Paul, Like watching a skyscraper go up in mid-town Manhattan, this blog exposes the steel beams, the framework, of your view of the business world in general and CRM specifically. Your sonnet has hope beating despair and darkness in an imperfect world. There is always reason to believe in hope – even in the midst of skepticism and dark, jaded views of the world. That seems to reverberate throughout your post. It is arguable if people are inherently good, as other commenters have discussed. However, I do not think that is the most important point of this post. The most important question is whether we are being contributors or detractors to hope – both others and ours. Building others up, helping others to get through tough times, extending a hand – in short being a source of hope – that is what matters. Defining goodness starts with ourselves, and while that is a value judgment, one point is unequivocal: helping others and finding a passion in doing that is what matters most. I can see how this philosophy could drive your passion for CRM. Because when you strip away all the strategies, systems and frameworks for making CRM strategies work, it comes down to one essential point: Did the system and strategy move the customer closer to their goal? Were they enriched? Are they more effective? Did it give a customer a chance to kick ass? Because in getting customers to their goals, companies get to theirs. You truly do get what you give, and social networks are making this point so loud, so clear, that they are redefining communication. It took guts to write a blog with such personal content. You, as a leading though leader in CRM, timed it perfectly. It’s time marketers, CRM strategists and other thought leaders really stopped to think what they stand for. Your blog will push that along. I look forward to your future posts. Best Regards, Louis http://twitter.com/LouisColumbus