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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Ranting and doing



It sure is fun to get going on a good rant sometimes. There’s plenty of subject matter. Injustice and criminality abound.

That has its place, but ranting without ever doing anything is just a waste of time and personal energy.

My wife has a friend who used to go on and on about how she thought her husband was cheating on her. She had this whole rant down cold. My lovely wife asked her if she wanted to hop in the car and see what he was really up to. The thought of finding out for certain terrified her. She refused to do it.

My lovely wife said, “Did you want me to help or did you want me to make sympathetic noises?”

In the end the husband confessed. They got a divorce. Both their lives got better.

We were staying at a campground. The guy next to me was going on and on about the price of diesel. He was a truck driver and the price of fuel was killing him. I showed him that my vehicle was veggie oil powered. I told him there are truck drivers out there running veggie at least some of the time to reduce their expenses. The guy got mad at me for beating the system. How dare I do something about the high cost of fuel.

Most people complain about their power company. How many do anything about it? A buddy of mine just put in a small 45 watt solar electric system and some LED lights. Sure, it’s a small step, but it’s a step. At least he won’t be sitting in the dark when the power goes out. What really drives me nuts is those people suffering under huge utility bills but refuse to do even simple conservation measures.

The rants go on and on: jobs, politics, economy, personal problems, the environment -the list is never ending. Complaining and ranting about something gives the illusion of doing something. It’s not.

There’s a reason we say actions are louder than words.

-Sixbears

15 comments:

  1. Spot on! (Like folks complaining about water pollution and high water prices and refusing to consider composting toilets like are advertised on your page.)

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    Replies
    1. Most people have a hard time thinking even a little bit outside the box. Weird to think we take precious clean water and poop in it.

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  2. Experiencing the same here to where I do not volunteer such information to anyone unless explicitly asked. Such things as:

    "Who are you/did you vote for?"
    "Isn't it awful taxes just go up and up?"
    "How come you don't have tags on your vehicle?"
    What do you actually DO for a living?"

    invariably end up with the person giving a negative reaction.

    My favorite response to "I don't do licenses/taxes/have a 'job'/don't eat much cooked food, etc." is "BUT YOU CAN'T DOOOO THAT!"

    Sure I can. And am. And you can too. Or you can continue to bitch/pay/work/feel crappy, etc.

    I read somewhere that a few steps into the process of "awakening" one finds that most of their former "friends" are no longer around. Slaves to anything do not like keeping company with non-slaves.

    BriarPatch

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    Replies
    1. Freedom makes some people uneasy. It's hard to admit to being a slave.

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    2. People today mistake being taken care of for freedom.

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  3. All hale O bear of great wisdom !

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  4. Sixbears,

    Great post! I always tell my friends, if you're going to Bit _ _ about it, then do something about it. Other wise, I don't want to hear about it.

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  5. Heck, I like to lay on the couch and complain and bitch and . . . and sometimes I actually get up and do something (grin).

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  6. You are more a man of action than you let on. Of course, nothing wrong with the couch, right?

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  7. all very true. Unfortunately we are breeding citizens who want something for no work and low and behold we are giving them their very wish. If they have to do anything outside of the normal concept of letting the typical fossil fuels do the work then there must be a problem. I sometimes believe I could live as well or better on welfare along with my own garden, bee's, homebrew, and livestock, and I make a little over six figures. That is crazy

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    Replies
    1. It sounds like you might prefer living on a small income *not welfare, perhaps a small pension. Plus have have the homestead. It's a good life.

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  8. hi second time trying to get damned computer to work. how do you use the veg oil? someone said you have to start with a new diesel engine and never put dieselfuel in it. true?? how do you keep the oil liquid in winter? where do you get the oil in quantity? et cetera
    thanks
    deb harvey

    hymenopterid@gmail.com

    new reader. really enjoy your column.

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  9. Check my blog for more veggie oil conversion stuff.
    Old diesel engines work fine. I get the oil from a local restaurant.

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