Why Not Blame Drew?

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INTRODUCTION

So you think you have problems?
 
What was your worst day ever? Think of one day in your life that was so 
horrible you would not want to relive it. How did you feel that day? Were 
you tremendously sad? Were you frustrated? Were you angry? Did you 
not want to move on? Did you feel drained? Was life sufficiently affected?
 
I can unveil something important about that tragic day. Without knowing 
details of your situation, I can show you something you did not realize. I can 
not answer most questions about it. There is one key piece I can reveal, 
though. I can not say why you were affected, but I do know who was 100% 
responsible for your ills that tragic day. I know who you can blame—
and it is not you.
 
I have also had bad days. Like you, I have experienced horrible events. To 
trivialize the events that personally affected me, there were the events which 
affected large numbers of people. Those were tragic events which created 
headlines in national news: the war in Iraq, 9/11, the financial debacles 
of 2008, genocides in Darfur, and the list goes on with great impact.
 
It was very important to understand the origin of these ugly events. I wanted 
to discover how they could have been prevented by responsible individuals.
 
Do not get me wrong; I realized I could not undo the actions, but I like to 
understand why things happen. I am a problem solver by nature. I like to 
break things apart to know how they work. I enjoy piecing them together to 
get things working once again. I applied these problem-solving skills to-
ward the many bad situations.
 
Every time I performed this exercise for a particular life issue, I would find 
one startling answer: I discovered that I was the one to blame.
 
Time out! I do not mean I found people, in general, to be responsible. I 
do not mean every individual in this country was responsible. I do not mean 
I was just part of the problem. I mean me, Drew. I discovered that I, Drew, 
was 100% responsible for the terrible event. In each situation, I found
myself at the root of the problem. Drew was the answer.
 
Recognizing this was painful every time. I felt terrible knowing it was me. 
It was gut-wrenching. As I saw the growing magnitude of my actions, I was 
utterly embarrassed. I wanted to bury my head. It was almost unbearable.
 
In some cases, the ugly events happened because of something I did, but 
most of the tragedies occurred because of something I did not do.
 
I began to work through the logic of responsibility. I did this at times when
I witnessed some bad event in the world (directly or indirectly). I began to 
see what types of events for which I was responsible. I attempted to pinpoint 
the origin of the ills. I sought the nature of those events for which I could be 
found at fault. At first, I thought it would be events that I cared about and 
in this country. I extended my logic, though, and realized it was much more. 
In fact, I was hard pressed to find an event for which I was not responsible. 
My logic cast a wider net than I ever expected.
 
I will provide a sampling of the endless list of issues attributable to me: 

The traffic last Thursday morning—that was due to me.
The extra emissions polluting us this past month—point at me.
The trash tossed on the Thruway two weeks ago—I am to blame.
The sorry sap who stole your stuff some time ago—my bad.
The faint traces of fatal lead found in your friend’s toy last year— 
throw blame here.
The _____________________________________________________________
The health issues that have hindered co-workers—I am responsible.
The rather disappointing ranking results from rigorous and regular 
testing of U.S. students this past decade—point the finger at me.
The ascension of Al-Qaeda among areas of Afghanistan—I assume 
the blame.
The financial failures fracturing foundations in fiscal 2008 and 2009— 
they were because of me.
 
If you can, go back to your own horrible situation. Understand that I am the 
one who you can blame. On top of the issues I mentioned, you can blame me 
for your specific problem as well. I am 100% responsible. This might appear
to be a party trick, but I am sincere about my blame.  

I admit it.
 
I did it. Guilty!
 
I must also confess, I didn’t do it. Guilty! Just as guilty!
 
I imagine it may appear like I am exaggerating. It is too unlikely to be true.
I think differently, though, now that I have put together pieces of the puzzle.
It all points back to how I am the key piece.
 
I did (in time) discover events for which I am not responsible, but that list 
was relatively short and simple. Let me put it this way, it was easier to 
devote a chapter to show things for which I am not responsible than to list 
all the things for which I am responsible. I could not fathom if I had to
complete a list of all problems attributable to me in any book.
 
In truth, writing this all down and working through this logic became a 
catharsis for me. It became a way to clarify my thoughts. It helped me work 
through the logic supporting my developing beliefs. It helped me see that I 
was not just being negative about myself. There was a reality I had never 
witnessed before. I began to see all the connections in the world. I saw how 
the events of the world all link back to me.
 
It was as though a warehouse full of lights began to illuminate a mess I had 
created. I saw I was not exaggerating about my role in life. In fact, working 
through the logic showed me it was more widespread than I had imagined. 
Good thing I have a thick skin!
 
I had many realizations throughout the writing process. It became an 
opportunity to assess the extreme burden I carried daily. More important
than seeing my burden was the new perspective. It prompted a re-evaluation 
of where I wanted to be in the world and what I intended to do for the rest of
my life. It illuminated several powers that I had never realized I had. My 
writing helped me recognize the potential strength of my powers.
 
In working through the thoughts in my head, I realized that my conclusions 
rested on nine premises. They are concepts like "I control my own actions" 
and "inanimate things do not make decisions.” They are simple concepts 
which have profound implications for us. These are assumptions based on 

my observations as I sought to understand origins of responsibility, fault,
and blame. The premises are supported by experiential evidence. They are 
based on my personal perceptions of the world around me.
 
I challenge you to tear apart these premises. I analyze them in the first 
section of this book just for that reason. I warn you, though, if you choose
to accept the premises, then you will be hard-pressed to come to a different
conclusion than I have. You will see that I am indeed the one responsible. 
You will find, as I have, that Drew is 100% responsible.
 
In consideration of what you find, I will ask for something from you. The 
next time something bad happens to you, I ask that you blame me. I want 
you not to blame vandals or politicians or conservatives. I do not want you 
to blame yourself. I want you to blame me. I want you to come back to this 
book and yell at me as you look through the pages. Blame me, then move on 
knowing that you have found the one responsible. Blame me, then move on 
knowing that you solved the mystery; you found the origin of your problems. 
If finding the ultimate culprit helps you get past your troubles, then blame 
the individual who is 100% responsible. Blame Drew.
 
I hope that you find yourself coming back to this book in future months. I 
hope that you will have inspirations to flip through the pages again. I think 
that you then will find yourself returning, perhaps to reconsider something
you read or a specific word here or there. In the future, you may begin to 
see this book from a different perspective.
 
I invite you to be critical. Give me your feedback. Tell me where I am wrong. 
Prove me wrong. I can take it. I have already done so. After all, I know that 
I am to be blamed for so many things.
 
I asked you to recall a horrible situation in your life. Take your situation to
test against this book. As you read further, you will find that I am the one to 
hold accountable for it. Do not blame the government or your company 
management. Do not blame society. You will realize why you can not blame 
them. You will understand there is one person who is 100% responsible. 
Blame Drew and move on with your life.
 
In the end, you will come to the same conclusion as I did: It is I, Drew.
The problem with the world is I. Why not blame Drew?
ISBN: 978-0-9840902-0-4
Price: $13.79 (before shipping & taxes)
Pages: 211
Weight: 1 lb
Worth: hundreds of dollars for limited 1st editions
Publication Date: 11/2009
Official Launch Date: Friday the 13th, 2009 ("Blame Drew Day")