K1MAN ESSAY: E051028A

I have heard some of my greatest detractors say on the air (when they
didn't consider that I might just happen too be listening) things
something like:

1. "Glenn is so talented, but ..............."

2. "Glenn is so bright, but .........................."

3. "Glenn has the best bulletin service, but ...................."

4. "Glenn did such a great job on such-and-such emergency, but....."

5. "Glenn could be an alternative to ARRL, but...................."

6. "Glenn could have been so big, but.........................."

The problem is that nobody can please all the people all the time, and
if you try to do anything really significant in life, you are going to
**** a lot of other people off, no matter what. Church politics is a
good example of this, and I see no difference regarding hobby politics
in particular and ham radio politics in general.

Typically, those who try to make major changes in the world get
"hung," so to speak, (like Socrates, Galileo, or Jesus), or else THEY
do the hanging (like Alexander the Great, Stalin, or Hitler). Other
people just find some middle ground somewhere, while still others do
next to nothing "spectacular" and cross their fingers while hoping
they don't "get run over." Most people sincerely think that others
would do much better if they just did it THEIR way.

The fact is that everybody is right and everybody is wrong. Whatever
works best for you is all that you have unless you make major mid
course "corrections" from time to time. Some make frequent minor
"corrections" to best fit the changing world being experienced. Who
has more fun than people?

Lots of people manipulate and even abuse their way around life.
Everyone "manipulates" others to some degree, of course, but here
again, this goes from one end of the spectrum to the other. If you
buy flowers for your wife, aren't you trying to "manipulate" her? If
you do unto others as you would have them do unto you, aren't you
really trying to manipulate them?

One thing common to most humans in particular and mammals in general
is the desire to be loved and accepted. People need to be
recognized. Scientific American for November 2005 has an interesting
article about how the brain comes up with the feeling of "self." The
fact is that we have a very poor understanding of how the brain works,
much less how the universe works.

I still cannot fathom why ALL hams don't welcome an on the air hf
amateur information bulletin service on 20 and 80 meters. Free
information! Listen to it in the shack while you are soldering a
connection. Call in your comments, unedited, to an 800 number. A
wide variety of information including Newsline and RAIN. Taped
Dayton forums, interviews, hard hitting editorials, etc. etc. A great
beacon station to evaluate propagation! The answer is simply "hobby
politics" which overrides common sense. Jealousy! The human need
to be recognized and to feel important. If the bulletin service
threatens this self image the of the self importance of another
person, that person is against it, apparently. This is why humans
have wars and kill each other. They just can't agree on what is best
for all concerned. They can't accommodate much at all. Doesn't make
much sense to me, but I do recognize that it is a very common reality.
Such is life! Being a wild animal wouldn't seem to be so bad, by
comparison, it would seem to me!

Now, don't you feel more important already? Let's see, let's tune
across 20 meters. Not much there anymore is there? Not much
diversity. No wonder amateur radio is dying! 73 and GL.

Glenn Baxter, K1MAN

AARA Membership

www.K1MAN.com

GLENN BAXTER, K1MAN, AUTOBIOGRAPHY

BELGRADE LAKES INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED RESEARCH