Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago · 3 min. reading time · ~10 ·

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Goodwill is Waning

Goodwill is Waning

dd7ff2b7.jpgI was conversing with a former Navy gentleman about the new stay put orders issued by the government.  He described the life of a ship at sea. He told me that your “tour” was always scheduled and each sailor would set a mental clock of when they would return home and get on with family life.


Each sailor would set a pace of goodwill against this schedule.  Each day using a portion of the goodwill that was being replenished at a rate much slower than used.  But each sailor knew that with reproduction and use, the goodwill would last the scheduled time. The goal was to end the tour with relief of exhausted goodwill.


The new orders issued, is quite the blow to goodwill on a ship.  Those sailors at sea have not metered their goodwill to meet the new two month extension they must now carry.  Each day of these new months is now borrowed time. The borrowed time is exponential because the two months may even be extended further based on conditions here in the USA.  The nation is under quarantine.


a3554c51.jpgRecent events have placed many people in the same condition, with goodwill, like our friends at sea.  We are being asked to social distance, stay home and not gather in groups. Our home or dwelling has become our ship.  Each day passes with goodwill being depleted.


This conversation focused me on the drain of each person as they weather a storm, and where are the limits?  We schedule and dose ourselves from material to axiomatic underpinnings to face crisis, but like the sailors we have been given indefinite orders to stay at sea.


Having been in the behavior business for 19 years on the corporate side of education, i have picked up more than anyone should know about humans and their behavior.  You can't turn it off once you see it. Ever watched one of the movies about how a movie is made? When you have surrounded yourself with professionals who talk about human behavior all day you begin to see life as not a movie but the making of the movie of each person you contact.  Needless to say after a few years the rerun fatigue can catch up to you.


The aspect of human behavior under the microscope here is goodwill.  That energy we find in ourselves to do the right thing in the face of personal crisis brought on by things outside of our control.  More specifically what happens when the goodwill energy is exhausted? What is below the goodwill line?


Certainly it is some form of self survival, but I believe this survival is based on two very different paradigms.  The material and the axiomatic or what you hold and believe as moral value. Both of these paradigms exist within the bubble of your prospective future.  Each gives you a different perspective, depending on which one carries the most weight.


Although physical survival has its monkey brain to give it energy, I also believe that your consciousness utilizes similar mechanisms to force your perspective to survive.  This is where errant social behavior comes to life and is typically rejected socially. Unless, we add in group dynamics, which are beyond the scope of this post.


Government has created a crisis, whether you believe it was needed or not, they created it.  Maybe the job they are doing is great or maybe it could be done better. This is not a discussion of poor performance but rather impact on the sailor.


I don’t believe that the USA as a whole has run out of goodwill, but the signs are starting to appear.  We have entered the material survival phase in large numbers and this is testing our axioms. The test of axioms will end.  The looming question is will the axiom survive or will the consciousness battle be won by the monkey brain?


918aaedf.jpgThe answer lies with the government.  Government took control of our daily lives.  Again not judging the action but wanting to display position, they took leadership in an area we would normally balk.  But goodwill allowed us to accept this intrusion. All intrusions must have an endgame, even if it's speculative.  Currently we see the tide shifting from pure apocalyptic reporting by most, to a few requesting and measuring the end game path.  Large portions of the media and pundits are pushing back against any endgame. This is dangerous. If humans can’t find a path or schedule for their goodwill to survive then we get down to survival/monkey brain actions.

I believe humans like our sailors can understand and hold the monkey brain at bay with projections of schedule that get slipped, changed or found to be false.  The human mind needs to know that the leaders who took control of their life, are fighting to get out of the way.


Over the next few weeks we will see the axioms of our own heart tested.  Can you love your neighbor as yourself while the authoritarian efforts of the government are crushing your material well being?  How strongly you believe and have faith in the axioms you have set for yourself will be the determining factor.


My beliefs are intact at this point even though materially the future is a little foggy.  Given social and mainstream media's steady feed of blame, obfuscation for ratings and other pointless goals...wellllllllll, the monkey brain may be the bet.


My hope is that all are weathering the crisis with dignity and humility.  This is the only way we will retain any sanity post crisis.  


If you are at home and feel like you need to do something.  Write to the leaders who inserted themselves in your life and ask them to stop controlling only, and begin organizing the endgame.  Let them know you will accept best guesses and realize that new data will change the trajectory. You are not an idiot and can handle the truth even if that truth is evolving.



Comments

Harvey Lloyd

3 years ago #33

thanks for the share and stopping by.

