Life During Wartime

By Rick Petry

Have you ever thought you knew someone, only to learn some new fact about him or her that takes you by surprise, spins you around and gives you a fresh perspective and appreciation for that person? I had such an experience in Budapest last summer at the ERA European Conference. While out to dinner with several fellow members, I discovered that a colleague had been awarded the Purple Heart while serving in Vietnam. This revelation was served up with all the fanfare befitting of someone who keeps the honor quietly tucked away in a drawer. I was moved in that moment to realize that the individual before me possessed a depth of courage I had never known. The experience also reminded me of the truth espoused by one of the great philosophers of our time--Shrek--that people, like ogres and onions, have layers.

I've reflected on that distinction in the intervening months, because it is an example of something obvious I have been known to forget. We go about our business at ERA gatherings seeing old friends and business acquaintances. In some instances, our understanding of someone may be superficial or we may have even written that individual off, or perhaps, judged him or her based on someone else's passing comment. Occasionally, by some cosmic alignment, our perceptions get reframed by firsthand experience when we meet someone we've been drifting by for years, or take the opportunity to receive in a new light, and discover that person--to our surprise--is actually quite terrific. It can happen on a business level or a personal one--even during wartime.

I wondered how much of that judgment was going on this past September when some of our leadership gathered to attend the ERA Political Action Committee fundraising dinner. The guest speaker, Dr. Frank Luntz, a conservative pollster, asked the audience, "How many of you voted for Bush?" And as scattered hands began to rise, you could hear a rumble of disapproval. While it's convenient to categorize people based upon one dimension, I'd like to believe that the folks who can spend $500 a plate are the same bunch who can afford intellectual laziness the least. That maxim holds true for all of us, regardless of political persuasion or, as is common these days, whatever degree of political apprehension we may be feeling.

Within our collegial group, the opportunity to reassess and open our eyes to one another is there for the taking, even among the geopolitical tumult that threatens to engulf today's world. As an international group of individuals bound by common interest, in some small way, we have a chance to foster understanding and kinship that cross all borders--even though our initial impetus may be in the service of commerce. Now that the holidays are upon us, it is the ideal time to acknowledge that some of the greatest gifts we have to both give and receive can be ours if only we are willing to expend a bit of risk and reassessment. Peace through teleshopping? Maybe in our time.

Rick Petry is chairman of the ERA Board of Directors and the chief marketing officer of Downstream. He can be reached via e-mail at rick.petry@downstream.com.