I am THAT guy who is always fighting to change the rules in order to do things right. Annoying sometimes, frustrating others. Those who are like minded greatly appreciate what I do while those that prefer sticking to the safe and same have a different opinion! Haha. Whatever.

I will say that it is tiring as it often feels like you are swimming against the current. And it is sometimes impossible. Like right now. We have new management who only appreciates those individuals who have pretty words and grand ideas….regardless of the fact that they have yet to deliver on anything. We have “tollgate meetings” rather than status meetings and not much has been accomplished. I have had to greatly tone down my ways so as to not be considered a problem.

But I now have to question am I helping or hurting? Have I ever really been successful at helping anything? I think the legacy I leave behind will have to speak for itself. I think I HAVE made a tremendous impact (positive I might add) and will continue to fight as long as it makes sense!

It frustrates me because I often struggle with illogic or the notion that the world is a fair place we live in… it is not always fair.

I’m glad the clock was fixed, it’s unfortunate “someone” decided it should not. Fixing broken things or outdated rules should be fixed the right way… not by skirting the right way, but by changing the process or culture to do it right… that’s the hard part (meaning, what is right)?

What the admin had to do, was set a precedent. Breaking and entering is illegal and no matter what the intentions are or the end results might be. If they allowed the UX to get away with their actions or even praised them, what would that tell other groups with not so good intentions? Granted their times in history when groups such as these bucked the system for a truly good cause–such as thumbing their noses at an evil ruler or corrupt government–but I don’t see this as one of those causes. To me it looks like they thrived on the fact that they were breaking the law and getting away with it. They spent 8 months thumbing their noses at the admin of the Pantheon–even set themselves up a garden as if to prove a point that they can do whatever they want and nobody can stop them.

From reading the posts though, it looks like the general consensus is with the UX and their efforts to bring beauty in to the world. I would point out that there would have been a proper channel they could have pursued to make it right, proper and even legal to restore the clock, and it is quite possible that they did not try that channel–it seems like the very nature of the group is to buck the system that is in place to hold them back. While it doesn’t say, it may be that someone did try to go through the proper channels and the effort was thwarted, so without knowing the whole story, I can’t say that I disagree with their ends just their means.

It’s also quite possible that had they put together a petition and went through the proper channels that they could have been funded to restore the entire Pantheon, got paid to do it, and furthermore praised for their restoration efforts.

That being said, if we must have vandals in the world, it would be nice if they were all like the UX.

Kenneth Yeager

Certainly an interesting study of human nature. Instead of appreciating their work, long hours, personal money spent, to repair the clock, they were looked at as potential criminals. Some people do things and want to be praised while others prefer to be anonymous. That can be seen in a TV show that was sparked by some very successful women who began dropping off clothing and food on the door steps of homes, in the middle of the night, where there was a need. Unfortunately the show didn’t last but a few months. I guess they couldn’t generate an audience that truly appreciated such a simple, wonderful vision.

On the other side you have those who are in position of some authority, such as the Director of the Pantheon. Rather than say thank you, and appreciate the effort of this group, he saw only the violation of his night security on an old historic structure. He was blinded by his position of control and couldn’t say thank you so much for fixing our clock! Instead, their efforts just “ticked” him off….

People are really strange humans!

The most powerful way to predict the future, is to create it!
Bo Tomlyn

I remember when the Statue of Liberty was restored in the 80s. The arm holding the torch was originally built with a design flaw, making it structurally less sound than it should have been. There was a fight between structural engineers who wanted it rebuilt without the flaw, and historians who wanted the flaw to remain. I believe the historians won.

So did UX violate the administration’s authority and their property rights? Yes. Did the admins overreact? Probably, but if you sneak into my house at night, even with the best intentions of fixing something, I would feel violated and I would fight back, if only to teach you a lesson about respecting property rights.

Of course I’m the same guy who had a blast violating property rights by climbing 700-foot antenna masts when I was in college, so my morality is certainly relative, and perhaps self-serving.