They're the Problem

I blame everyone but me.

But I think I might be "normal."

If by normal I mean "typical." I tend to shift blame to others - or, more popular for me, my circumstances. (Turns out I sound more like Curly from the 3 stooges than I'd like: I'm a victim o' Coicumstances - nyuk nyuk nyuk.) I don't want to be a jerk or have character deficiencies. Nope. So, my gut response is blame shifting. Make someone or something else the jerk. You probably do it too.

I think this is why the public speakers and preachers I get the most out of are the ones that make me own my problems. I think that's why when I have occasion to speak, I'd like to be able to limit gracious talk and dole out some truth. (I wish I spoke better!) I think this is why Dr Phil is so popular.

Recently I had an almost-conversation where I wish I would have had the courage to shine a little light back at some people. (I also avoid conflict, which is why it's safer for me to blame circumstances rather than people)

At the start of this summer, I was in a shuttle bus heading toward a parking lot near the Philly Airport. We had been delayed, circling Harrisburg for a while before we came in to land. The shuttle driver pointed out the reason; "Parked right there is Air Force One. President is up at the nuke plant for a speech."

Regardless of your politics, we can all agree on one thing: It's the president's fault. It doesn't matter what or why - he's to blame. That's a convenient one, isn't it? He's leading and he's got all this control and I'm just a little somebody who has to deal with all the crap that comes around. Nyuk nyuk nyuk.

That's the tack that the one guy in the shuttle went with. At the mention of Air Force One he talked about how rising gas prices were such a pain, and how the stupid president should do something about it. (Like what? Supply and Demand. We have nearly uncontrolled demand, the OPEC Nations largely regulate the supply. If we think it through, I don't think we want any president - regardless of politics - to start 'governmentalizing' major sectors of private industry. Imagine if every gas station operated like the DMV. Ugh.)

Anyhow - here are a couple questions I should have been bold enough to ask.
What kind of car do you drive?
Do you commute to work?
Ever use public transportation?
With how many people do you car pool?
What do you do to conserve energy/gas?

I didn't. I'm a weenie. But it was rather remarkable, as my friend and I drove home (rushing to beat the immenent highway shutdown for the returning President - who I blame for all the bad traffic on the way home) we decided to count how many cars in a row had just one person in them. On average, it was 9 out of 10 cars. Only 10% of cars had 2+ people, and of those, the vast majority were obviously families.

Shuttle Dude was wrong. I have the real power to do something - if a lot of I's can do something together. Consider: What would happen if everyone driving to work could just take a buddy. You know, I drive Luke in my car today, tomorrow he drives. No huge changes, like everyone goes public transport. Just simple 2 people car-pooling. Without doing any math or research, here are some potentials.

1 Commuting cars would use half the fuel they do now (That's a LOT!)
2 There would be nearly half as many cars during rush hour. (Glorious)
3 Less cars = Less congestion = faster commute with less stop & go = better fuel economy.
4 Reduced Fuel Consumption = Lower demand = lower prices.
5 More en route conversations with real people = less imbicilic morning radio hosts. (well, I can dream, can't I?)

Shoot - I could do way more than the president, if I actually did this. Problem: getting us all to do it. After all - the problem isn't me, it's those other guys. I need to have a Suburban Excursion to take my Armada on an Expedition to see the Sequioa. (I'll just take my Jetta, thank you)

Wouldn't it be great if we all took some ownership for stuff? If it's my fault, I can do something about it. If I blame you, I've just passed the buck. Nothing changed for the better, especially my ego. This would be great in lots of stuff - not just gas prices. Think of marriages, frivilous lawsuits, politics (gasp!) etc.

A little more personal integrity, honesty and ownership would be great for all of us.

And then we wouldn't have to watch Dr. Phil!

It's all his fault.