Like Giving a Breath Mint to an Ogre

Sana and I were recently discussing our future plans. And since Sana is the consummate educator and student, she is strongly advocating for me to get some sort of advanced degree.

And since we live a stone’s throw away from my alma mater Regent University, we’ve talked about me perhaps going for a doctoral or maybe a law degree.

I’m not completely sold on the idea. I’ve found my groove as an entrepreneur, and would need a really good reason to make such a huge time, location and financial investment. Sana reasoned that I can one day go into a university and “make a difference” with the young kids there.

She’s not wrong. Kids need a strong adult influence, particularly male, in this day and age. But going about it the way Sana is recommending is problematic for me. It makes sense that she would suggest that, as that’s basically been her philosophy regarding teaching all along. She knows that the institutions that employ her are, ahem, troubled, philosophically and in their business practices. But she truly does walk the walk, working within the sometimes rotten culture and making a real difference in her students’ lives.

“Gliding over all,” as the saying goes.

So when Sana makes that suggestion, it’s coming from a place of sincerity and real-life experience.

Where I take issue with the “change the culture from the inside” approach is that the culture will undoubtedly change you eventually. The most idealistic, even strong-willed person who enters a toxic environment with the best of intentions will eventually succumb to the environment they inhabit. Either by becoming toxic themselves, or by becoming hopelessly demoralized by the environment.

For my money, I would just as soon start a business, create a pdf of some sort I can exchange for email addresses, then share what I have to offer to those folks who’ve shared their email address, i.e. they’ve given their explicit permission to receive offers of my services.

In my case, I would promote podcast production, business coaching, copywriting, maybe even trumpet lessons. It really doesn’t matter. The important thing is I’m in an environment that I control. I allow people in, and reserve the right to keep (or kick) toxic folks out. I’m not beholden to politics, or tolerating that one guy who’s just in it til they’re 62 and can retire.

So I say this with all due respect to my wife, as she has legitimately earned the right to advocate for that path. But at the end of the day, trying to be a ray of light in a toxic environment, thinking you’re going to somehow change the culture from within, is essentially like giving a breath mint to an ogre who’s got 2 weeks worth of filthy, disease-ridden meals in its gut, just stagnating there wallowing in its own stink.

Sorry it got a little gross there, but I think I made my point 🙂