Begging and Pleading For a Two Week Vacation

The guys at Pursue the Passion are starting to learn what it takes most of us twenty or more years.

Seriously.

These guys are fresh out of college seeking the truth. And truth isn’t looking very attractive.

I look forward to their email in my inbox. Their blog posts are well written and from the heart.?Ǭ† They write about the good experiences and the bad. They are young guys trying to figure out how to make their lives meaningful. I love when my 15 year old son teaches me something new about life. Brett and the guys at PTP are challenging me as well.

American culture is largely controlled by the major institutions that hold us in bondage. OK, I am going to step on some toes here, but this is my space in the blogosphere and I am going to speak my mind.

There are two institutions that shape, morph and often help to destroy creativity and passion. I am talking about public schools and corporations.

One is really just an extension of the other. Public schools largely inhibit creative thinking and often frustrate those who are hungry to learn. Unfortunately the public school system is education with a mass production mentality. Read John Gotto’s books on the history of education and you will start to understand the depth of the crisis we have in our educational system today.

Corporations also inhibit creative thinking. Large corporations push their employees into the mediocre. The whole concept of driving people to midpoint with salaries has a negative effect ultimately. Corporations preach working smarter and not harder, but poor management keeps employees working harder and not smarter.

Brett, the founder of Pursue the Passion writes about his experience at a baseball game on a Wednesday:

“So who is here? Lots of screaming camper kids adorned in the brightest t-shirts you?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢ve ever seen. Hot Orange, Lime Green, Bright Blue, you name it. They?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢re having fun. There is not too many business executives here; just the ones trying to close a sale with a client. And a handful of dedicated dads with company logo collared shirts.

The imbalance makes me wonder?¢‚Ǩ¬¶if America can?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t break away every once in awhile for an afternoon baseball game, what can they break away for?”

Brett is starting to see the depth of dysfunction in our corporate culture. He goes on to say, “We were talking last night with our host Christian, a passionate public defender, and discussed his recent vacation to Thailand. We talked about how he had to beg and plead for a two week vacation.”

How many employees have to beg for two weeks of vacation? Brett goes on to question,?Ǭ† “Are we so indispensable that two weeks vacation is an unreasonable request??¢‚Ǩ¬ù

Interesting how none of us are indispensable when we get caught in a workforce reduction. The lazy, the talented, and the mediocre all lose their jobs when it is time to eliminate 10,000 jobs to please Wall Street.

If you do not follow what the guys are doing over at PTP, take some time and check them out at http://www.pursuethepassion.com.