Earl

Note: Prof. Earl Black, who taught me labor history and collective bargaining at Brandon University was one of the best professors I had throughout my four university degrees. Earl was a very easy man to be around, yet is a very difficult man to describe. I believe part of this difficulty arises from the fact that when we were around Earl, he had two main points of focus – ideas and people. I have used the recent concepts from organizational design of “tight” and “loose” to try to capture something of his openness to ideas contrary to his own, within a world which is increasingly polarized, rigid, and restrictive. I don’t feel I have completely captured what I’m trying to say, but at this point it’s as close as I can get. I content myself with providing an introduction to this central aspect of Earl for those who did not know him, rather than trying to summarize this impactful human being. Thanks Earl.

Some are loose in thinking, others want it tight;
Some groups are quite structured, whether left or right –
“Do your life the tight way, do not bend or flex;
Life is best with strictures – don’t our lifestyle wreck”.

One group are tree huggers; gentle to a fault;
Clothing loose and flowing; beverages of malt;
Underdogs are favored; smoke’s okay (if pot);
Regulations vary; gays are ’round a lot.

Other group is straight-laced; formal dress the norm;
Women are the bosses (in behind the form);
Aspects of the Scripture bolster life their way;
Straight there moral preference, in their work and play.

In between there’s others, mixed in different ways;
Parts of both expressed there, living out their days;
Subtle in gradation, complex are their thoughts;
Harder to tie in with; both extremes they’re not.

To my way of thinking, all three are the same:
“Tight” their way of thinking, structure is their game –
“Live as you're instructed – middle, left, or right;
We define your freedom, structure is quite tight.

Left decrees, “We’re equal – women will rise up;
That’s in order – do it, or will make it rough”.
Don’t think for a moment, looseness is their norm
They're as tight as ever – content shifts in form.

Folks think there’s no freedom living on the right;
They confuse right-living, with approach that’s tight;
Look at little deeper – there in all three groups,
Lives a bunch of people doing life as “loose”.

Safety-valve’s their purpose; twinkle’s in their eye;
They do life with freedom; dance beneath the sky;
They’re not into tightness, but they’ve learned to say,
I’ll do life with looseness – tight for you’s okay”.

This week marks the parting of our trail with Earl;
Sickness at his ending – ALS the swirl;
There’s a man of “looseness”, living where it’s “tight”
Justice was his watchword – center, left, or right.

He had his opinions; fought for under-voice;
Saw all life is sacred – calling forth our choice;
Room for other viewpoints; richness in the mix;
Loose gives room for movement, so we all can fix –

Parts that still need fixing in our little town;
Vigorous debating, “Speak, and don’t back down –
We need interaction; teach me something new;
We can share in looseness – come, I’ll walk with you.”

Earl, my thanks at parting – showed me how it’s done;
Like the home I grew in – “loose” how it was run;
It was so refreshing midst a life of tight,
Hearing, “Be yourself, Stu, welcome to the fight.”

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