May the Advent-ure Continue!

The Advent season has come and gone…we waited for the arrival, it came and went. Odd, isn’t it? A season which is named for a Coming is about waiting…and by the time we actually celebrate the arrival, the season of Advent is official over.

That’s probably why for years I assumed–unthinkingly–that Advent must mean waiting. Because that’s what Advent has meant to me, a time of great anticipation for a momentous occasion.

Tired of poor Customer Service? Blame our Culture of Dependency

Excellent Customer Service is one of the clichéd catch phrases that every company SAYS is important to them, but too few seem to really emulate.

It’s evidenced by the automated phone messages that repeatedly assure us that “our call is important to them”, and then make us jump through an endless labyrinth of prompts and codes. We see it with the grocery store cashier who doesn’t even make eye contact with us as he or she drones “…have a nice day…” in a Ben Stein-ian monotone. 

It’s not like this is rocket science, gang: a sincere smile, a pleasant “how may I assist you?”, and then actively helping us is really all we want.

We just don’t get it very often.

If YOU can say these words: “I’d rather go on Unemployment”, then YOU are the problem

There is a scene in the movie ‘Cinderella Man‘ which never fails to get me misty-eyed. It’s when Russell Crowe’s character, James J. Braddock, begins his inexplicable comeback from penniless dock-worker to Heavyweight champion:

Then, he took on Art Lasky, who had won all but one of
his last 15 fights—yet Braddock dispatched him, too, in a thrilling 15-rounder. 

With these remarkable wins, Braddock’s spirit became renewed. Remarkably, one of the first things he did with his earnings was to pay back his Public Relief debt to the government. 

Braddock had sacrificed everything for his family: his career, his house, even his pride…attempting to feed and shelter them. He eventually needed help, just a little, to keep going. And as soon as he was able, he repaid that help, in full.

So…., ‘Remarkable’? Is it “remarkable” to pay back a loan he wasn’t “forced” to repay, just because it was the right thing to do? And (especially) judging by today’s standards?

Yeah, it was. Definitely. Because now, our nation doesn’t perceive Government Assistance the same way. It’s now not just for absolute, dire emergencies; it’s for everyone, anytime.

Want proof?

The reason that scene came flooding back to me was a report I heard on the news last night, where some of the Hostess bakers were being interviewed: