Rise above...

The concept of finding the least common denominator may be useful for dealing with fractions, but it is not necessarily the best way to approach life.  Whether we are talking about our personal life, our professional life, our business, or our relationships with others – we can rise above the ordinary, the mediocre, the merely acceptable.  We each have the opportunity to add to the richness, the beauty, the goodness, and the humanity of life.  And, we should not dismiss such a notion as some mere greeting card sentiment.  It is easy, perhaps even popular, to be cynical – to be above it all.  But, we can choose another response and, in doing so, choose another outcome.

Mathematics can teach us something here.  In math, adding a positive value to a sum increases the sum.  Adding a negative value decreases the sum.  And so it is with life, in all of its dimensions.  When we contribute something positive, we increase its total value.  When we contribute something negative, we decrease its total value.  And, when we add nothing or only contribute what is cheap or meaningless, we add nothing to life – not our life, nor the lives of others.

In interactions with people every day, I see examples of those who choose to not settle for the least common denominator.  And, sadly, I also see far too many examples of those who choose not to bother.  I see this in business – with customers, competitors, and suppliers.  I see this throughout the communities I visit – at all levels of leadership and service.  And, we all see this in our local, state, and national governments.

But, no matter the setting, one thing I consistently observe:  those who only aspire to the least, both give and receive exactly that.  And, those who strive to add to the lives of those whom they touch, both give and receive so much more.

I firmly believe that we were created and placed upon this earth to do far more than just take up space, use up resources, get what we can, and then die. We each have the potential and the opportunity to add to creation – to add to the richness of life as we and those around us experience it.  We can rise above a mere selfish, animal existence.

Joseph Weilenbeck  11/19/2013