Sunday, June 12, 2011

When Does Enough Become Too Much

One of my favorite movies is a Harrison Ford drama, "Regarding Henry", about a high-powered attorney within a high profile law firm. In a strange twist of fate, he is seriously wounded after walking into a NYC corner store during a hold-up. The part of his brain that was injured as he tried to escape was responsible for long term memory, but the neurosurgeon assured his wife that this loss could be recovered with time and patience.

Eventually, Henry thought he was well enough to resume his position at the law firm. During his review of past cases, he became confused by certain facts of his last case that were purposely withheld, causing the plaintiff to loose his case of malpractice against a hospital where he had suffered debilitating side effects as the result of negligent intake procedure. The new Henry found the fact that he argued this case purposely concealing pertinent evidence deplorable and he resigned as a partner soon after telling his secretary he'd had "Enough". 

The last eight years of my life have been much like Henry's recovery after his gunshot wound. Because he lacked the memory of his past personality, Henry was faced with the necessity of reinventing himself, from the inside out. I, was also faced with the same challenge; however unlike Henry, I had to do so with the memory of my past. Eventually, I also had to say "ENOUGH"! and deal with today in healthier ways without the negative influence of past unhealthy coping and life skills. 

One piece of wisdom that has guided me on this journey goes something like this: "Q. What is the definition of insanity? A. Doing the same thing the same way expecting different results." As a result, I finally came to the realization that if I was to make better choices in life that I would have to base my decisions on wisdom and not radical emotion.


As I observe the life and drama in the world around me today, I see many, many examples of this self-same INSANITY! When something, anything, does not produce positive results the mirror of honesty reveals that it's absolutely ridiculous to continue feeding into the same pattern of insanity while expecting sane and productive results.

Politically speaking, this applies to: printing money with no value to back it... Enough!; sending foreign aid to countries where the government officials pocket the funds or, even worse, use the money to support the forces we're trying to eliminate...ENOUGH! Elected officials who knowingly break laws, fraudulently subvert public funds, or "get caught" with their hand in the morality cookie jar, have broken the trust of their constituents and must suffer the consequences of their actions...not be coddled or protected by party pals. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!


There are many grassroots movements in our country whose purpose is to cleanse these negative elements from our government. Beware!! They have already said "Enough is Enough!" and they're working openly and often covertly, to rid society of these evils and remove what they perceive as "undesirable" elements from national and global attitudes, actions and behaviors. 


Not all of these movements, however, are in the best interest of the citizens of our country or the world. Greed, control, power, and self-interest fuel the engines of their progress and it is our responsibility to recognize those individuals and groups who would knowingly lead us down a path of destruction. When we as citizens see these forms of negative progress in the world around us, it's our responsibility make wise decisions and to say "Enough!" 

It's also our responsibility as citizens of the country and the world to know when stand tall for our God-given rights and not fall for the cleverly disguised ploys of the power hungry greed-mongers who would lead us down a path of insanity with promises of hope and change that clearly have been shown to be tools of seduction. Open your eyes and your mind and you'll soon know the difference. The only people who fear the truth are those who work so hard to distort it.

1 comment:

  1. Tens of thousands Greeks have recently shouted out "Enough is Enough" and rallied in central Athens and Thessaloniki to denounce politicians, bankers and tax dodgers, as the government prepared to inflict another bout of austerity demanded by its international lenders.
    "Thieves - hustlers - bankers," read one banner as more than 50,000 people packed the main Syntagma square in Athens, outside parliament, to vent their frustration over rising unemployment due to the new austerity policy implemented by the Greek government.

    I believe that as citizens of this world, we ought to protest against any government's unfair treatment of those very citizens they ask their vote from! Similarly, on a personal level, we must react against anything that tends to supress our feelings and our personality. I know it wasn't easy for you to stand up and say "enough is enough" to an "insane" lifestyle. But you did find the strength to get rid of the negative influences of your past and get on with your life. This is one reason why I admire you so much.

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