SUSTAINABILITY

The idea that something is to last in our instant gratification society may sound strange, but it is important to consider.  Often the use of the word sustainability is used by environmentalists or ecologists in reference to the earth.  By definition it means to meet the needs of the present without compromising the future.  The definition of needs and the length of the future is what make sustainability controversial.  Humanity got along without oil for thousands of years and the argument about its use now is about how long the supply will last.  This blog is far more expansive that the environment, though.

When I was 19 I noted that successful men drove nice cars and lived in nice houses, so I rented an upscale “bachelor pad” apartment and bought a Cadillac.  The car insurance was more than the car payment due to my age, but I figured since the rental leasing company, the banker and the insurance salesman all seemed so willing, I could afford it.  Since those three costs alone exceeded my paycheck you can correctly guess my lifestyle was not sustainable.  The definition of need versus want is as obvious in this illustration as is the lack of sustainability.  The economics of our government is no different today.

As a person, as a family, or as a nation, sustainability is not only important but must have a source.  Hebrews 1:3 says “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word.”  The power of God is described in Isaiah 46:4: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.  I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”  Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”.  Genesis 5:1 says “When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God”.  He is the source.

The environmentalists fussing over the projection of oil reserves or the economists fussing over the national debt, or even the multitude of adults who live lifestyles that exceed their income are all concerned by the limits they perceive as controlling.  It is human nature to try and gain control by expanding the limits or controlling what exists.  The theory is that our minds can conceive unlimited resources OR societal control of allocations of limited resources.  The ecological movement, as an example, focus on what is bearable, viable and equitable.  The fairness of the allocation is the equitable view of what exists today.

If the source of sustainability is the human mind, rather than God, how much future must be accounted for to prevent compromising the future with the present?  If the source of sustainability is God, as I am trying to convince you of, the length of the future is known.  He not only knows the future, He provided a roadmap of how to live life for each human.  The sustainability of each person, each family unit, each nation and the entire planet rests on recognizing the truth and commandments provided in His powerful word.  The social, economic, and environmental considerations conceived by the human mind are not enough.

This is being written right before the 2010 midterm elections that prompted an outrage from fiscal conservatives about government spending, since it is not sustainable.  This election cycle followed the 2008 Presidential election that brought an administration claiming to be environmentally focused and socially sensitive for the same reason.  Previous generations of American politicians grasped the spirituality requirement of sustainability for a society.  Sustainability is the capacity to endure.  Your family, business, job, church, state, nation, society and planet will NOT endure in the long term.  

The eternal perspective for each of us is far more than our earthly view of life.  While we battle over debt, environmental policies, lifestyles, and governments recognize the God factor.  While I have strong opinions about all those things they are temporal.  Life for our physical body is followed by death, while life for our soul is eternal.  I defined sustainability in the first paragraph as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future.  The length of time we are stewards of our body, disciplines, personality, family, and societal responsibilities is far shorter than the eternal aspect of our soul.  

Stewardship describes the responsibility we each have for sustainability.  Mark 8:36 asks “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul”?  The BIBLE acronym has been described as “Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth”.  It clearly shows each one of us how to apply those instructions to our individual situations by the interaction with the very spirit of God.   That process is called prayer and 1^st Thessalonians 5:17 says to pray continually.  Ephesians 6:18 says “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests”.  Life is full of decisions that will affect an unknown future.  Please check with the source before deciding.

MANIPULATION

In about a month American voters will go to the polls and choose elected officials to represent them. The representative nature of our form of government is designed to prevent a single person or a small group of people from ruling over them against their will. The winners of each election are the candidates that received the most votes from the electorate. Every media outlet is ablaze with advertisements trying to convince voters about the good of a candidate or the bad of their competitor. In an ideal situation the informed electorate will take their personal and family situation into consideration, along with their societal perspective, and vote for the best candidate.

