything to say about it. Perhaps the solutions to our collective problems will be found in the generations that are coming up now. It’s the older generations that will have to get used to tightening their belts, and turning off their lights.

When I talk to people about making these little changes, like suggesting that buildings not use architectural lighting, or that perhaps NASCAR might consider taking a break until our energy crisis is dealt with, I am dismissed as paranoid and unrealistic. Everyone seems to be looking for a silver bullet that will make all of our collective problems disappear. Many people, even those who voted against him, expect Barack Obama to institute some great plan that will fix everything. I think it’s about the little things that we all can do to make our world safer and stronger, but people don’t seem open to listening about it. Perhaps these kids will make people wake up and do something. In the meantime, my husband and I are looking to move out of our current urban living situation, and living someplace that can be more self-sustaining. That’s what we can do.

JACK
You have made some very true observations. First of all, the problems we face are global. The energy shortages, as well as the disasters in the economy, are not restricted to the United States. As a matter of fact, it’s quite easy for us to point the finger at a country like China who observed very few of the standards that even we have set. The overwhelming situation is we do not have a few problems, we have thousands of them, and as you said, and there is no silver bullet that cures everything. In the business world, we are going through a massive downsizing resulting in mass unemployment. But in the act of downsizing companies discover that they really do not need that many people, that productivity per individual increases. It is an economic fact that the most effective way of reducing expenses is by reducing the number of people employed. On the other side of the seesaw, we must realize that the outrageous bonuses being paid to the executives are also totally out of line. The structure was originally built by large bonuses being paid for greater profitability and an increase in the price of the company’s stock. So much of it in 2008 was built on fraud and lack of any oversight. I am a free-trader and a great believer in capitalism, however you must have oversight to separate true value from fraudulent returns. This is one of the reasons that I made the statement that the problems are so complex that the new administration has no way of anticipating all of them. Your thought of addressing the energy crisis with thrifty new procedures is excellent, but it will only sink in as younger generations replace the older people. In order to convert an older population, you must overcome enormous cultural habits. I do not say that it is impossible, but at best it is difficult and time consuming. Convincing the NASCAR fan that they should declare a moratorium in the interest of saving energy is daunting, the same thought would apply to convincing the population that they can do without Christmas lights since we are facing emergencies and since we live in a time of war. A good idea will overcome prejudice, but change is never revolutionary. I have no doubt that over a period of years (if we have the time) these savings will happen. There are so many ramifications that it defies a limited discussion. I seriously believe that over a period of time we will be able to make many corrections, and there are new products being developed even as we speak that will make it a lot easier.

Like all predictions, I have every confidence that they are real and true. The one thing that I cannot predict is when it will happen. If we have the time most of the corrections can be made, if not - - - it’s a tough time ahead.

HILLARY
I’m preparing for that possibility, while looking for hope.

JACK
We are now being realistic. We should hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

JACK
During the past year, we have been flooded with bad news. Daily reports of plunging markets, fading companies, and mammoth industries in danger of extinction have all but destroyed our faith in the American Dream. Every segment of our society has been hit hard! Homeowners have had to face the fact that they were way overextended and were facing foreclosure and possible bankruptcy. On the super wealthy front, people and institutions have been hit with massive frauds that have destroyed their savings and hopes for the future.

It is evident that something has got to change and in fact our government is about to change on January 20, 2009 with the inauguration of Barack Obama. There are many moves being planned to reverse the recession. Massive bailouts to automotives and financials and new great job creation is promised. We will certainly attack the needs of our infrastructure and atmosphere that is crying out for a “green” policy and massive reduction in fossil fuel emissions.

I believe there is one major factor that has contributed greatly to our problems and is not even questioned. We have lost our Moral Compass. Our younger generations have been raised in the school that says the end justifies the means …that it is OK to bend the truth or cheat a little if it will help you accomplish your goals. It does not dwell on what is right or wrong. It is OK to cheat if you don’t get caught. In the 80s Michael Douglas starred in a picture, “Wall Street.” In this movie, we discover a new kind of hero, whose name is Gordon Gecko and Gecko’s most famous statement and theme of the movie is “Greed is Good”. It is greed that motivates individuals and entire businesses to succeed. The results of greed is living in luxury and not worrying about the fallout. In fact, the fallout is good for everybody. Even great schools retained teachers to spread the word of success without responsibility. Any class taught by Michael Milken was oversubscribed by thousands of students.

