True Stories of the American Dream Part V Follow Up
June 23rd 2009 08:36
Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
In this follow up to my True American Story I am forced to reflect back on a conversation about a disabled veteran who was looking for a light at the end of the tunnel…
When life throws up brick wall after brick wall we sometimes have to find the courage inside of ourselves to remember that we don’t have to accept everything that life throws at us.
While things may appear the way they seem at the surface there is also that undying spirit that drove men and women like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Sojourner Truth and the Dalai Llama to seek a better way by looking deeper into life’s problems for practical solutions.
For me this vision was life where I could seek the American dream with out putting myself through the daily rigors of aggravating an injury that occurred in service to my country.
The company that employed me between the months of November 2008 and June 2009 was Enterprise Leasing Company.
The “system” that threw the road blocks in front of me was the machine of human resources and red tape some of us are all too familiar with.
The system that relies on graphs and scans to make quick determinations of a person’s fitness or unfitness to do certain vocational occupations without practicality to past injuries or the realities of work situations.
While certain companies can make the conscious decision to disregard the plight of Disabled Veterans while still adhering to the letter of the law there are others who choose to rise above what they are “supposed” to legally do in the search for a solution.
In my case I reached out to highest levels of Enterprise Leasing Company in a search for answers, compassion and a rational solution which was met with an immediate response.
This response was an agreement of the points that were illustrated in my earlier posting and a compromise for a rational solution that included respect to my right of having a comfortable work environment.
If there is anything I want my readers to take away from my experience; it isn’t within the battle between the working man and the employer nor is it about evil corporations who would rather focus on bottom lines rather than the health and well being of their employees.
What I want the average reader to soak in is the simple fact that no matter how grave the circumstance or how many people may mock your personal fight for justice there is always a place for practical solutions.
The abuse of the system that fights for the right of the common man has been saturated in a sea of lawyers and litigation forcing strict guide lines within human resources departments from sea to shining sea.
It is the job of every American to work towards finding a place between the extremes of abuse in the aspect of ambulance chasing lawsuits and the average Joe who finds himself backed into a corner between making the tough decision of either working in daily pain or putting food on the table for his family.
It is the duty of each and every one of us to have the compassion to care about what is happening in our neighborhoods, offices, homes and the actions of the companies that fuel our economy.
The fight can only die when we stop paying attention to the voices of our fellow Americans and ignore the stories of adversity that come from the hearts and minds of our fellow country men and women.
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