Better To Be In Kansas
Thought I'd share this.....
by Kenneth B. Lerman
As the U.S. and world continue to unravel, slowly, and at times more quickly, it is better to be here in Kansas. Without some unraveling of the past twenty centuries how would there be room for the new? No one successfully puts new wine into an old wine bottle, or new thought into a closed mind.
Living gratefully in Kansas for thirty-two years plus six years attending college and grad schools, traveling extensively throughout my career and growing up in New York City and Vietnam it's become clear that Kansas and Kansans are different - and it's better to be in Kansas. I am not intimating that we are better or think we are better than anyone.
I am suggesting our pace, calmness, sense of thoughtfulness and tolerance for others brings to us a more relaxed and more pleasant life-style than other venues. I believe it is easier in Kansas to cope with the changes, unraveling or as Shakespeare timelessly wrote, to cope with the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" that propel us through this century of greater world balance.
I enjoy being somewhat cloistered in Kansas, far away from "the shock and awe" of being the first to experience anything. During the uncertainties of economic and social change and in watching others react, adjust and adapt to new situations and playing fields, Kansas gives me the time to reflect and think for myself. I then develop and begin implementation of strategies that will hopefully bring my family and business greater opportunity and protection, while cautiously minimizing the risks inherent with taking first steps onto new ground and territory.
Even in times of stress and want, Kansans are more tolerant of others. Judgmental sure, that's human, but not so loud and openly critical of others. Many Kansans come from cultural Mecca's that boast 40 high-school graduates in last year's class. Most learned how to work and play well with others or they ran out of friends quickly in a small town or neighborhood. I graduated 1,699th in a class of 1,723 - I made the cut! In NYC we learned how to burn the bridge. There was another bridge to walk over in just a few minutes.
How much pain is there in Kansas when starting or building your own business? Want to compare the daily business grinds or pains of some other venue? Compare riding in cramped smelly subways, buses and taxis to your relatively convenient commute you had this morning.
Compare the tensions in returning home and dealing with family matters. Then get up and do it again tomorrow. Even travel to relatively brief meetings, completing typical business errands or government registrations are simplified in Kansas.
How deep is the quality of employee work ethic to draw on in Kansas? Compare it to Michigan or Arkansas. Need outside professional support for your business? It is readily available, honest and dependable. If not, the community will know it and warn you.
No great restaurants in Kansas. "Great restaurants in the U.S. have become an oxymoron! No celebrity Chef Boyardee of the week is cooking your meal in their restaurant. Not your meal. We have a ton of good restaurants all over Kansas. Try Keith's breakfast sausage gravy or his mom's (Donna's) home made pies at the Whistle Stop in Walton, Kansas where their rural school district tests in the states top 5%. There are many more good cooks in Kansas, especially in your home.
Why are we - you and I - here and why do we stay? It's not the beach front properties, the skiing or the vast mountain timberlands that we hike through that keeps us entertained. It's the people we live next door to, the people we work with, the people that wait on us in the stores, serve with us on volunteer boards and committees and see at ball games and church.
Not many Kansans jump traffic lanes when traffic is backed up or jump ahead of others while standing in front of the grocery deli counter. We just don't do that.
We enjoy allowing others to enter a crowded doorway first and we smile and nod a brief hello to people we don't know when walking through a parking lot. If you don't too bad, you're missing out. Try that in Atlanta, Durango or In Middlebury, Vermont. You'll be thought of as weird.
Celebrating the holiday season is better in Kansas. Sure a Christmas or New Year in a different venue is fun and exciting every so often. Shopping and visiting with family and friends in Kansas has its own "down-home" charm and value.
In closing here is my 2012 sage advice for children of all ages. You are free to make any choice you desire but you will never be free from your choices. Choose wisely. I chose Kansas. For me it is better to be in Kansas. God bless us all this holiday season.
I am for business,
Ken Lerman
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