I do not believe that any governing agency or group of whistle blowers can police the many areas in which fraud can be perpetrated. If a brilliant person wants to cheat his friends and associates, he will find a way to do it. The thing that amazes is Ponzi schemes like the one perpetrated by Bernard Madoff must result in the thief being caught. The amazing part of this particular scam was that it thrived for 50 years and victimized some of our society’s brightest people.

The cry goes out for more oversight by the government and that could be part of the answer. To me, the real problem that must be solved is that which is involved in regaining our Moral Compass. I made a feeble attempt some years ago by writing a book with the unlikely title “How to Succeed in Business without Lying, Cheating, or Stealing”. Although it was mildly successful, the principal of profitablility with honesty and integrity was and is a viable thought. It is time to cast aside the principals in the motion picture, “Wall Street” and numerous books that recite the same mantra.

My friend, Joel Silberman, wrote an article which I have picked up on. The title is “Progressive Capitalism”. We believe that the capitalistic system is the most productive concept in the history of the commercial world. It has produced in the United States the highest standard of living ever experienced. We must add to the capitalistic model its responsibility to the entire society. There is nothing wrong with profit when it is accompanied by a social conscience.

I would like to amend Gecko’s statement. Capitalism is good if it is administered with an intensive desire to benefit the entire community in the process. I say good luck to all those who will make a fortune with clean air, better roads and bridges and a totally solid infrastructure. I say good luck to all the venture capitalists who will finance new businesses built around the principles of Progressive Capitalism. I tip my hat to our new government, particularly if it is able to intelligently oversee the economy. I will always be grateful to the whistleblower who levels accusations at the thieves and who recognizes the extent of the damage that can be done. I will be particularly thankful to the educators who will teach young people to created a bright new society that has a Moral Compass at it’s center.

JACK
There has been a tremendous amount of concern over this past year about the number of jobs lost. It has now become a cause of major concern, not only to the politicians, but to all of the people suddenly experiencing a lost of income. We all know the many causes and too many are feeling the pain as a direct result.

This problem has occurred many times in the past and we have recovered, but it is no longer an academic question because too many people are suffering. The last major occurrence was in the mid 1990’s when many businesses had to “downsize”. It became absolutely essential that the companies reduce their expenses so that they could continue to operate. In 1996, I took on the personal project of writing a book that I hoped would help as many people as possible. This book is still in circulation and available at Amazon.com. The title is “ There is No Business Like Your Business”: How to turn your knowledge into personal profit.

I felt then as I do now, that part of the answer lies in an individual ability to start his or her own business. One of the great facets of Americans is an ability to recognize a situation and start new businesses that not only provide them with employment but others as well. In 2009 we must either find a business or get a job in an arena that is still hiring.

I am going to go into two sections. The first, what to look for when starting a business and the second, how to be most effective in finding a job. These thoughts have grown from a lifetime of experience in the commercial markets of the world.

To start your own business, you must:
1. Find a need and fill it. You cannot create the need. It has to be there.
2. You must research this area and find out who is operating in your newly chosen field and who is the most successful. This research has become very simple with the use of the internet. You can learn anything about what exists by going through the search engine and entering the type of business.
3. After you have studied what exists, try to think of what you are capable of that can do the job even better.
4. Many people that have been downsized (fired or terminated) have found that they could do the function they had been doing and could actually provide their former company with these services. This is a very intelligent thing to do because you really know what you are doing but you are not an item of permanent expense to the company. Many people have made more money this way than by receiving a salary from the company.
5. Create a business plan where you outline not only what must be done, but the sequence it needs to be completed. In this plan, you must have a realistic projection of the amount of capital that would be needed.
6. Whatever money you think you need, it is very likely you have not figured enough, so increase that number by 50%. The last thing you want to do is to start a business and not be able to finish it because of lack of funds.
7. Make sure it is something that you really love to do. The more you personally like it, the better chance there is for success.
8. Try to start with little steps before making a major commitment. For example, if you have a product in mind, first decide how much it will cost to make by outsourcing it, then have a handmade sample made and sell it to a prospect who would be able to give you and order.

How to Find and Interview for a job:
1. Choose the field that you would really like to be in.
2. Check the companies that are operating successfully in this arena and study the products and services they offer.
3. Read carefully the list of their executives, heads of departments, board members and try to find someone with whom you can connect.
4. The most important factor is to find someone with whom you can relate and contact that individual.
5. On the first discussion, you should present an idea you are capable of executing that would make you very valuable to this company.
6. Part of your research should be to dig into your own capabilities and experience so that you can highlight those areas that would be most helpful to the company you have chosen to approach.
7. Even if you have gotten your introduction through an employment agency you should do all the research you can in advance. An expectant employer will be mightily impressed with your knowledge of his business.
8. When you are interviewed, talk in terms of the companies needs, not your own. Show them how you could be a valuable permanent employee.
9. Be positive, confident, and creative.

