Blanket Reconciliation

[KenWittlief]

Every year at the beginning of the season I make it a point to tell all the students and adults on our team that FIRST is fast paced, very stressfull, and at some point in the program people will almost certainly get their toes stepped on, might feel their ideas are not being taken seriously, or that they are outright getting trampled by me or anyone else on the team in our mad dash to the shipdate.

And I ask them to extend blanket forgiveness in all directions before it happens, and to know when it happens that its not because we are cold hearted or uncaring.

FIRST is like an ocean 5 miles deep. Sometimes the surface is glassy smooth and sometimes waves kick up and we get caught up in whats going on at the surface.

I want everyone to know that I see the incredible depth of what you are all doing with this program, and that I love and respect all of you.

In the last few days many of us have gotten caught up in the waves, and our emotions and passions have run high.

I have been told by people that I highly respect that I have offended and insulted some people recently. I sincerely apologize.

Feelings and emotions are not logical or rational. Anger or hurt that is not expressed and dealt with will fester and turn into bitterness. If I have made anyone angry, its ok for you to say "wow, Im really angry at you".

And anger that is acknowledged melts away into nothing in a fraction of a second.

I hope we can all keep an eye on the depths of our passion and commitment to this program, and when little storms form on the surface, know that they will pass in a short time, but the deep things of FIRST will remain.

-Ken Wittlief