Concern v, Suspicion

Log Out | Topics | Search Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

Author Message Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI, CDT Senior Member Username: rliebing Post Number: 1258 Registered: 02-2003 Posted on Wednesday, August 03, 2011 - 09:05 am:    110803 CONCERN v. SUSPICION by Ralph Liebing, RA, CSI, CDT Cincinnati, OH I guess it’s a tough choice, even if you make it without really thinking! Some person, circumstance or issue may come to CONCERN you, in that you feel it is unfair, inappropriate, improper, marginally legal, or not to your thinking or perhaps your best interest. Your concern is seated in the fact that you really don’t know all of the details of the dilemma, nor the influence or outcome it may produce. Oddly enough, most concern is an inward expression, where you mull or perhaps fester, basically in silence. Your antennas are up as you try to “inhale” more information, and added details of the occurrence. Sort of silent intelligence gathering! Concern can take hold most any place from small [even family] groups or settings all the way to large groups, of regional, national or even international breadth. Of course, you can come to resolution of your concern far easier in the small group, as you can gather enough insight, quickly to form your opinion, solution or course of action. Too, it is eminently easier to express your conclusion and see a reaction if not a result. But even in the home, concern can escalate to suspicion. The measure, it seems, is severity of the circumstances. You may be concerned about your teen being exposed to unsavory “others”, and the influence they may have on yours. But if you see some change in your teen, your demeanor “jumps” to suspicion-- immediately and perhaps unfairly—that your teen has taken to embracing some of that to which they have been exposed. [Yes, this alludes to drugs, drinking, illegal activity, pre-marital sex, etc.] It is the level of hazard, so to speak that elevates your thoughts. Outside the home, and particularly in situations where you have little control, this moves to a suspicion sequence of increased irritation, greater lack of control, and a feeling helplessness-- you are in a situation that impacts you, causes you concern, and over which you have virtually no control. Not good! This may be job related, where you are part of a massive corporate labor force. Your union [if there is one] may be of some help. But if you and every other employee is alone, your concern is steep, prickly and quite bothersome-- and helplessness doesn’t help! You simply have to put up with things, and have no real way to change things or resolve them. In large organizations [social, professional, or otherwise] much the same is present. You are one of thousands; sure, you vote for elected officers, but you really don’t know them; you “trust” them and can only hope they do the right things. You may be active and somewhat outspoken in your local unit, even in that more comfortable environment; you don’t have a lot of control or influence. Maybe you find a few similarly-minded folks, but your group is counted in tens, not thousands. Still, you and your fellows are not “dumb”. Your position in the trenches gives you a very unique and insightful view of what is, and is not happening; of what the organization is missing, and how its direction has become misdirected, or sadly, has never been developed. When your dues comes due, you pay, decrying the number of layers in the organization that each extract money from you-- most of which you merely send and forget. You never know what your dues money really bought! More and more your organization seems to be spinning in its own juices, and has no real direction to expand, improve, to better address local concerns[!], or to provide more service than previously. There is perhaps a national focus that is supported by locally collected dues, but which’s aimed at issues other than those dear to mere members. You see no saving grace. Contacting others in various ways, shows their similar suspicions, and their impatience that the organization is “off-track”. This group grows, speaks, but due to its lack of cohesion, and organization, the voice goes unheard. Things swirl, but inertia remains; second agendas take place; ill-advised actions are taken under the guise of well-intentioned but poorly conceived efforts. Eventually every such organization will profess that the individual members owe, or simply “are” the organization. That statement rings hollow, if indeed there is a clapper in the bell. It may be true, but the organization ignores that resource. Input may not even be heard, or if heard, dismissed as too costly; never done before; why now!; or we tried that and its didn’t work 15 years ago. Should we, then, be concerned or suspicious?