In the course of my own experience, I have interviewed and hired thousands of people. When someone came along that showed the qualities mentioned above, I really wanted to hire them and found a way to do just that.

Looking for a job or finding a new business is a lonely pursuit. You must have the guts to pursue it after you have made a decision in which direction you are going.

HILLARY
National Public Radio and The Corporation for Public Broadcasting have designated November 28, 2008 as the first annual National Day of Listening. Their mission is to help people honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. Their organization offers scripts and guidance in creating and recording a dialogue.

I’m so thrilled about this tool to help our country move toward greater communication. I know what a difference our conversations have made in my life, and in the lives of those around me. If you actively listen you cannot help but grow as an individual, and as a community, and I’m so excited to feel the difference that this National Day of Listening will have on our collective psyche. People who are willing to participate will come to understand that communication is the inspiration that changes lives.

A National Day of Listening could not come at a more useful time. We are a deeply divided nation, and so often are unwilling to listen to opposing opinions. A frequent example is the religious right writing off the secular left, and vice versa. If we, as individuals, are willing to listen to each other and learn from our differences we might be able to move forward as a nation. I am concerned about the bunker mentality brewing on many issues. If taken seriously, a National Day of Listening just might let everyone take a pause from his or her ideology and create some space for positive communication that will benefit us all.

JACK
What a fantastic idea. It just makes sense to set aside a day so that we will all understand how important it is to listen. This would apply not only to listening to each other with opposing views, but to those who think the same way we do. Don’t think for a moment that those who agree with us are without fault and act with total logic. Listening to all the sounds around us helps us to better understand our surroundings. How many times have your tried desperately to explain something and are interrupted with the other person’s idea before he has been able to hear and understand what you have to say? It would be extraordinarily valuable if we would listen with an open mind to all those that oppose us, and I mean everybody. There is nothing that I despise more than the Nazis who brought about the Holocaust, but if I really listen to them maybe I would find out what motivated them to do some of those heinous acts. Even the infamous Dr. Mingale, who used Jewish bodies to perform his experiments, would tell you that he was seeking solutions that would give him the clues to treat various infirmities. I listened to the animal rights people, and this listening created a California law, Prop 2, making it illegal to raise animals in a tiny area. I am sure that evangelists have something positive to say that I have thus far ignored, simply because I haven’t listened. There are times that I have come into a discussion with one idea and have reversed myself because I really listened to what the opposition had to say. There was a proverb that said, “We have two ears, and one mouth.” Metaphorically we should listen twice as much as we speak.

Through the years, in my business life, I have achieved a reputation of being a great negotiator. When asked my secret, I say, “I listen to what the other guy wants and then I try to find a way to give it to him.” Does it not make sense to teach this technique in the schools?

HILLARY
Being able to reach a compromise is entirely dependant on listening. We’ve spoken many times about the role of listening in business and in our personal relationships. If you are unwilling to listen you are unwilling to be successful. Furthermore, in this difficult financial time one of the greatest issues that we face is anxiety brought on by uncertainty.

The people in my generation have never faced a time like this. There have been military actions, there has been greed in business, there has been downsizing, but we’ve never had all of these forces acting on us at one time. That being said, there have been times like these before, and there are still people around who have lived through them. If we take the time to seek out people who lived through The Great Depression, or that fought against, or in the War in Vietnam, if we talk with them about their experiences then we can diminish the collective anxiety that we are feeling because we can learn from them and create solutions for our time. Also, by acknowledging these people and their experiences, we bring them into the process of finding a solution, instead of relegating them to a time past. We need all the help we can get. On a more personal level, the National Day of Listening gives us an opportunity to create a bridge to a relationship that may have been damaged in the past.

JACK
You just struck a nerve. At 85, I have lived through the Great Depression, fought in WWII, and was a party to the jubilant recovery, both mentally and economically. I listen now to President-Elect Obama talking about a massive public works program. If you ask me, and listen, I can tell you that this is not new that it was done in 1933 under FDR with much less resources, but with great results. People did go back to work, and the gloom lifted. We just have to listen to our grandparents, and our neighbors. We must do so with an open mind, and not discount their age or the fact that it was a different place and a different time. Our problems are amazingly similar. What an advantage it is to listen to their stories, and understand what worked and what didn’t work. Sometimes we listen and buy a bad story. In the 80s there was an important movie that centered on our economy. The main character Gordon Gecco said, “Greed is good.” Somehow we bought that story, and now we realize that unchecked greed is destructive, and the resulting fallout affects us all. So we have to really listen, and then decide on what path we will follow. I have had many commercial triumphs, sometimes by using them as an example young people will say “times have changed,” and that will not work anymore. Whether we’re talking about macroeconomics or computerization, the simple math is that the principle remains constant. 2 + 2 will always make 4, regardless of how you compute it. I have always been occupied with the art of listening, and whatever success I have enjoyed has been greatly attributed to listening and to discriminating with what I hear so that it becomes part of who I am.

