I have noticed in every situation you are in, there is that one person that has the final say. This person has not only all the power, but also all the responsibility regarding the outcome. They may not even really care about our opinion or even our feelings toward that outcome. These folks are “the buck stops here” decision makers. They are the type of people we need.
Growing up in Hoagland, my Dad was that person with the final say. I loved my Dad, but I also feared my Dad. Those words “Wait until your Dad gets home” were the most terrifying words I could hear. Thinking about all those times, there was never one time that he asked what I thought or felt. My opinions or feelings were never on his mind.
It is the same in real estate. When I meet with couples to find homes, there is always one, and only one, decision maker. It could be the husband or the wife. In 15 years, I have never met a couple where both were decision makers. I guess if they were, they would not be married. Anyone reading can attest to that.
Growing up I, and about every other kid I knew, did not have any of the civil liberties we now enjoy in our great country. As a kid, my dad did not normally care what my views were. He knew what was right or wrong for me. The new coronavirus has not only rocked our country medically, but has changed so many things. Many things we used to enjoy have been taken away from us. Our government, at all levels, has made changes in how we now live and what freedoms we can enjoy.
But, as seen on any news channel, freedom of speech still exists. So many of us are done — done with not being allowed to go to church, go out to eat, see a ball game, see our families in hospitals or nursing homes. Also, many are done not being able to go to work. We need to work to support our families and to pay our promised obligations. We all have a right to voice our opinion on what should be done to try to get our lives back to normal. Living in a country like the United States, we can express ourselves in what we believe to be right.
The answer of what needs to happen to fix the world as we know it will have to come from someone much smarter than me. That decision is so many levels above my pay grade. But I do understand why so many want this to end. I have compassion for the ones that are upset and need to go back to work. I know businesses need to be able to open their doors again. It is not right. It is not fair play. It should not have happened, but it did.
If you are like my wife, you watch, listen and read all you can about the changes each day brings. Each day at 2 p.m. she is watching our governor speak, waiting to hear the plan about how our lives can return to normal.
For those of us that have strong opinions on what it will take to repair what we now have, imagine with me. What if you single handedly had all the power and authority to make what you think should happen, happen? What if you spoke your thoughts and all of us would have to trust that your decision would have our best interest? We would have to abide by whatever you thought. Let us take that even one step further. What if being the “the buck stops here” type person means you have not only all the power, but all the responsibility for whatever happens?
What if whether it was a great move or a blunder, it is all on you?
If that were true, would you still feel the same? That would be a very heavy load that I would not want on my shoulders. We all know that with great power, comes great responsibility. Would you want to accept them both?
On the other hand, what if you have family on the front line at the hospitals? What if someone you know and love is infected right now and hanging on for survival?
Would you still want us all to return to the life we once knew just a short time ago?
Randy Butler is a lifelong resident of Highland County and a licensed real estate agent for Classic Real Estate in Hillsboro.