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #32

Paul Walters The "Captain" has a lot on his plate ... The Captain of the Titanic allowed himself to be influenced by wrong goals ... I pray President Trump ... follow the Right Compass Wisdom is required in all decision making ... now more then ever God help us ... there is so much wrong in the motives of many in "leadership"

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #31

#31
Paul Walters Confirmation bias is always a challenge. Given some of your political posts it would appear your challenge lies within believing the bias of the media. Sure, like your country of hailing, with drunken cities and the second largest country introducing plastic into the oceans, we have our issues. Should i judge you or your country by the outcomes of years of good/bad government? Like the compass of your nation state, ours is fine. Media has discovered negative bias sells papers and gets people to join identity groups. 42% of Americans can see this for what it is, group think. When self destructive groups appear, who and what would that leadership look like to correct the course? Meeting identity politics head on, (unfortunately) must play out in the media, it's ugly, almost to the point of bullying. In order for your nation state to clean up its act, there will be challenging policies to the tourism concepts supporting the State. If someone stepped up and really challenged the systemic challenges, i would suggest, maybe their compass would appear faulty. History in concert with human nature is a force that always repeats itself. Here in the US there is only one narrative, the Constitution, media along with armchair aristocrats, are attempting to rewrite this narrative. Venezuela? Like your profession is selling words, so goes the media. They write to sell. They write to the "other" 42% who blindly believe government is a/the solution. Thanks for stopping by and appreciate your posts in learning about other cultures. But i would humbly suggest you better understand the history repeating right now and look beyond the aristocratic narrative in main stream media.

Paul Walters

4 years ago #30

Harvey Lloyd great piece Harvey and food for thought. Trouble is in America's case the 'captain of the ship' seems to have destroyed to compass and there are icebergs ahead!

Ali Anani

4 years ago #29

#27
I thank you dear Fay Vietmeier. You are a "powerhouse of spirit". Your appreciation and reference to other posts is amazing. You know how to relate posts to each other. I addressed some of the issues you raise in your commanding comment in my post of today Creativity from Disruption https://www.bebee.com/producer/@ali-anani/creativity-from-disruption

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #28

#20
Harvey Lloyd\ If only people could hear themselves as others do ... everyday folk ... but especially "leaders" (often wolves in sheep clothing ;~) "Public whining by leaders about each other seems to be an American pass time now." I hope there is a mutiny ahead for the "whiners" ... get them the hell out of office ;~)

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #27

#19
Harvey Lloyd Paradox abounds ... "during and post crisis many Americans will be unable to sort out what has happened to their lives." Though we are being given a unique ... unexpected and unusual gift of time ... to ponder & sort

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #26

#18
Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee Good insights my dear Professor ... crisis management and stress management. These ARE testing times ... Change management plays out for a person ... a community ... a nation ... a planet I share the thought that Dr Ian expressed: ... "believe the paucity of scientific facts in the context of a fearful political and medical environment have resulted in inappropriate overkill. the point being "inappropriate overkill" I responded in another excellent post: https://www.bebee.com/producer/@iamgpe/reflections-in-crisis I am deeply troubled over the global economic pandemic that will likely follow COVID-19 I appreciated the "lens" you wrote through ... the perspective of someone who survived the Great Depression ... in MANY ways worse than corona It is estimated that 7 million people died in the Depression ... mostly of hunger https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/12297/how-many-people-in-the-us-starved-to-death-during-the-great-depression It makes me question many things that are unfolding ... and will unfold in the months ahead ... Short term ... we "survived"corona Long term ... might we be confronted with surviving another depression Some books are indelibly written on the heart & mind: The Grapes of Wrath ~ Steinbeck

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #25

#16
Franci\ud83d\udc1dEugenia Hoffman, beBee Brand Ambassador Yes Franci ... there are many who share the concerns related to mental health ... it certainly does not get the same level of attention as the "fear producing" which exacerbates and contributes to harming mental health So much double-mindedness

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #24

#9
Pascal Derrien You do bring a SMILE "his highness" Harvey ... I hope all is well with you and your beautiful family Pascal ;~) You say that the "US seems to have a very fragmented if not disjointed approach to the current crisis" Pray tell who has handled this "crisis" without being "disjointed" or "fragmented" I recognize that since states have "rights" in the US ... that is an added factor in decision-making

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #23

#3
Ian Weinberg I too ... "believe the paucity of scientific facts in the context of a fearful political and medical environment have resulted in inappropriate overkill. Beware those "monkey brains" Monkey see Monkey do Monkey want

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #22

Harvey Lloyd With much "goodwill" ... I am sharing your excellent thoughts Be well my "bee-friend" ... with all your being ;~)

