By Greg Kozera, Shale Crescent USA
We have friends in South Carolina who are building a house and coming back home to West Virginia. Lynnda and I are emailing them photos of the construction progress. The homes where they are building are all different. All the foundations are consistent, made of concrete block and poured concrete on rock or compacted clay. We go to Virginia Beach annually for meetings and to see family. We have seen many tall hotels built over the years. They all start the same way, with steel pilings driven down to solid rock creating a solid foundation to build the high-rise on. They wouldn’t stand very long if they were built on sand.
We all need to build our lives on a solid foundation. Integrity is a big part of the foundation. We need to be people who are honest, trustworthy and treat others with respect. Do we have a work ethic? Do we smile? Are we someone people like being around? Can we effectively communicate? Are we good listeners?
A successful marriage is built on trust, respect, caring and effective communication. Part of the foundation is the dream or goal to stay together “Till death do us part.” With that goal in place, when challenges or adversity come, as they will, the discussion isn’t “if” or “Will we stay together.” It becomes “How will we get through this challenge and stay together as a couple?” With that attitude, every adversity overcome can bring the couple closer together making the foundation of the marriage stronger.
As a high school soccer coach, every championship team I have every coached has gone through adversity. It wasn’t fun at the time. Adversity could be a serious injury to a starter, a tough loss or a major distraction like COVID. We endured all of that and more in 2020. Adversity became part of the foundation for State Championships in 2021 and 2022. In the 2021 State Championship game we had a 3-1 lead with six minutes left in regulation and surrendered 2 goals sending the game into overtime. The second goal came on a very unique and questionable official’s call with just one-minute left. I was concerned about what our players’ attitude would be going into overtime. I was pleasantly surprised how up beat they were. They didn’t blame the official or each other. They chose not to give up and focused on their dream to win the State Championship. Their foundation was strong. In overtime, our Captain drilled a cornerkick into the back of the net for the victory and State Championship.
In the song Viva La Vida by Coldplay the lyrics tell us what happens when we don’t build our lives on a solid foundation. I used to rule the world. Seas would rise when I gave the word. Now in the morning I sleep alone. Sweep the streets I used to own…..One moment I held the key. Next the world was closed on me. I discovered that my castle stands upon pillars of salt, pillars of sand…..for some reason I can’t explain, once you’ve gone there was never, never an honest word. That was when I ruled the world.
There is no short cut. Success is always built on a solid foundation. In athletics, it starts with doing the basics well. In football that is blocking and tackling. In soccer it is dribbling, passing, trapping and shooting. As coaches we can work on plays, tactics, advanced skills and strategy all we want. But if the players aren’t good at the basic skills the result will be failure.
As local industry expands and companies continue to come to our region, they will need skilled workers. People can be trained for these jobs if they have a strong foundation of basic reading, math and some writing skills. Our primary schools need to prepare our young people for the jobs of the future by focusing on these basic skills. Schools and teachers need our support. Without basic reading, math and communication skills people can’t get high wage jobs to raise their standard of living. College engineering, courses of statics, dynamics and strength of materials are the foundation required of all engineers no matter the discipline. The foundation for these courses is math, reading and writing.
The foundation of our electric power grid is its baseload, the minimum amount of electric power required over a given period of time at a steady rate. Baseload electricity generation creates 24/7 power for the grid to meet the base energy needs of the USA. Baseload demand is always there no matter the time of day or day of the week. Peaking generation follows the varying hourly electricity needs as demand rises and falls. Peaking generation demand is weather dependent. Baseload power generation sources are coal-fired power plants, natural gas power plants, nuclear power, hydroelectric and geothermal power. Wind and solar are intermittent power sources and can help with peaking generation. Batteries are also an intermittent power source. They only store created electricity. Batteries can’t generate electricity.
When people in leadership positions in our government (like the EPA) allow or force intermittent power sources to replace baseload power sources, they ignore simple math and basic engineering principals. The integrity of the power grid is compromised. This creates brownouts or blackouts putting the lives of many people at risk.
A strong foundation in construction whether building a house or a large building is essential for structural integrity. Baseload power is essential and the foundation for keeping our lights and heat on especially in cold weather like we just experienced. Reading, writing and math are the foundation needed for educational, career and economic success. Integrity and respect for others are the foundation for relational success. We can avoid…The world closed on me when I discovered that my castle stands upon pillars of salt, pillars of sand. We can choose to start with a solid foundation.
© 2024 Shale Crescent USA
Greg Kozera, [email protected] is Director of Marketing and Sales for Shale Crescent USA. www.shalecrescentusa.com (You can follow SCUSA on Facebook) He is a professional engineer with a Masters in Environmental Engineering and over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker, author of four books and numerous published articles.