The preparation for this election began years ago by those in power. The process that is used to manipulate the electorate for acceptance of an agenda is called desensitization. The agenda, which might go against the public best interests, is slowly, gradually and repetitively introduced to the world through movies by involving it within the plot, music videos that make it cool and sexy or the news media, who present it as a solution to today’s problems. After several years of exposing the electorate to a particular agenda, the powerful openly presents the concept the world. Due to the desensitization, it is often greeted with general indifference and is passively accepted.

The techniques of psychotherapy, widely practiced and accepted as a means of curing psychological disorders, are also methods of controlling people. They can be used systematically to influence attitudes and behavior. Systematic desensitization is a method used to dissolve anxiety so that the patient (the public in this case) is no longer troubled by a specific fear. People adapt to accepting frightening situations if they are exposed to them enough, says Steven Jacobson (Mind Control in the United States). A decade ago, the public was being desensitized to war against the Arab world. Look at the concepts everywhere in popular culture today to notice what the “endgame” is.

Manipulation occurs when a subject is forced to adapt in a series of tiny "invisible" steps. Each tiny step is designed to be sufficiently small so the subjects will not notice the changes in themselves or identify the coercive nature of the processes being used. The subjects of these tactics do not become aware of the hidden organizational purpose of the coercive psychological program until much later, if ever. These tactics are usually applied in a group setting by well intentioned but deceived "friends and allies" of the victim. Their critical thinking, values, ideas, attitudes, conduct and ability to reason are undermined instead being offered a rational and meaningful free choice.

On the fiscal front especially, the outrage expressed by those who have not been successfully manipulated is showing up at tea party rallies. Those that have been manipulated are at the point of desensitization that they don’t care. The results of this upcoming election will depend on how successful the manipulation has been, or how many desensitized voters show up at the polls. The title of this blog doesn’t mean I agree that manipulation is wise. People may be manipulated to do good things and make better choices, but it is very risky. It does mean that propaganda must be complete to succeed. Feelings, ideas, explanations, and incentives for action must be included.

If you do NOT want to be manipulated, there are some things to watch for: 1) A web of lies laid around so thick, that it warps reality for you and makes you fall victim to manipulation. The only way of saving yourself is to check for inconsistencies and recognizing bluff. 2) Emotional manipulation can force you into doing something that you would never do, if the things that you are emotionally invested in, are threatened. Prevent this from occurring. 3) Provoking through humiliation or contempt exposes your ego, so pause and wait if your next action is silly. 4) Momentary temptation and greed. When you like something to the point where you are addicted to it, it becomes your weakness. Be wary of temptations as they are manipulative traps waiting to be sprung on you. 5) Brainwashing occurs when the same thing is said over and over, resulting in your reason being over-ridden. Develop a filter of reason or you will eventually embrace it.

If you DO want to be manipulated, there are some things that you can do: 1) Listen to only one medium for your source of information. 2) Believe that the politicians you support want what is best for you and will represent your worldview. 3) Ignore any moral faults of your chosen candidates and explain them away as their “personal life”. 4) Stay as uninformed as possible about elections and politics so that you can spend your time in areas you prefer. 5) Believe that those who claim there is manipulation of the electorate are paranoid and just need to lighten up.

UNDERSTANDING ALTRUISM

The use of the word altruism is pretty rare, but the definition seems quite positive: a selfless concern for the welfare of others.  A more succinct definition is: a doctrine that holds that individuals have a moral obligation to help, serve or benefit others (if necessary at the sacrifice of self-interest).  It sounds so right, so positive.  Positivism is a view that reality only exists by means of a direct sense experience.  It is a system of “positive philosophy” developed by August Comte (1779-1857).  Comte concluded that all human understanding has passed through three stages.  Those stages are; 1) the theological, 2) the metaphysical, and 3) the positivist (the ultimate culmination of wisdom).

