The Song Team - Team Building Blog

Joy to me last night was sitting on the couch, after having worked on a new arrangement of a song for nearly 3 hours.  On the left with his head on my lap was my dog Bernie, on my right with his head in my lap was my dog Ringo, to his left… butt to butt with him was Tzippy the Beagle.  It was quite cozy, quiet and calm.  I almost felt as though I were in a meditation chamber or some such thing.  Meanwhile, back here at “The Horse…” Robin Crow is hard at work on the manuscript for the new book with Lee Iacocca, and we’re working on some exciting non-profit alliances that would really be beneficial to all parties, and the best part would be the impact we could possibly have on some communities here and abroad.  More to come on that.   Dark Horse Institute kicks off it’s first session here at the complex on January 10th, with additional sessions starting approx. every 4 weeks after that.  The first fully electric car rolled off the assembly line here in TN. this week, The Leaf.  While this type car, which does not use a drop of gas, and gets approx. 90-100 miles a charge may not yet be a perfect solution or alternative to our energy/resources problem, it is a good start….Here is my shared thought of the day from the USA TODAY Best-Seller “Evolve or Die” by Robin Crow.  “Taking the Long View…” There seems to be a direct connection between societies and cultures that take the long view and those who enjoy long-term survival.  The Japanese are an old society with roots that go back thousands of years.  Compared to other modern nations, they tend to take a long view of economic problems.  The British are long-view people as well, with an “Empire” that is nearly 1,000 years old.  The Jewish people are another ancient culture- with more than 5,000 years of cultural heritage…all of them survivors who tend to think in the long term.  Americans, on the other hand, are the people of NOW.  We are the instant gratification population who thrive on fast-food, and we work for companies whose idea of the future is the “quarter after next.” The British may have invented microwaves, but we invented the microwave oven.  U.S. consumers tend to buy products based on “what will it do for me now” rather than “how long will it last.”  If long-view cultures survive and instant gratification cultures perish, the United States is in for a hard future.

From the book “Evolve or Die” By Robin Crow…..Throughout recorded human history some 3, 825 societies(that we know of) have collapsed.  In many cases, those societies had found ways to exploit every conceivable natural resource and then feed off the local ecology, thriving only while they grew.  Once they were no longer able to expand, they became victims of their own success.  The Roman Empire for example, continued expanding until the very breadth of it’s borders proved impossible to defend…..

Well, I’ve had a cup of coffee, fed and exercised the dogs, fed the horses and now am back in bed at 9:30 in the morning.  This happens LESS then never these days.  It’s pretty outside with a coating of snow over the mud and brown grass.  Despite no clouds showing up on the local radar, it’s snowing a bit again.  Some of these flakes are big.  Being out here in the country on site of a typically busy recording studio and the newly formed Dark Horse Institute, when all is quiet and dark is always a pleasant feeling.  One of the best things for me, a Jew on Christmas is the feeling of nearly everything being shut down…as things typically are supposed to be if you happen to be someone of any faith who subscribes to the concept of keeping the Sabbath.  It is largely like this in much of Israel on the Sabbath…A time to pause, be one with nature, reflect quietly…Peace to all. jeff

The Horses are fed, the coffee is brewing fresh yet again, even though the studio is basically dark… and I sit here on my lunch hour working on organizing emails into make sense mailboxes. All so that when “Everyone” returns to work a bit next week and especially the week after I can begin the journey again, of spreading the work about one of the best business and sustainability speakers in the country Robin Crow. His USA TODAY best-seller, “Evolve or Die” is getting the highlighter treatment from me this second time around the reading-go-round. Meanwhile, the dogs are curled up around my feet dreaming of squirrels and rabbits. Snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow, the first time in nearly two decades that Nashville may have a “White Christmas.” Looking forward to seeing “Country Strong” tomorrow. My step-daughter is an extra in the film…for all of 5 seconds probably, but exciting nonetheless. Here is my thought for the day from the book “Evolve or Die”, by Robin Crow : As we kick into gear to start off 2011, the world continues to be in an ever more precarious spot as far as economy, global warming, healthcare, poverty, terrorism. “Globally, we bicker endlessly and fight wars over ideology and oil. In the United States. we focus on trivia and drama. If we can’t find a way to focus on the “big picture,” we aren’t going to have anything to fight over anymore. It’s as if we are rearranging the chairs on the deck of The Titantic, even though the ship is clearly sinking…”