I have to believe that many who read this will find its content totally unrelated to the mission of the OMR Investigators WEB site. Regardless, I would like to ruminate on a subject that I think is at least a second cousin to our work.

Andy Grove, the CEO of Intel, coined an insight that seems to have become mantra for the warp speed generation we are experiencing: Only the paranoid survive. Grove was suggesting that unless you take nothing for granted and look for an edge at every turn, you will eventually perish in a business world that has become unforgiving. In his excellent history of this global age, The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Thomas Friedman suggests a similar sentiment when he asks, "Is your country or company willing to shoot its wounded and suckle its survivors?".

So what? What effect does any of this have on us? We're not global? No CI will ever visit Hong Kong to conduct an interview, or do a "James Bond" by tracking down a piece of physical evidence on a tropical island a long way from nowhere. OMR is not in competition with foreign corporations for the delivery of services to individuals with disabilities.

But the effect of the globalization of business and the unforgiving climate it creates reaches us because no society can thrive economically unless it efficiently produces for the marketplace. Although we don't "sell" investigative services in Europe, our economic position in the world -- and our ability to maintain it -- results in smaller, leaner government at virtually every level.
The effect of worldwide competition reduces resources available to human service programs, no matter how desirable. And the consequence is that we must all "do more with less," an expectation that at one time we thought was a temporary interlude, but has since become a way of life.

Even the advice we give on this WEB site frequently reflects the light speed pace of life. We want investigations to begin immediately, and end with dispatch. We want all of the relevant evidence collected. Good enough is never good enough. And all this on top of your full-time jobs.

It wasn't always like this. In my first job we would congregate in the morning for coffee and donuts, sharing stories and planning our day together. We could take a long lunch on occasion. We could actually take a vacation without ever receiving a single call from the office. And I'm old enough to remember the world without e-mail. Does any of this sound familiar today?

In truth, we were inefficient. But I also believe we were quite a bit less frazzled. We probably slept better. We certainly relaxed more away from the office. We even had time for hobbies.

It is not likely we'll return to that more relaxed way of life. But perhaps we can make one grand gesture to the past. The next time you feel the pressure of the interdependent global world permeating your body and mind, take a "good ole days" break at work. Sit down with someone, pour coffee or tea or some other beverage, and talk about something that feels warm. Remind yourselves that there are still beautiful sunrises, pristine lakes, and majestic mountains. And most important, remind yourselves that there are still a few spots left on this earth where the answer to the question, "Can you hear me now," is dead air.