Romeo Cruz ProfileSilver City-Grant County Chamber of Commerce Director Romeo Cruz will provide a weekly column to the Beat, featuring items and announcements of interest to the community.

Through Teamwork We Can Solve Any Problem

In March of 1861, newly inaugurated president Abraham Lincoln had a difficult choice to make. His electoral victory had been slim; he didn't garner a single vote in the South, and many of the southern states had taken his election as a reason to leave the Union completely. The country was divided into armed camps, with war on the horizon.

With the looming prospect of war occupying his thoughts, Lincoln had to decide who would head up the various departments in his fledgling cabinet. The State Department, the War Department, the Treasury Department, and even the Post Office had no leadership with the departure of James Buchanan's administration. Even in 1861, the demands of the Presidency were too numerous for one person, and so Lincoln was faced with the task of filling his ranks.

He could have rewarded his supporters with Cabinet positions, which is a common practice, even today. It would have been quite easy for Lincoln to have simply brought along those who already agreed with him. Perhaps, it would have made those difficult first days a little easier to have men who already admired and respected him in positions of power.

But that wasn't what Lincoln did.

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Never Overlook What Is in Front of You.

There was once a man caught in a terrible flood. Clinging to a piece of wood, he prayed to God. "Lord," he said, "Please save me from this flood, and I will faithfully serve you." As he drifted through the raging floodwaters, the wood that held him above water could no longer hold him up, and so he abandoned the wood and began to swim.

"God will save me," the man said. The water was cold, and he was tired, but he swam on. He heard a voice cry out, "I've thrown a rope! Grab it and I will pull you to safety!" But the man said, "No, I am all right. God will save me." And he swam on, right past the rope.

Now the cold began to seep into his muscles, and every stroke became a labor. A woman on a kayak paddled near him and said, "Hold on to my kayak, and I will tow you to safety!" But the man refused. "No, I'm all right. God will save me." The woman begged him to grab hold, but eventually he drifted away from her, and she was lost in the driving rain.

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Our Brain at Work

Although airlines still employ pilots, a lot of the work of flying a commercial aircraft is done with an automated flight system, known to most of us as an autopilot. Unlike the one famously portrayed in the movie "Airplane!" the autopilot does not feature an inflatable man in a pilot's uniform. It's a small, highly advanced piece of equipment that uses global positioning, weather data, and other factors to determine the safest, most efficient route to a given destination. On most days, 45,000 flights arrive safely, attesting to the effectiveness of these systems.

The human brain is much more advanced than an autopilot system, but the two have a great deal in common. Our brains are wired to create routine, so much so that we often go about our days on our own form of autopilot. This isn't just conjecture – studies on the brain have demonstrated that our brains build neural pathways for everyday activities. Creating strong neural pathways in the brain are vital to survival. They make certain activities, such as driving a car or getting dressed, easy enough to accomplish without much thought. Imagine if you had to use the same amount of attention to unlock your front door as you would to solve a differential equation. Strong neural pathways allow us to turn our attention to matters of great significance without giving up our ability to accomplish everyday tasks. It seems like the best of both worlds.

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Lessons From the Heroes of the Bataan Death March

Eighty-one years ago, the Japanese Army occupied the Philippine Islands. General Douglas MacArthur had fled, leaving thousands of American soldiers, and their Filipino allies at the mercy of Japan. The Japanese gathered them all together, nearly 78,000 men, and marched them 65 miles through interminable heat, with little water and food, to a centralized prison camp. Torture and summary execution were commonplace, and those who managed to survive the hunger, exhaustion and thirst could be bayonetted on the side of the road without warning.

On April 9, we remember this particular horror of war as the Bataan Death March. Rather than focus on the abject cruelty that comes with the clash of cultures with the machinery of modern warfare, I would rather focus on the tremendous heroism, tenacity, and bottomless well of strength that enabled so many men to survive. It is here, rather than in the exploration of human depravity, that we might find some positive light in such a dark moment in history.

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The Business Balancing Act

Hubris is often synonymous with pride, but it is pride of a particular kind. Hubris is the belief that one has risen above the gods and can therefore do no wrong. In Greek tragedy, hubris was a fault that invariably called down the wrath of Olympus, leading to misery and ruin for those cursed with it. Bellerophon, Odysseus, Achilles, and Oedipus all suffered for this fault. The story of Icarus is a prime example of this kind of pride. Blessed with his father's engineered wings, he ignored all the warnings he was given, and flew too close to the sun. It melted the wax that held his wings together, and he plummeted to his death.

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We Must Not Forget the Past

Puffin, the famed children's book publisher, enjoys a reputation as one of the premier publishers of children's books. Their titles include classics like The Wind in the Willows and Black Beauty, as well as the work of famed authors Judy Blume, Mike Lupica, and Roald Dahl. Puffin casts a long shadow over the world of children's book publishing; when Puffin makes a move, the industry takes notice. Recently, Puffin hired sensitivity readers to revise Roald Dahl's works, including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Witches, and James and the Giant Peach, citing a need to update the books so that "they can continue to be enjoyed by all today."

Puffin, it seems, is not alone in its desire to update famous titles. Ian Fleming's Bond novels, owned by Ian Fleming Publications LTD, will reissue the famous spy's adventures with numerous changes that leave out words and descriptions that might offend today's readers.

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February Silver City Grant County Chamber Luncheon

On Thursday, February 9th, 2023, the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce held its monthly luncheon. Many individuals and business representatives throughout the community came out and enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared and served by the Bear Mountain Lodge and their staff. During the meal.

Dr. Dan Otero, CEO of Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS), updated the guests on the National Healthcare Landscape. His overview provided data that supported the advantages of having a high medical staff to patient ratio in the area and how HMS is an essential part of Grant County's appeal. Dr. Otero's leadership was on full display during the pandemic as HMS provided the most vaccinations in the area while also opening two vaccination/testing clinics. HMS also prides itself on retaining all if its employees during the pandemic. The Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce would like to thank HMS and Dr. Dan Otero for all that they do in caring for our community. Thank you and keep up the good work.

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A Fable for our Time

There was once an Emperor who surrounded himself with people more interested in their own well-being than that of the good of the empire. These distinguished members of the court enthusiastically showered the Emperor with all manner of praise, no matter what he happened to be doing. Nobody was willing to tell the truth, because everyone wanted to be included so that they could continue to enjoy the material benefits of being in the Emperor's good graces.

One fine morning, a very clever man showed up at the Emperor's Palace and claimed to be the finest tailor the world had ever known. Somehow, this man gained an audience with the Emperor, and told him that he would make a suit of finery so intricate, so bold, so stunning to the eye that the world would throw itself at the Emperor's feet and worship his sartorial splendor forever.

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