Fay Vietmeier

4 years ago #21

Harvey Lloyd Harvey~ What an excellent illustration that you chose for weathering this storm … “Each sailor would set a mental clock … set a pace of goodwill against this schedule. Each day using a portion of the goodwill that was being replenished at a rate much slower than used. But each sailor knew that with reproduction and use, the goodwill would last the scheduled time. The goal was to end the tour with relief of exhausted goodwill." Human behavior is like the corona … unpredictable “The answer lies with the government. Government took control of our daily lives” … the thought that occurred to me is that leadership in many ways is like parenting: you do the best you can with what you have … what you know Relying on the government is reliance upon externals. More importantly… The answer lies within … here is strength … here is “goodwill” Great questions: "What happens when the goodwill energy is exhausted … What is below the goodwill line? What is the source of “goodwill”? … Sailors would be lost without a compass … GPS What is you compass? Although saying this often brings criticism, I’ll say it again: I do not have answers to many questions … but I know the ONE who does. My axiom: Almighty God holds our days & times in his able hands ... and He has an abundance of "goodwill" ...

Ali Anani

4 years ago #20

#20
Your comment reflects exactly what I meant by these are testing times. It is testing not only of our physical fitness, but also of our axioms. If these are fragile they shall shatter like weak glass. Leaders must be able to ride the wave and surf it. The blaming approach is simply a sign of fragility of leaders who should be more resilient than rubber.

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #19

#18
Our values, beliefs and axioms are clearly being tested in our country. We are not looking so good. Our leaders tend to grand stand and brand themselves when displaying crisis information and decisions. This is a poor statement as some are not doing this and are very good leaders. Our beliefs are the life boat of times like these, they define us through crisis. Who are we post crisis. If i were to write a story of who i was pre-crisis would the story of during the crisis expose the same values? We claim to have values during good times, but when they are set before the fire of crisis can we still hold on? I know for one i am struggling. I know our leaders are doing the best they can given the circumstances, BUT, as i watch them on media they make it difficult for me to love my neighbor (them). I set pretty high standards of leadership. In crisis i want to see folks take control, handle the issues (no whining) and have a command presence, be truthful and believe in those they lead. Public whining by leaders about each other seems to be an American pass time now. I can turn the media off during good times and ignore them. Now i need the information they have so i must listen to a degree. It is testing every axiom i have to watch these folks act like they are on the play ground while they have inserted themselves into my life. Sorry, now i am whining:)

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #18

#16
Yes. I can remember the words from 2008-2010 here "new normal". This mostly referred to financial maters. This go-round it will be social issues that change. A sneeze will sound like a shotgun going off. I feel for folks with allergies in the new social norm. When we do get the largest part of the threat behind us, and the carnage called our budget and future comes back to the kitchen table, who or what will be blamed. We live in a world of cause and effect. One very strange effect of this paradigm, goodwill is offered in a quid pro quo fashion. I am offering goodwill during the crisis in hopes that afterwards i will receive the same. In a national crisis this balance is often not achieved. To many are looking for a return on their investment of goodwill. Human behavior is motivated by the material world in strange ways. Some fold-up others lash out and most fall in-between those extremes somewhere. It is our beliefs or axioms that we lean on in good times that must withstand the extremes and keep us centered. Yes i sense that during and post crisis many Americans will be unable to sort out what has happened to their lives.

Ali Anani

4 years ago #17

#17
Yes, as more data will be collected we shall notice the evolution of the curve. I agree. It would be also interesting to compare the curves obtained by many organizations in the USA. This should deepen our insights. We have been discussing crisis management and stress management. These are testing times to witness if we walk the talk.

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #16

#15
Bell curves offer us two views, what happened and what do "I" think is going to happen. Generally, assembled around a crisis some group is collecting data and then making decisions based on the results. The bell curve is one way to display quickly what you "think" is going to happen. Although microphones and gatherings of speeches offer us insight into national level crisis, the bell curve with a few labeled data points can give the public the foundation on which leaders are making decisions. When your team is a whole country it is important to display the basis of your thinking, projections and timings. Again realizing that today's decisions are being made from the curve but tomorrows may be different as the projected curve evolves. I would conclude that most companies in America have already formulated a curve of their own projections as they watch cash flow out the door. My point here is that if Americans had the projected curves that decisions were being made, we could add liberal or conservative data to the national. Showing just the ramp up of the curve with out any endgame leaves people in the hopeless helpless cycle as Ian Weinberg discusses. Information on our leaders data sets, real and projected, is important in letting the population know we are placing constraints in place and testing if they are working. Secondarily it shows the population that leaders are fighting for normal.

Ali Anani

4 years ago #15

#14
I want first to turn back to your previous comment #12 in which you stated "they have projected bell curves covering the whole of the curve". There is a huge assumption here-that we have a bell-shape distribution. What if it isn't and most likely it is not. Long-term policies for unpredictable systems are wrong in complex systems as the situation we have. A step-wise approach is called for in these situations. I surely agree with you with the compilation of data available adaption is called for.

