1. Dr. Dirt was asked whether or not The Concept is ready for the world?  His response is the following white paper.
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  4. Rumor has it that Dr. Dirt is “older than dirt” and discussed the Greater Good with Aristotle.
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  8. I have spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on Curt's question.  Frankly, I did not want to give you a shoot-from-the-hip answer.  I needed to give it serious consideration.  Ironically, I came to my conclusion as result of watching a peer handle a personnel problem.  This person is not a strong leader and as result, her staff tend to wander without direction.  They have no goals, no clear mission and work very independent of each other.  One of the major reasons she is not an effective leader is that she kills innovation and new ideas with reasons NOT to make a move.  She is the most indecisive person I have ever met.  She could talk ice out of being cold.  She can talk the sun out of rising.  The short story is that she plays it safe (and not in the Strawberry sense of the word).  As result, her staff are stagnant, capped, stalled.  What is really sad, her employees have immense potential and talent.  What they produce today, could increase ten fold if she was someone who encouraged (heck, even if she allowed) new ideas.
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  10. All this comes to my opinion of whether or not The Concept is ready for the world.  I think The Concept only exist if it is released to the world.  If you don't release it, you are doing the same thing as my peer.  Play it safe.  Keep it small. It will be a cute little trinket.  Put it on a shelf and make sure to dust it at lease twice a year. It will be dead as that stuffed pheasant hanging on the wall.
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  12. Conversely, release it to the world.  It is going to stumble, fall and get bruised, cut and broken. Over time, bruises fade, cuts scar over and rough edges are ground down, polished into a brilliant luster.  The Concept grows - names, places and stories are added.  It is risky, crazy, brilliant, dynamic and warm.  Small, yes, but only for a while.  Once the seed is sown, it will grow  - too big to fit on a shelf - it will never need dusting.  It won't sit still long enough to collect dust.  
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  14. My short answer is that The Concept does not exist in a test tube.  The Concept relies on Us (the collective "Us" - you, me, schools, school boards, college professors, parents, aunts, cousins, farmers, bankers, nurses, students, writers, etc.).  The relationship between The Concept and "Us" is similar to the relationship between a flag and a flag pole. The flag waves and flaps in the wind because the pole gets it to the top and holds it steady. Separated, the pole and the flag are not much.  Together, they strike an image that will never be forgotten (Clint Eastwood’s movie "Flags of our Fathers" comes to mind).
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  16. The Concept is high maintenance.  You, Curt and the others are pretty good - but not that good (no offense now, hear what I am trying to say).  There is no way a select few will be able to feed the beast.  It needs a daily feeding of fresh ideas from minds of all ages, backgrounds and varied experiences.  In return, the The Concept will produce Ah-hah fruit.  This fruit is refreshing, rejuvenating and timeless.  This will happen again, again and again.  
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  18. Go knock 'em green,
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  20.  - Dr. Dirt
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  24. If I understand what Dr. Dirt is trying to tell us, The Concept can only work if it is taken off the shelf and planted in fertile ground. From my perspective, you (Curt) have been preparing this fertile ground for many months, haven't you?
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  26. Seems to me it is decision time.  What are you going to do?      
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  28. TH
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  32. In no uncertain terms, I have been told. Help me spread the word. Thanks!
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  34. -- Curt
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  38. I agree with the white paper and the idea that one needs to take chances in life rather than life in the safe zone to keep ideas fresh.  The thought occurred to me that if I actually took some time to think about life on the farm we had with the kennel, Scotch Highland Cattle, a pony who thought he was a dog, and a child who liked to drink cows water like the cows and pee on trees like the dogs, I might be able to add some ideas for berry book stories and The Greater Good. 
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  40. -- Anon.
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