The sweetest joy, the wildest woe is love. What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork.
American actress and singer, Pearl Bailey, was born on this day in 1918 (died 1990).
Growing up in the 20th Century and being a ground breaker as an African American performer through the era of segregation and civil rights, Pearl Bailey probably experienced more than her fair share of paperwork.
I will never be able to understand the struggles she may have faced, but I can appreciate them.
And I love her sentiment.
I don’t do bureaucracy.
Yes, I work for the government. Yes, I’ve spent my entire adult life in government or public policy.
But all those years ago, when I worked on my first campaign, I did so because I thought then, as I do now, that government is too big. Government takes too much money. Government spends too much money.
For me, regardless of what you think too much money is spent on, that has to be a starting point.
So, as I alluded to the other day, I don’t always do well with the bureaucracy, or the paperwork.
Show me why something has to be done. Help me to see the value.
Otherwise, my heart just won’t be in it.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ll get it done. I just may not respect you in the morning.
I digress.
See, what I’m saying is that maybe it’s time to focus on the things that are really important. Things like music, and art, and theatre. Things like loving your friends and family. Things like caring for animals and the environment.
Wherever you may be on the political spectrum, we should all be able to agree that those things are important.
It’s how we get about the business of taking care of them that makes a real difference.
Trust me, it’s not in the paperwork. It’s not in the next program. Even if it’s a “good” program.
It’s not in the next election.
It starts individually with each of us.
You don’t have to fill out a new form or file a new report.
You just have to be willing to make a difference.
That can be pretty sweet.
The quality of this video is not so great, but watch it for the significance.
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