A TOPIC RE-VISITED...BROTHERHOOD

THIS IS A TOPIC I HAVE COVERED MANY TIMES BEFORE, BUT  WITH EVERYTHING GOING ON I FELT IT NEEDED TO BE RE-VISITED...

I HAVE SPENT THE LAST FEW WEEKS, HELL MORE LIKE THE LAST FEW MONTHS CONTEMPLATING WHAT THE WORDS BROTHER/SISTER REALLY MEAN. I MEAN ALL USE THEM EVERYDAY AT THE FIRE STATION. THEY ARE THROWN AROUND THE HALL AS IF THEY ARE MERE GREETINGS.  BUT WHAT DO THEY AS WELL AS BROTHERHOOD REALLY MEAN?

OVER THE PAST 9 YEARS I HAVE HEARD BROTHER/SISTER, BROTHERHOOD, FAMILY, AND TRADITION USED IN ALMOST EVERY SINGLE WAY. AS OF LATELY THOUGH, I HAVE BEEN ASKING MYSELF IF I/WE ALL UNDERSTAND THOSE WORDS AND THE MEANINGS THEY CARRY...

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT WE USE THOSE TERMS SO LOOSELY, IT IS NO DIFFERENT THEN SOMEONE USING SLANG LANGUAGE SAYING "WHAT'S UP BRO"...

I SEARCHED THE INTERNET TO SEE IF I COULD FIND THE DEFINITION OF THE WORD BROTHERHOOD. MY SEARCH LED ME TO SEVERAL DEFINITIONS, BUT THERE WAS ONE THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. "THE BELIEF THAT ALL PEOPLE SHOULD ACT WITH WARMTH AND EQUALITY TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER, REGARDLESS OF DIFFERENCES IN RACE, CREED, NATIONALITY, POLITICAL BELIEFS, ETC."

WOW, THAT PRETTY MUCH HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD..BUT I THINK I SHOULD CLARIFY JUST ALITTLE MORE.

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS WE DON'T HAVE TO AGREE ON EVERYTHING. WE DON'T HAVE TO AGREE ON POLITICS, WE WILL NEVER AGREE ON WHAT IS CONSIDERED GOOD CHOW, WE  DONT HAVE TO AGREE ON WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO RUN A FIRE STATION..

BUT THERE IS ONE THING THAT WE AS BROTHERS/SISTERS MUST AGREE ON AND THAT IS OUR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF OUR FAMILIES!!

NEEDING MORE PERSONNEL, NEEDING THE DAILY STAFFING LEVELS INCREASED, NEEDING MORE FIRE STATIONS, NEEDING MORE AMBULANCES, NEEDING MORE FIRE ENGINES/TRUCKS, NEEDING TO KEEP OUR EQUIPMENT AT OPTIMAL OPERATIONAL LEVELS, ARE ALL ISSUES WE ALL MUST AGREE ON AS A BROTHERHOOD.

WE MUST NEVER KNOWINGLY PLACE ONE OF OUR BROTHERS/SISTERS IN HARM OR POTENTIALLY HARMFUL SITUATIONS. THIS IS NOT TO SAY WE ARE NOT TO PERFORM OUR DUTIES, OUR JOB COMES WITH GREAT RISK AND MANY DANGERS AND WE ALL ACCEPT THAT. BUT THE KEY WORD THERE WAS KNOWINGLY.

WE MUST NEVER PUBLICLY SPEAK ILL OF ANOTHER BROTHER/SISTER. IF THERE IS A ISSUE HANDLE IN HOUSE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. I WAS TAUGHT MANY YEARS AGO THAT 99% OF ALL PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED IN HOUSE IF THEY ARE BROUGHT UP. BY TAKING ISSUES OUTSIDE OF THE HOUSE, IT BREAKS THE BOND OF OUR BROTHERHOOD. BECAUSE ONCE THINGS GO OUTSIDE THE HOUSE WORDS CHANGE AND RUMORS SPREAD LIKE WILD FIRES...IF ISSUES CANNOT BE SOLVED IN HOUSE THEN OF COURSE USE YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND TO TAKE CARE OF THE SITUATION..

DIVIDE AND CONQUER IS A TACTIC THAT HAS BEEN USED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, AND WHY? BECAUSE IF YOU LET IT, IT WILL WORK. 

I WAS ONCE SHOWN A DEMONSTRATION THAT HAS ALWAYS STUCK IN MY MIND ON HOW IF WE STICK TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER THEN ANY OTHER ENTITY OUT THERE..

TAKE A BOX OF TOOTH PICKS AND OPEN IT UP AND PLACE ALL THE TOOTH PICKS ON THE TABLE. NOW PICK ONE UP AND BREAK IT, DISCARD THE PIECES. NOW PICK UP ANOTHER TOOTH PICK AND BREAK IT IN HALF, DISCARD THE PIECES. IT IS PRETTY TO BREAK THOSE INDIVIDUAL TOOTH PICKS ISN'T IT?...

NOW PICK 300 TOOTH PICKS, TRY TO BREAK THEM ALL AS ONE? IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!

AS INDIVIDUALS THEY WILL PICK US UP AND BREAK US AND DISCARD US, BUT AS 300+ STRONG IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BREAK US!!!

SO THE NEXT TIME WE THOW OUT THOSE WORDS BROTHER/SISTER, FAMILY, TRADITION, THINK ABOUT THEIR MEANING AND THINK ABOUT THE TOOTH PICKS!!!