HILLARY
You can find out more about the National Day of Listening at their website www.nationaldayoflistening.org. This project can change your life and your community, if you are willing to listen.

We wrote this post back in February, and thought we would put it up top again for the 30th anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre. There is a lesson here, and it applies to all of us.

HILLARY
So I watched a documentary on Jonestown, which covered the mass-suicide/murder in Africa that was coordinated by Jim Jones in 1978. Clearly, this was a very disturbing film, but it was also fascinating because it showed how vulnerable people are to persuasion by a charismatic leader. Growing up, I thought that this event took place hundreds of years ago, but this year is just the 30 year anniversary, which means that these were modern people who gave up their lives on command. It made me think about how we are all vulnerable to persuasion. Not that we’re all going to join a cult, obviously Jonestown is the extreme of the spectrum, but are we not all followers in some way? Even in little ways, like the music we listen to, or the shows that we watch on TV? Aren’t our tastes for these things being dictated to us?

JACK
The Jonestown disaster came at pretty much the peak of various cult movements. I am not a sociologist, but I see a great similarity in other seemingly respected organizations. Being a part of the organization demands complete obedience and willing submission. My opinion, the worst example, certainly the biggest in modern history, was the growth of the Nazi party in Germany, masterminded and administered by Adolph Hitler. The backbone of a movement like this projects the concept that there is only one right, beautiful, inspirational way to live, and everybody else in the world is looked at with suspicion. The Hitler government killed many millions of innocent people while they proclaimed the superiority of being an Aryan, preferably with blonde hair. There is something very attractive to people who are poor a confused when a charismatic individual tells them that they are actually superior. Many of the seemingly small decisions that we make in the course of our lives are now taken over by the cult and you are told how to live, how to dress, and how to think. I have seen organizations that started with very noble purposes and actually helped the people that became part of the movement. There was an anti-drug organization that took in addicts without question, and promised a cure. They had a brilliant idea in actually going into business, and actually making the money to support the organization. Parents of dope addicts would belong, but had to give all of their possessions, and promise to obey the dictates. At the outset, they helped to cure the drug problem, and restore self-worth, but the members gave up their freedom, and in the end this was far to big a price. I remember in my three years in the US Air Force that not only were you told what to eat, but how to dress. There was a “Uniform of the Day”; I guess uniformity is the operational word. In the end, I have not known of a cult that has lasted to the benefit of its members or society in general. And I find it fascinating that the horror of Jonestown happened just 30 years ago, when you thought it happened in another century.

HILLARY
I thought that it happened in another century, because there is such a history of counter-culture and individual thought, and questioning of authority in recent decades. I myself have done pretty much the opposite of what people in authority have asked me to do, whether it be my parents or teachers or religious leaders. I have also looked at what people have told me with a great deal of skeptism and I feel like many in my generation would have the same perspective. That being said, it’s almost impossible for me to comprehend that people who thought that they were going to live in a co-op with a hope for promoting peace and tolerance would so readily end their own lives and the lives of their own children because their leader told them to. It’s just baffling, yet your example of Hitler really makes the point. He had to have done something good, or inspired people to think that their positions in life would be better in order to get them rallied behind him, and once there they followed almost blindly. I just can’t imagine something like that happening to me, yet we’re talking about modern people. So am I foolish to think that I am impervious to this kind of persuasion, or has the right person just not come along yet that could make me give up my own sense of self?

JACK
Hillary, your thoughts are very encouraging to me. It’s difficult to say at what point someone can offer enough of what you really want to persuade you to become a member of a cult. It is extremely healthy for you as an individual, and for your friends and fellow citizens, to resist anything that dictates to you that you must conform totally, whether it is the government, the church, or a social organization. Everybody in this world comes from a different place and must be given the opportunity to explore what lies within. There is a fine line between revolution and resistance. The minute one starts to think that the only real truth is the one that he or she sees that is the time that individual is in big trouble. If it extends to a larger group, like in Jonestown or in the Germany of the 30s and 40s, it becomes destructive to the individual, the group, and finally all of us. We were born with individual intelligence. We must always use it without apology.