Peace in the Saab world – at any price?

Please note that our site has moved to phoenixsaab.org.

 

As you probably know, there has been some turbulence in the so called Saab community lately. It caused me to take a time out which I hereby declare as ended. The wind has now fallen and the waves on the ocean on which the Saab fans are sailing are now hardly perceptible. Statements about the importance of peace and unity have been made by various writers in the Saab world. A noble thought and I truly believe that it is based on the best of intentions.

Even the shiniest, most beautiful coin does however have not only one but two sides. The one most people want to look at, and wants everybody else to look at is the one I’ve already mentioned. Shiny and golden, maybe with a portrait of Sixten Sason on it. The other side is not as shiny, but the trained eye can see that it does have an importance that has to be taken seriously to avoid hidden dangers.
Whoever asks for peace in the Saab community always, forever and at any price also asks for passivity. Passivity was not what made Britain great. No one has ever been awarded a prize for being passive. Passivity will also never lead to profitability. If every statement made about Saab is allowed to stand uncontradicted, unchallenged and untested for the sake of maintaining peace it will lead to a lower quality and decreased relevance. How valuable is it to be the world’s fastest runner on the distance of 36 meters when no other runners are competing at this distance? For the Saab community to be useful, strong and alive it has to move. Most of the time the movement will be smooth and gentle but our community must be allowed to rear like a wild horse when there is reason for it to do so. A community that does not move at all is dead.
How entertaining would the German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger be if he entered Allianz Arena in Munich for a game of football without an opposing team? Who would be able to see his brilliance? Why would he even make an attempt to show it?

Whoever has the competence required for what they do and knows it does not fear opposition. Opposition is the spark plugs of the engine we refer to as the Saab community. The fuel is not petrol or diesel but passion, that has to be ignited to be able to lead to a movement forward.
I’m aware of that some people will read this as an attempt to cause aggression and conflicts. Some people will want to read it that way to be able to criticise me. You are welcome to do that but I want you to know that I write this from my heart with Saab’s best interest in mind. I will not cause conflicts just for the sake of causing conflicts. But I will also not remain silent when I disagree with what is being said. Whoever chooses to do so is not contributing to the work to support Saab. Avoiding a battle is just a less honourable way of losing it.

Copyright ©2012 by Lars Svensson. All Rights Reserved.