By Greg Kozera, Shale Crescent USA
Leadership expert, Dr. John Maxwell says; “Where there is no hope in the future there is no power in the present. Leaders are dealers in hope.” If we have hope we will continue to work toward our goals. Without hope people give up. We see this in athletics. Football, scores get very lopsided once one team loses hope. In October of 2007, my daughter, Dannielle called, “Dad, I signed you up for the half on St. Patrick’s Day in Virginia Beach.” “Half what, Dannielle?” “Half-marathon, 13.1 miles.” I protested, “I can’t run that far. I’ve never ran more than five miles.” “Sure, you can.” Dannielle hung up before I could respond.
I toyed with the idea of running a half-marathon and rejected it because I thought I was too old to start running long distances. Dannielle believed in me. The training schedule she developed and weekly check-in calls gave me hope it was possible. The 2008 Shamrock Half-Marathon was the first of my now 46 half-marathons, including 8 since my soccer injury. Hope is powerful. The dream of our high school seniors was to win the 2024 West Virginia State Boys Soccer Championship. After our first 7 games we had only one win. Doubt crept in. The leaders, (senior captains and coaches) never gave up and kept hope alive. The boys worked. We got better as a team and began winning, ultimately achieving the dream of a State Championship. When there is hope in the future, there is power in the present.
Some definitions of hope are; Hope is an optimistic state of mind that expects positive outcomes in life or the world. It is the belief the future can be better and you have the ability to make it happen. It involves desire, belief and motivation. Hope is different from optimism which is the expectation things will work out. Hope is action oriented. Having hope is a choice each of us can decide to make.
A marriage relationship can be challenging. If we maintain hope in the future, (the expectation we will stay together), we will have the power to get through tough times in the present. It is essential to start with the expectation of success in any endeavor.
In his book, The End of the World is Just the Beginning, Peter Zeihan describes the United States as the accidental superpower. He says, “The American Story is the story of perfect geography that determines America’s power and role in the world. The United States is the most powerful river and land power in history. The Midwest alone boasts 200,000 square mile of the world’s most fertile farmland.” It also has a river system to transport produce to the rest of the USA and the world. In the book, Peter points out blessings the USA has, I had never considered.
The United States is the most powerful deep-water power in history. The United States has more natural port potential than all the world’s other continents combined. It has numerous bays and barrier islands. Of America’s top 100 ports, half are upriver. The USA has major populations on two oceans giving it access to most of the world.
The United States is the strongest and most stable industrial power in history. Unlike Europe, there is land for industry and agriculture. Natural resources and energy are abundant and easily transported. The steel industry started in Pittsburgh because coal was abundant and close. Iron ore from Minnesota could be transported via the Great Lakes and railed to Pittsburgh. Consumers of steel like the auto industry in Michigan and other products were close by. Over half of the U.S. population, end use consumers, were within a few hundred miles.
The glass industry started in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia because of available sand, abundant natural gas, rivers and consumers. The chemical industry started in the Charleston, WV area with the first ethane cracker in 1921 because of economical energy, feedstock from oil and natural gas. Because of its geographic position, after WWII America was the only major manufacturing power left standing. It could have easily taken over the world and its enemies. Instead it chose to help rebuild Germany and Japan.
The USA and our region, the Shale Crescent USA (SCUSA) remain advantaged. SCUSA is the only place in the world where a company can locate on top of their feedstock and energy and in the center of their customers. The Shale Crescent USA Team was in Germany last March. The Germans wrongly assumed all the USA’s gas and oil was in Texas. We explained, in SCUSA energy and manufacturing are in the same place. The primary comment heard was, “We are so screwed.” Energy availability is an issue. Costs in Europe are 7-10 times more than SCUSA. Europe is learning wind doesn’t always blow as expected. European petrochemical production is off 50%. Manufacturing plants like Volkswagen are shutting down. Production is moving to Asia (China) and the USA. Europe doesn’t have the resources and geographic advantages we have.
Shale Crescent USA work shows, by focusing on lowering emissions and not fuel type, creative solutions begin to happen like on-shoring U.S. manufacturing which lowers global emissions and creates high wage jobs.
Living in America is a blessing. We all have gifts and talents unique to us. This is the season for giving. Our personal gifts, talents and blessings of the USA aren’t just for our personal benefit. They are meant to be shared. Dannielle gave me the hope I needed to run my first half-marathon. We must be the bright lights of hope for others. Over 2000 years ago, a baby was born to give hope to mankind. We can’t give what we don’t have. Instead of looking at our problems or what we lack, start looking at all the blessings we have. With hope in the future we can give power in the present to others making our world more peaceful and prosperous. Thoughts to ponder.