As this is a blog about wisdom, some research about something that claims to be the ultimate culmination of wisdom is required.  The 19^th century philosopher and sociologist, August Comte, advanced the three stages as a scientific method that has developed into a religion of humanity, a worship of mankind that eliminates God.  The religious humanists documented their religious beliefs in a manifesto with 15 points:

1) Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created.2) Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process.3) Holding an organic view of life, humanists find that the traditional dualism of mind and body must be rejected.4) Humanism recognizes that man's religious culture and civilization, as clearly depicted by anthropology and history, are the product of a gradual development due to his interaction with his natural environment and with his social heritage. The individual born into a particular culture is largely molded by that culture.5) Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values. Obviously humanism does not deny the possibility of realities as yet undiscovered, but it does insist that the way to determine the existence and value of any and all realities is by means of intelligent inquiry and by the assessment of their relations to human needs. Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in the light of the scientific spirit and method.6) We are convinced that the time has passed for theism, deism, modernism, and the several varieties of "new thought".7) Religion consists of those actions, purposes, and experiences which are humanly significant. Nothing human is alien to the religious. It includes labor, art, science, philosophy, love, friendship, recreation -- all that is in its degree expressive of intelligently satisfying human living. The distinction between the sacred and the secular can no longer be maintained.8) Religious Humanism considers the complete realization of human personality to be the end of man's life and seeks its development and fulfillment in the here and now. This is the explanation of the humanist's social passion.9) In the place of the old attitudes involved in worship and prayer the humanist finds his religious emotions expressed in a heightened sense of personal life and in a cooperative effort to promote social well-being.10) It follows that there will be no uniquely religious emotions and attitudes of the kind hitherto associated with belief in the supernatural.11) Man will learn to face the crises of life in terms of his knowledge of their naturalness and probability. Reasonable and manly attitudes will be fostered by education and supported by custom. We assume that humanism will take the path of social and mental hygiene and discourage sentimental and unreal hopes and wishful thinking.12) Believing that religion must work increasingly for joy in living, religious humanists aim to foster the creative in man and to encourage achievements that add to the satisfactions of life.13) Religious humanism maintains that all associations and institutions exist for the fulfillment of human life. The intelligent evaluation, transformation, control, and direction of such associations and institutions with a view to the enhancement of human life is the purpose and program of humanism. Certainly religious institutions, their ritualistic forms, ecclesiastical methods, and communal activities must be reconstituted as rapidly as experience allows, in order to function effectively in the modern world.14) The humanists are firmly convinced that existing acquisitive and profit-motivated society has shown itself to be inadequate and that a radical change in methods, controls, and motives must be instituted. A socialized and cooperative economic order must be established to the end that the equitable distribution of the means of life be possible. The goal of humanism is a free and universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently cooperate for the common good. Humanists demand a shared life in a shared world.15) We assert that humanism will: (a) affirm life rather than deny it; (b) seek to elicit the possibilities of life, not flee from them; and (c) endeavor to establish the conditions of a satisfactory life for all, not merely for the few. By this positive morale and intention humanism will be guided, and from this perspective and alignment the techniques and efforts of humanism will flow.

Ayn Rand, the atheistic author of the great novel, ATLAS SHRUGGED suggests that egoistic moralism, a moral duty to pursue one’s own interests is better than altruism.  She also believed the 6^th point, that God never existed and mankind created Him to explain things, but did not accept the 14^th point, recognizing the loss of desire for improvements and productivity when there is no personal reward.  All methods of establishing what is moral and immoral have to have a source for the determination.

Genesis 1:1 says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”.  The Bible goes on to explain about the creation of mankind, the knowledge of good and evil, and the provided Messiah to restore the relationship between God and individual people.  In many places it says wisdom is given by God, such as 1^st Kings 3:29 that says “God gave Solomon wisdom and great insight and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore”. Proverbs 2:6 says “For the Lord gives wisdom and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding”.  When each individual recognizes the sinful nature that came with the fall of mankind, and begins a relationship with God, through Jesus the Messiah, the choice of what is right and what is wrong is no longer theirs to choose.

