Seven Lessons Learned from George Donner:

1. Beware of easy gain:  What I remember best about my Junior High School Social Science teacher, Mr. Sokol, was the phrase he uttered over and over again; “Something for nothing, you never get something for nothing.”  Daily he hammered that into our developing brains.  He taught us that nothing great comes easy and that a good result follows a good investment.  For the Donnor Party what looked easy ended up killing most of them.  Easy gain, no matter how temping, is best avoided.  The “tried and true” things in life are “true” because they have been “tried.”

The Worst Party Ever Attended

The Worst Party
Ever Attended
Do you think you have attended a bad party before?  What I am about to tell you will likely top your excruciating experience.   I was recently reminded of a story called the Donnor Party.  Unfortunately, it was the worst party anyone ever attended.  A more appropriate title would be the Donor Tragedy, a.k.a. “Starting with Bad Information, Failing to Heed Caution and Continuing to Make Bad Decision after Bad Decision.”  Before I tell you the powerful lessons the Donor Party teaches us let, me first recount the story.

Donner and his friends wanted to get rich.  Donor and his friends were also in a big hurry to get rich.  They set out from Springfield, Illinois on their way to California in 1846.  They had read that there was a shortcut that would shave 400 miles off their 2500 mile journey.  Sounds pretty good, don’t you think?  There was just one problem; they did not know that the route was untested.  As a matter of fact, it was conjured up in the mind of a man who stood to profit from people following it.  Assuming they were successful, people taking his route would end up where he had business interests in what is now modern day Sacramento, California.

As the journey progressed the group veered off the tested route and took the now infamous “Hastings Cutoff.”  They did so in the face of numerous clear cautions. First, the larger group that they initially traveled with opted to take the longer traditional route.  Second, a man traveling east, who had just taken the shortcut, told them that it was barely passable on foot and impossible with wagons.  Third, the route’s inventor, Hastings, did not show up to lead them as promised.  Still the Donnor Party pressed forward.

What resulted was horrific.  Most of the group never made it to California.  Many starved, froze, went insane and some resorting to sub-human behavior.  Women lost their husbands and families lost children.  Their sole possessions were confiscated by Indians.  Those that did make it were scarred for life from the experience and were shunned by those who knew their story. There is no evidence that a single survivor ever enjoyed the success they hoped for in their new life in California.

It is not unusual for people to start out with great hope and expectation to end in difficulty.  Some outcomes we cannot control.  Sometimes even with our best effort things don’t work out.  In most cases, however, if we use sound judgment and make the necessary adjustments along the way, we can reach our destination.  What is unique about the Donnor Party is that common sense and planning were replaced with delusion and euphoria.

Yes, the 21st century is a scary place.

Yes, the 21^st century is a scary place.  Like me, you may be going through hardship.  Perhaps it has lasted a long time and you are feeling weary.  Maybe you are scared just like the British were that the equivalent of an invading force is about to be unleashed on you.  Here is the plan:

• Be Courageous: Do the right thing no matter what.
• Be Cheerful: It will make you and others feel better.
• Be Resolute: Analyze, understand and define the matter and stand firm.

Like a lot of the things we worry about, the Germans never did invade England.  While they bombed her and terrorized the British with randomly aimed buzz bombs, the courage, cheerfulness and resolve of the British (and the fact that America took their side in the fight) brought them through.  It will do the same for you and me no matter what we may be facing.

Which politician’s position on how to fix our economy...

Here is an example.  Which politician’s position on how to fix our economy do you believe?  I would suggest you believe none of them.  If you want to become resolved on what it will take to put America back on a sound financial footing you will have to do some serious reading and analysis.  Once you do common threads will be revealed and you will achieve understanding.  At that point, you can define your belief and be resolved that you really know what needs to happen.  Then if someone challenges you, you will have the understanding and strength to stand resolved.

It is not good enough to take someone else’s word for it.

Being resolved results from analyzing something complex into a simpler form.  In doing so we remove confusion.  Resolution begins with analyzing, understanding and then defining our position.  It is not good enough to take someone else’s word for it.  To be resolved we must do the hard work of doing our own research and coming to our own conclusion.  Once we do this we own our belief and can hold our ground and not move from it.