Sunday, December 7, 2008

You can say anything to anyone 'as long as you smile'!

Did You know you can say anything to anyone ''AS LONG AS YOU SMILE"

Excerpt from the book ZERO Greenhouse Emissions - The Day the Lights Went Out - Our Future World published by Strategic Book Publishing New York
www.strategicbookpublishing.com/ZEROGreenhouseEmissions.html

Chapter 3 - A Certain Future

Through the fictional I can also question the illogical and ask you what you think. I can ask if you agree with the logic and ask what you would do about it. I can ask questions of our political leaders and of those behind the scenes in the halls of power. I can question the motives of lobbying groups and those with vested commercial interests to protect, question the inappropriate subsidies, tax breaks, and commercial deals put in place in the past world model, the “business as usual model” that in a rapidly changing world needs to be reassessed, scrapped, and redirected. In what follows both in fiction and in fact, I will challenge the motives of those who wield influence. I will question whether or not we should continue on the same path. Some may not like the challenges I make. Some may even take offense. To those people I offer the following.
I was once told “You can say anything to anyone—as long as you smile.” Try this out. Hop out of your chair, walk over to the nearest person to you, smile sweetly at them and call them the worst thing possible, in the worst language you can muster, smiling all the time you’re saying it. I bet they don’t take offense or get upset.
Some years ago during the hot Australian summer, a friend and I walked to a local pub frequented by bikers for a cool glass of beer. The sun was blazing. Parked on the veranda at the back of the pub in the shade was one of the most spectacular Harley Davidson motorcycles I had seen in a long time. There was not a speck of dust anywhere to be seen and the paint was a work of art. I drooled over it for several minutes before entering the bar.
There, slumped defiantly at the bar, was the obvious owner. In full club colors he was a menacing sight. Along with his rough appearance, his body language said “don’t mess with me; I’ll take your head off!” To test out the “You can say anything to anyone— as long as you smile” theory, much to the horror of the friend I had with me, I walked up to the biker and said: “Are you the bastard that owns the Harley parked on the veranda?” As he swung around to rip off my head, I smiled and said “It’s beautiful, one of the best I’ve ever seen, I have always wanted one!” During the next half hour or so over a glass of beer, he told me the full history of the bike and himself. He didn’t I’m sorry to say offer to let me take it for a spin. So within the fictional element, script and context, for all those who may for whatever reason take offense, just think of me asking the question while I’m smiling.

End excerpt

Try it out everyone; it's fun!!

Bob Williamson
Founder & Chair
Greenhouse Neutral Foundation

2 comments:

DANIELBLOOM said...

Love this story, and very important, yes! We can get a lot with that kind of attitude. Love it!

SMILE

danny

Mummaru said...

There's a related but not as lovely saying from at least 50 years ago when I was a kid (pardon if the wording is not exact!): You can catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar!
Ruth