That relationship, referred to as Christianity or a follower of Christ, is the motivation to be obedient to His commands summed up in Matthew 22:37-39 as love your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.  Loving your neighbor as yourself sounds like a selfless concern for others, the definition of altruism.  Once you pull God out of the command, what’s left is loving your neighbor as much and to the degree that you love yourself.  The purpose for doing so disappears with the removal of God, the source of the moral distinction.  Altruism and the resulting religion and philosophy of humanism can only take place in the sense that you place yourself in the God role.  As a god, the concern for others works alongside the perceived control of your surroundings.  In Christianity, the love, obedience, and wisdom come from God.One view is wrong (the evil) and one view is right (the good). 

Positivism requires a direct sensory experience, the science method.  If it feels good, do it, was a mantra from the 1960’s that tried to measure morality that way.  After thousands of years on earth, the ideas of recent decades and even centuries have to be measured against time.  Loving your neighbor for Jesus is not the same as being altruistic for yourself.  If God is the source of the moral distinction, salvation is required of sinful mankind, and Humanism is an evil lie and not the truth.  If there is no God the explanations in the manifesto require that all humans to be good people pulling together for a common good.  Even if their scientific method is used, the obvious evil in the world makes it wrong.

The next time you hear the word altruism used, remember the word of Jesus in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”.  John 18:37…”In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone on the side of truth listens to me”.  The obvious evil makes the need for salvation and resulting loving obedience the right view.  All 15 points in the Humanist Manifesto are WRONG.  Throwing the word positive on top of it did not change it.  Using a word like altruism is not the same as agape love for one another, just a lie in an evil agenda.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES

A scenario played out in many homes has a child reaching past a glass of milk for a cookie, only to knock over the glass in the haste to get the cookie. We usually say “He (or she) didn’t mean to spill it”. There is wisdom in recognizing a concept called UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. It is so consistent that sociologist Robert Merton refers to it as the LAW of unintended consequences. Unlike the cookie example where children learn to be more careful, or place the glass elsewhere, as they grow up in many societal situations the law continues to haunt us all. When laws or policies are used by those in authority for seemingly positive reasons, beware of this law with ramifications.

Unintended consequences are outcomes that are not the results originally intended by a particular action. While they can be positive or negative, the intervention in a complex system always creates unanticipated and undesirable results. If the result is positive the benefit is termed a windfall. Many times the action does accomplish the original intent, but also results in negatives. In the assignment of prescription drugs the negatives are termed “side effects”. While there are instances where the original intent is not met, this blog focuses on the situations in life that result in additional consequences, often having a larger negative effect that the intended positive one.

In his 1936 publication Robert Merton listed five causes of the unanticipated results. 1) Ignorance 2) Error 3) Immediate interest 4) Basic values 5) Self-defeating prophecy. The more complex the system is, the higher the probability that failure to account for human nature or other cognitive biases will take place. Prohibition in the 1920’s was enacted to suppress the alcohol trade, but resulted in consolidating the hold of organized crime over the illegal alcohol industry. Many people believe the same thing about the current War on Drugs. Both are examples of failure to account for human nature so that the unintended consequences are larger than the intended results.

In the southeastern United States the introduction of the plant, Kadzu, to prevent erosion in earthwork has become a major problem, displacing native plants and taking over large amount of land. Killer bees came from a scientific experiment that went bad. The CIA funding of the Afghan Mujahideen probably contributed to the rise of Al-Qaeda. Rent control in many major cities created housing shortages or government built slums. With the rise of the internet, attempts to censor or remove a picture or document causes it to become widely known and distributed. Campaign finance reform resulted in far more money being spent on political campaigns.

Unlike the spilled milk example where everyone agreed he (or she) did not mean it, as adults we must have enough wisdom to hold people responsible for results, not intent. While the concept of unintended consequences has been around for centuries if not longer, the idea that only the intentions should be measured has not. It is a dangerous idea that when applied to public policy is a disaster. The growth of government can be tracked to dealing with the unintended consequences from programs like “The New Deal”, “The War on Poverty”, or Fair Housing Initiative”. Each response then has its own unintended consequences to deal with. The added regulations attack our freedoms and result in the debt chart shown.

