Change The World

Hello from decadent Las Vegas! I'm out of town at a tradeshow. I really don't like this town. It's out of control, over the top and ridiculous. Everywhere you go is loud and expensive. Worse yet, is being here for business, away from the wifey and kids.

So, I'm starting to feel like I'm unoriginal, I promise I listen to lots of different music, but today I woke up again to a song by Nellie McKay. It's a good enough song, here it is posted below. I've warned earlier that she is extremely outspoken with her lyrics, this one isn't too bad, but feel I should warn anyone reading this the same:

So, as I read the lyrics to this song, I thought about what I would change about the world. There are many things, but I will only mention one today. For 2 days straight, I've been standing at our company booth at a tradeshow here in Vegas. There are hundreds of people that walk by, not caring about why we're there, but just wanting to get free stuff. It doesn't matter if it's not worth anything, if they have no practical use for it, or if they need it. As long as it's free, they are happy to take it. This sort of mentality makes me crazy!

One thing that people don't understand is that nothing is free. Everything costs something, maybe not to you, but to someone else! The product my company manufactures, is a specialty product, with specific applications. Someone just wanting a sample, to never use it, makes no sense, and just costs our company money. But since it's "free," most people don't care and try to take whatever looks neat on the shelf.

Think about this sort of thing too: When you go to a fast food restaurant condiment stand to get ketchup and napkins, do you take more than you need? Most people do, and this stuff is not free either. It just costs the restaurant money, and higher costs lead to higher prices. Again, these things are not free. So, think about the conveniences and services that you get "for free" as you go about. Be courteous and thoughtful about the person who picks up your garbage at the movie theater. Ask yourself, do I really NEED to take 20 courtesy mints at the restaurant? It may seem like a silly thing, but think about how everything we do finds its way back to us in the end, truly nothing is free, even in Vegas!