I was watching the movie “One Night in Miami” and Sam Cooke, in the midst of an arguement with Malcolm X, made a statement that stung me. He said “everybody talks about how they want a piece of the pie – well I don’t! I want the (expletive) recipe”.

Think about that for a moment!

I have a job! I pay bills! I’m active in my community! I’ve become content with a slice of the pie! Why haven’t I gone after the recipe? Is it hidden from me, have I not evolved into the mindset of a baker, or is the baker a broader concept than I realize?

A few years ago there was an abundance of discussion on the 2nd Amendment. I knew that to be the right to bear arms but the process was foreign. In an effort to make more informed election decisions which would benefit me and my house I applied for a license to carry (LTC) a concealed weapon. To my surprise, the process was incredibly elementary and lead me to being in favor of tougher processes.

I sat on my LTC for a couple of years content with taking that step, but uninterested in the bigger picture. One day during a conversation with a friend it was brought to my attention that I formed an opinion based on partial research, gun legislation is far more complex than my little license. With that in mind I decided to purchase a weapon for concealed carry purposes.

I did a ton of research on the best guns for women, the various methods of carrying, and the laws of my city (note: they vary from those of my state). I went to a gun show armed with my driver’s license and a credit card, after a couple of hours I left with a 9mm, a user manual, and a belief that we are not protected from the dangers of ourselves.

I’ve since aligned myself with an association of gun owners – for a voice, and plan to join a gun club – for training. There’s a whole lot of us that own guns but aren’t making decisions. The decision makers hold the recipe, while we just have a slice of the pie.

It took going through this flawed process of exercising my right for me to realize that it’s ok to sync with others to achieve baker status – it may even be necessary for the community at large to benefit.

Ask yourself what slice of the pie have you become content with? Are there other slice holders you can connect with to achieve baker status?

Slices feed individuals; however, the whole pie feeds the community!