20090819

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Today I had the opportunity to speak to some people from the GAO, which is a panel that interviews, observes, and reports to congress about manning and training issues in government organizations. In a nutshell, I told them that, with the manning now reduced in the Navy, the material condition, as well as the morale of the personnel has been impacted, and that the personnel are expected to meet expectations that were set at a time when the manning was sufficient to meet those expectations. Either the expectations should change, or the manning should change, but to keep expecting things to work as effectively, efficiently, and the people to be as enthusiastic about working for the Navy while continuing to reduce the man-power is unreasonable. I understand the budget constraints and human resources alone are the biggest draw on the budget itself, but the system needs some streamlining in order to operate efficiently. Right now, it is bound for breakdown.

I couldn’t really express to the people the stress and discontent that I feel about working 60-80 hours a week while receiving little or no praise, and little or no support in my personal endeavors. But, I believe at least one of the panel members really felt some compassion for our situation. Afterwards he shook my hand and gave a reassuring look, as he wished me luck and told me he was going to take his notes back to Washington. Apparently one of the ladies there, the leader of the panel, I assume, was the DOD civilian equivalent of an Admiral. I hope they do positively impact congress, and influence them to make some intelligent decisions that will improve the Navy.

The Executive Officer on board VANDEGRIFT assured me that it will be years, if not over a decade before we see results from that panel, if any. But then I think how 100% of congress is Christian, and I fear that their intelligent decision making ability is more prone to emotion and preference of ideology than to actual efficiency, based on human nature.

I feel good about the future again, for once. I am not so concerned with a vehicle, or so apathetic about improving conditions at home, at work, or with my health and fitness. I am starting to fight the uphill battle again, which is the only way to get up. The only other choice is down, or stagnation, which is only another way of looking at moving down—it simply seems that the world is moving past while you don’t move at all.

It seems to me that the ups and downs are all part of the evolutionary process, and that all evolutions follow a similar pattern of creation, to destruction, to creation from that destruction.

As long as I ease human suffering, both directly, by who I am on a daily basis, and residually, through the long and short term effects of my actions, I am fulfilling my (self-designated) purpose.