An engineer will tell anyone who will listen the benefits of preventative maintenance because fixing something that is broken costs more than spending a little regularly to keep everything running smoothly. Some accountants will tell you that such investment is too expensive & any breakages can be worried about in the next accounting period. Kick the can down the street far enough for someone else to worry about & the books might balance this year & bankruptcy may be averted.
Can we measure prevention? How can we justify investing in the what if's when there are other priorities that demand immediate attention? These basic - but vital - decisions are the bread & butter of politics & a blame culture. Who is right? The engineer that tells us that it will cost more later or the accountant who says there is not enough money available to do everything we want to do? Those who inherit the machine will also pick up the bill for the repairs or replacement. They will likely argue that their approach to the problem would have left a perfectly functioning machine operated at half the cost & twice the efficiency. Elections are coming & promises will be made. The only guaranteed not to be cut is the length of the speeches made by those who claim to have the vision of how things could be with them in charge.
The metaphor of the engine used in this story represents the child who is having a tough time. A combination of circumstances can mean that small things start to go wrong & escalates into a larger problem for families & society.
Dave Gauder was bullied at school. It made his life a misery & affected his education. Millions of others had the same treatment & some never recovered from it. Dave decided that he would do something about it. Over the years he pursued strength through weight training. He never stopped. Such an improvement in physical power can be the makings of a bully - or a hero. He directed his energies towards improbable feats if strength. Multiple strength records followed, bringing worldwide acclaim & recognition.
For some this would have been the start of a competitive career. Instead, Dave used this fame to begin his own crusade against bullying & anti social behavior. With a stunt to gain the attention of the youngsters he then gave a powerful presentation which a former Home Secretary stated was the most effective positive message for youngsters he had encountered. The campaign won awards & was presented to over a million children. Dave lived out of a suitcase for a number of years & pulled over a thousand buses or big vehicles - a record in itself. Dave has led many initiatives & changed a lot of lives. SLAMH continues his commitment to making a difference to people with less chances than most.
How many people stopped bullying others? How many of the bullied found strength to tackle their situation in a way that Dave himself couldn't when he was at school? How many did he inspire to do positive things? There aren't the figures for prevention. I (Dan Earthquake) saw the article about him pulling Concorde when I was thirteen years old & it inspired me. It still does.
Times change, funding for police & extra curricular educational activities has been cut & looks set to be cut more. The accountants have said that money has to be prioritised to other concerns in the austere times that we find ourselves in. It has been left to the public & the fourth sector to fill in where it can.
