The Common Enemy

Ron:

False evidence appearing real.

This is one way to define fear. In the midst of this economic recession, it seems fear can be the greatest enemy of all despite what we see in the news or read in the paper.

Terrorism.

Corporate greed.

Irresponsible behavior.

It’s easy for us Americans to rally around a common enemy. Finding a commonality that binds each of us to the next gives us a reason to unite. To me, these aren’t the real enemies. I believe right now the greatest enemy is fear and the success of my business as a musician will depend on my ability to manage my emotions and my attitude towards it. Even President Obama understands the paralyzing power of fear as he seeks support for his $787 billion stimulus package. Some call this fear mongering. To me, it only emphasizes the need to manage fear in these troubling times.

In response to a Ezra’s blog, I wrote this:

“personally, i try not to focus on fear. now, i'm not saying i'm living with my head in the sand but we choose where we spend our mental energy. being cautious is one thing. being fearful is another. focus on success and i believe you will have success even if success means just surviving these economic hardships!”

“in this current climate, we all have fears. from the corporate giant to the small business man, we're all plodding through this downturn very carefully. we're all pulling back on expenses; we're all managing debt; we're all looking for future opportunity; we're managing margin. big or small, we're no different except for the size and scale. imagine if you had 10-15 employees and their families relying on your success to stay afloat? “

The one caveat I believe to all of this is that you must operate your business and your life with integrity. We can point to A-Rod, Bernie Madoff and “The Octuplet Mom” and examine each on the basis of integrity. And right now, the lack of integrity is being purged out.

The flip side of all of this is a simple question… what do you believe in and what do you have faith in? For me, this is what we are all being called to declare right now and is the true antidote to fear.

Ok, I promise I will get back to writing about music, gigs and funny stories about being a musician. I know I strayed away from it in the last few blogs. I’ve been watching a lot of news lately and it’s the BEST reality TV out there! My hope is that all of this will start to reflect in my music especially lyrically. I will also have an update on my new song and how the recording process is going…. thanks everyone!