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On "Cooling It".
Portola Valley, CA Originally Written on 10-20-00
by Aaron H. Schectman
THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then. Opinions pro or con are welcome.
ON "COOLING IT"
The Taft-Hartley Act became law many years ago in the United States. A
Congress was interested in curbing the power of unions. It was felt that a
required "cooling off" period was needed when the pushing between Capital
and Labor came to shove.
I think if a political democracy is a doable thing then economic democracy
is also not only doable but also desirable. The problem is with people.
People generally are self-centered and desire what others have. They often
are greedy, crooked and selfish.
There are capitalists who make the system look good. There are other
capitalists who are sneaky, crooked and downright mean. They kill off
competition and care not about the welfare of workers who make them rich.
On the other hand, there are corrupt union bosses who milk the dues and
steal the pension funds of their members. Corporation CEOs get rich off the
labor of others. Both Capital and Labor seek to influence government. The
problem here is money. When competing for dollars they are self-centered,
often crooked and definitely greedy.
The cooling off period is a good thing. It gives angry people the chance
to examine priorities and reconsider drastic and often unwise decisions made
in the heat of the moment. Confrontation is an ugly thing. If you have a
stick in your hand, it can become a weapon.
Husbands and wives often need to "cool it". Things said in anger go away
if not made into things bigger than they are - merely disagreements. If not
for the keeping one's seat - if not for lowering one's voice - if not for
keeping physical reactions non-confrontational and non-threatening - the
argument and the hurt inescapably are escalated into something ugly.
Children are good examples of those who lash out without any thought to
consequences.
I spent a couple of days feeling hurt and disappointment that could have
exploded into something quite different from a relatively unimportant thing.
I cooled it. I am glad it went away.
Carol's Evaluation: 9 out of 10.
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