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #14

#11
i am giving a little latitude on the initial clamp down. Lack of data and poor demographic understanding could have made either choice good or bad. In our case the initial looks like good choices. But no excuses now. We have data, its time to put all of the college loans to the test. We should be seeing competing projections on every screen. The good the bad and the ugly. Right now, we seem to take any success and add to the ugly only.

Ali Anani

4 years ago #13

#12
Totally agree with you.

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #12

#11
Clearly, as is starting to be demonstrated, they have projected bell curves covering the whole of the curve. If you have ever seen the hurricane modeling we have several models. They show all the models on the tv plus whatever the agency feels is the one they are betting on. If we are going to merely use data that shows the left side of the curve only to terrify people, its merely fear peddling. Humans can take changing projections as new data comes in. Show the numbers and the tracks. If you are the leader demonstrate what you have accessed as being the whole curve. Humans understand the process of predicting complicated new delimas. They just want to know someone with the resources is processing potential outcomes.

Ali Anani

4 years ago #11

I keep returning to this great post to absorb it deeper. Harvey- you wrote toward the end " Let them know you will accept best guesses and realize that new data will change the trajectory". Are you suggesting that it was too early to decide the two months restrictions? Would you prefer much shorter periods and adjust as reality unfolds? For me I agree. like weather we can't predict what will happen over the next two months. In fact, hardly for three days and the longer the time is, the more difficult is prediction. So, if you are calling of periods for few days and then adjust the trajectory I am in line.

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #10

#9
Yes we are a very crotchety ole bunch over here. Everybody thinks they got the right answer. Giv’em a microphone and they will share it with you too. Thanks for the comment and stay healthy.

Pascal Derrien

4 years ago #9

Hear hear an article from his highness Harvey Lloyd first that’s a real treat second the ship analogy is bang on third your good will will be tested as the US seem to have a very fragmented if not disjointed approach to the current crisis stay safe Harvey

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #8

#7
Yes i do believe that folks are loosing head space as the orders come down with no projections of the end game. It is never wise to get between a person and their dinner table. Interesting, CA has seen some huge increase in gun sales and 90% of them are first time buyers. Many are wearing masks not for CornaV but to hide their identity. They hide because they support anti-gun policies. So pressure without relief valves makes for strange behavior.

Jerry Fletcher

4 years ago #7

Harvey, Reading your analysis makes me believe there was something intuitive in the uptick of weapons purchases in the USA. You caused me to think of a comment I made the other day when joining a client for lunch (six feet apart across his conference table) when I said it was time for governments at all levels to begin asking citizens instead of commanding. I think you are correct. As Ian says they have overreacted and there will be a price to pay. And so it goes

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #6

Thanks Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee and Mohammed Abdul Jawad for the shares

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #5

#3
You nailed it as always. My fear is the monkey brain that up to this point has been tested only in the arena of materialism. The fear of material world losses holding it in check. Once this is threatened the axioms may not hold back the onslaught of monkey brain activities.

Harvey Lloyd

4 years ago #4

#2
Yes we are discussing the nature of human behavior when pressured from authoritative directives. You can manage it for a while but there is a tipping point. I am glad to hear that your country is fairing well.

Ian Weinberg

4 years ago #3

Great post Harvey Lloyd and very relevant to a significant portion of the world’s population under lockdown conditions. Personally I can attest to the damaging consequences of being locked down without being given a finite end-point. I was in the military in an operational situation far from home and my posting back home never materialized on the given date. Fears of being forgotten and abandoned emerge in this situation which inevitably affect performance and indeed, aggravate or precipitate illness. As regards the current situation, I believe the paucity of scientific facts in the context of a fearful political and medical environment have resulted in inappropriate overkill. Moderation will need to be applied sooner than later to prevent the center giving way and the consequent collective breakout of the activated monkey brain.

Ali Anani

4 years ago #2

Harvey Lloyd A great post and so many ideas are open for discussion. One idea that I wish to tackle for now is the controlling policy by governments. As much as a government applies strict control, it shall not be possible to control the behavior of individual sailors on the ship. It is the individual behavior of the sailor that is beyond control. Can any government watch an individual nor washing his hands thoroughly? Can any government completely wipe out rumors by individuals> Governments may alleviate the problem, but mayn't control it completely. It is the axioms that lead us to act this or that way that counts. I must admit that we have the situation here under control to a great deal. The number of infections were 22 and then 5 over the last two days. But also noticed the number of cars that were drawn from deviant drivers exceeding two thousands in spite of all warnings. The crisis reveal the hidden axioms within us. Great and challenging post.

Mohammed Abdul Jawad

4 years ago #1

Inspiring post in times of passing tribulations. May the Almighty Lord enlighten and strengthen our souls and bless us to live in dignity, humility and patience.

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