Running on Empty

Beyond the fact that it is a classic song from Jackson Browne, "Running on Empty" often describes some of my feelings in very nice language. For those who weren't around for the No Nukes rallies of the late 70's, give this a listen:

It took me a while to forgive Mr. Browne for his uninformed support of the No Nuke movement. But I still find many of the lyrics in this resonate even now 30 years later.I always liked the line "people need some reason to believe" from the third verse. That has always struck me as one of the truisms of the song that carries real meaning.

In my brief foray into politics, I have definitely found that it is true. People do indeed need and want some reason to believe. It doesn't have to be a logical reason; it can be emotional or even imaginary. But once some reason has been presented and latched onto, people are willing to commit and believe and do great things. I am grateful for that, because it means that even a mediocre leader like me has a chance to get important things accomplished.

So I guess I'll keep on running on empty. What are you running on?