Wave Action

Over the years, some have called me a wave maker. Others have labeled me a trouble maker. And others, still, prefer the term “shit disturber”. Take your pick: they all apply depending on one’s point of view and the specific circumstance surrounding my participation. Let’s be clear, though: I do not go out of my way to find trouble or to make trouble for its own sake. What I do, though, is raise the BS flag when I am in a situation that attempts to exploit unreasonable amounts of patience or understanding on my part. 

I’m fully prepared for undesirable monikers from those that would rather I stand quietly and wait my turn at the whipping post and such a threat does not deter me from attempting to right a negative experience. Hence my question. “What’s wrong with making waves?”

Have you ever visited a pond in mid-summer? The water is a virtual mirror as the surroundings are perfectly reflected in its stillness. A thin sheen (usually green) lies over the entire expanse as various midges and such fly lazily above. The odds of finding a fish or any other viable creature under the surface are small because the water is more or less stagnant. And a sip? Are you kidding me?

Now, compare our pond with the ocean. Churning, foaming, vibrant. Abundant life and, yes, the potential for danger. We can back off a bit, though, to a stream fed lake, for instance. The presence of a current makes for less stagnation and more vitality. And we can confirm the current’s existence by noticing the waves upon the surface.

Just as waves upon the water lead to a greater degree of vibrance, the waves we make as we venture into the daily stream of events contribute to a better environment for everyone. With few exceptions, every opinion expressed in this weekly offering or the chapters in my book urge the reader to become more active in the outcome of various and sundry events. This activity is simply the making of a wave. And, once again, what’s wrong with that?

Well, the keepers of the status quo find something wrong with that because waves create a degree of turbulence and they would just as soon keep everything humming along with nary a ripple. The absence of waves ensures continued job security and the cash flow it provides. Once we start questioning the why’s and how’s no one can predict what fallout may occur. Not coincidentally, these believers of the status quo are generally a good bit farther up the food chain than most worker bees. “Oh, well,” they sigh. “That’s the way it goes, I guess.”

The problem lies in the fact that the worker bees start sighing the same lament and that’s when any hope for progress is extinguished. No questions...no comments...no waves. Not even a ripple. Life goes on, uninterrupted and unimproved.

This leads me to one last question for the week. When’s the last time you made a wave? Any kind will do: a comment or complaint to a manager, a question over a policy that makes no sense, a letter to an elected representative. Pick any day in the last week and try to find one that did not offer at least one opportunity to say something that you felt needed saying. I’d bet that you can’t and good for you if you spoke up. But many do not. I can offer no sensible explanation, but can’t help but think that they prefer the stillness of our stagnant pond than the rougher waters of the lake or ocean. Lazy? I don’t think so. Maybe indifferent or seeing no benefit in speaking up. It doesn’t matter, though, because the silence has nothing but negative implication where the roar represents the possibility of improvement.

Sometimes I wonder why I continue to send my musings into cyberspace for your review. Nothing seems to be changing so why spin my wheels? Some call me a pessimist and I would be hard pressed to argue, but I do remain hopeful. A hopeful pessimist? Yes, there is a distinct difference between the two and I fully intend to discuss the dichotomy in an upcoming piece.

In the meantime, throw a stick out into the middle of that stagnant pond and watch the ripples as they spread and sometimes reach places far from the point of impact. The ripples you make in your daily life can be equally far-reaching. It’s entirely up to you, though, as to whether you toss that stick or let everything lie still and undisturbed. (Go on...throw the stick!)