Getting, Having, Doing

There's a difference between having a job and doing a job...
Between wanting a responsibility and wanting a title.
Sometimes it's a very fine line, and other times it can be a huge divide.

Take for instance, the growing field of men and women who are trying to decide whether to run for President. I think there are actually a few of them who really want to be President, to face the challenges, make the hard decisions, and do something for the nation. Whether I agree with their intentions doesn't matter. The fact is, their intentions are to do the job.

Then there are those who just want to BE President. They want the power, the parades, the marching bands, Air Force One and their name in history books. They don't have the slightest idea what to do for the country, and actual service is the farthest thing from their minds. They just want to sit behind the desk.

The tough part is distinguishing between them. The dangerous part is when the wrong one gets the job.

Similar situations can be found much closer to home. Even the local automobile dealer has a couple of salespeople lusting after the new car manager's job, and a new car manager who wants to be general manager. Some of them might actually know how to increase sales, motivate employees and whack the competition. Others just want the desk, the check and the business cards.

I'm reminded of something a cousin used to say: "Remember the dog who chased cars every day until he finally caught one, and then didn't know what to do with it." A little South Plainfield logic mixed in with a touch of Perth Amboy irony.

Every day we encounter people who can either make our life a little easier or a little harder. The ones who are simply filling the chairs inevitably make things harder, either because they can or because they don't know any better. The rest of us are stuck with it.

Then again I am reminded of what my friend Joe K. used to say back in Maryland: "the sun doesn't shine on the same dog's ass every day."