Cards and Roosevelt

Finished another biography of Theodore Roosevelt that concentrated on his time in North Dakota where he was a rancher and a Cowboy. After his first wife died, Roosevelt was grieving so prodigiously that he needed to get away and do something different. He bought a ranch in the Badlands and spent several years raising cattle and hunting. During this time he worked alongside the cattlemen, hunted game throughout the area, survived in the wilds, dealt with cold, with Indians, with thieves, with drought, and with the harshness and beauty of the outdoors. He toughened his body and in effect trained for his future as a tough, no nonsense kind of President. Roosevelt's fearless approach to leadership characterized his life in everything he did.

I do not necessarily agree with everything TR did and often wrestle with the conservation excesses, plus the issues related to trust busting, but my respect for him remains considerable. His hunting prowess is well-documented and rather confusing when we think about how he would shoot an endangered animal to add to his collection at home or in museums. It was as though his love and respect for nature found the greatest expression in conquering everything that nature represented. I suppose I can understand this concept a little. If one respects something or someone, then the best way to demonstrate that is to control it and to exert power over it. But even as I write the words, they seem flawed and empty. To respect something is to give it freedom and allow it to become its own entity and force. Maybe there is simply a balance somewhere in the midst of this discussion about respect.

Is it possible today to become Theodore Roosevelt? I don't really think so. Hunting regulations are very strict and nobody is allowed to hunt unlimited deer, elk, bear, antelope, or certainly not bison. I suppose someone could find a wilderness and live for several weeks off of the land to include berries, rabbits, birds, etc., but I have to wonder if doing so would break some kind of government regulation. In addition, the isolation required would be nearly impossible in our fully connected world. Could I live for a month without a cell phone, internet connection, human contact? It would be tough for sure.

But we do have ways today to toughen ourselves and strike out independently. Athletic training is one great way. Hunting, although heavily regulated, is still allowed. I have friends who ride horses and punch cattle on the side. In spite of our connected and overly regulated world, there is still opportunity for each of us to improve ourselves in many ways. That is one reason I try to do something physical nearly every day, such as running, walking, lifting something, or working outdoors. Far from being TR, I still find great satisfaction in the effort.

Talking about connectivity, I am truly frustrated with the darn cards that stores expect us to produce when we purchase something. I despise the question and further abhor having to search for some stupid rewards or plus or advantage card in order to get a coupon or a reduced price. It is all a beguiling trick to invade our personal lives and use that information against us in some way. But cashiers won't let it go. If I say "no I do not have a card," they will follow with "how about a phone number?" It is beyond annoyance and invasive. Recognizing the store is simply trying to track purchases and ultimately provide those products most bought by consumers, I still feel like my rights and privileges to buy what I want to buy are being eroded by the digital world of consumer tracking. The next step is to come in our homes, study our accounts, and tell us what we need.

And they convince us to use their card by giving us discounts for certain items so we are excited to save 17 cents or in the case of a large purchase, $3.50. Then they give us a sweet smile and say "You have saved 53 cents today!" The other day at J.C. Penney, I saved $60 by choosing items on sale. She informed me of that and I felt my heart soar with positive affirmation at my amazing shopping ability to save that much money. But I started thinking about it. Did that "savings" really improve my life? Was I really a good shopper by saving that much money? Or the bigger question, "What was the markup anyway?" Did J.C. Penney lose money due to my wise shopping ability? Of course not. In fact, why not put a price tag of $10,000 on a shirt and then mark it down to $19.99. That way the sweet lady could say, "You have saved $9,980.01. today!" Boy, you talk about a confidence booster, that is a lot of money. Why not advertise that everything in the store is $100,000 each but has been discounted down to $5.00. You talk about a tremendous sale!

Okay, I am getting ridiculous about this, but my point is that I do not enjoy having to produce a card in order to save a dollar or two. Just label the price of the item and let me decide whether to purchase it or not. Don't try to trick me with cards, sales, gimics, and mostly do not invade my privacy.