A new threat has emerged from the regulatory and technological advancements. Researchers from the University of Michigan found that when misinformed people are exposed to correct facts, they rarely change their minds. They often become even stronger believers in what was previously lodged in their minds. Brendan Nyhan, the lead researcher, says “the phenomenon – known as backfire- is a natural defense mechanism to avoid cognitive dissonance”. If facts can’t be used to correct misperceptions of reality, the information glut is of no help to illuminate the threats that come with well-intentioned plans. In this election season, that is scary.

My political belief of limited government comes from understanding the law of unintended consequences and the political realities of a continual government intention to offset the effect of the past program for intended progress. My Faith in God helps me live the advise in Philippians 4:8 while staying informed from multiple versions about a situation. My formal education and business experience allow me to be aware that pitfalls exist in all well-intended campaigns in all aspects of life. I know that James 3:17 explains it best “but the wisdom from ABOVE is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good-fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy”.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

The April explosion of the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers and unleashed the largest oil spill in American history continues to be world-wide news.  For those of us living on the gulf coast the environmental and psychological effects will continue for many years.  Although the drilling rig was owned and managed by a multi-national consortium, the responsibility fell to the corporation in charge, British Petroleum, or BP.

The federal government holds regulatory power over the federal waters where the drilling took place and looked to BP to manage the response to the disaster.  The CEO of BP came to the United States to demonstrate to everyone the level of importance they put on the response.  Public relations (PR) is the art and science of relating to all people who are or will be aware of a situation.  There are experts in this field of PR.

The CEO, Tony Hayworth, apparently listened to corporate attorneys rather than the PR experts.  He made every attempt to assure people an investigation would determine culpability, and downplayed the significance of the oil spilling into the gulf with comments such as “the spill is very small in such a large body of water”.  After a month in the U.S. he stated he “wanted his life back”, a callous remark to the victim’s families.

As the backlash against BP grew, the Chairman of the Board came to the U.S. to meet with the President and other political leaders.  To ensure that the response to the situation was important, he announced that “BP cares about the little people”.  One of the largest companies in the world had demonstrated the ability to take a bad situation and with very poor PR plans make it worse.

PR plans are also crucial to individuals.  As with companies, the ability to articulate who you are and what you can do should not be done “in the moment”.  Most of us have friends and acquaintances that have known us long enough that they develop expectations of our reaction or response to situations.  Public relations has a far greater audience and without a lengthy time frame for that audience to know us.

There are individuals who care about people groups.  There are people who care about individuals.  In the Civil War period it was said that the north cared about the slaves as a people group, while those in the south cared about or for each individual but not the group.  If there is any truth to that claim, the point is that the audience of all the individuals combined is the people group.  Public relations have to cover both.

In the case of BP, the affected groups are diverse and the individuals in each groups also diverse.  The federal government banned fishing in most of the gulf waters. A local fishing boat captain committed suicide, presumably because he didn’t think he could continue fishing.  When Tony Hayworth spent a weekend in England watching a yacht race, the fishing group was outraged, since they were stuck at the dock.

As an individual, your personal PR plan starts with documenting your values in life.  If an event brings in a huge unexpected audience, the “15 minutes of fame” as it has been called, should illuminate who you are, not change you.  Think of it as a microscope on your life with the entire world looking through the lense that you provide.  For your PR plan to be that lense, you must know and articulate the values you live by.

As a company, your culture must be established to the extent that all the employees live by those values.  For an oil company, the culture of safety first in all things is an expectation.  When the resulting investigation occurs after the well is capped, the conclusion will be that financial or timing considerations were deemed more important than safety.  Leaders have the responsibility of the culture that determines priorities.

What are the priorities in your life, as seen by those that watch how you live?  Do you care about individuals, or just groups?  Are there groups that you oppose?  Politicians often say one thing, and then do another, usually to try and get elected.  The public loses trust in individual politicians as well as their form of government when that happens.  Usually people only change slightly over time so don’t expect otherwise.

This blog has covered many subjects over the previous editions.  I’ve been recruiting to hire for an open position at work, and several applicants have used these subjects to preview if they want to work for me.  My views define me, just as your views define you. A public relations plan applies those views to potential situations in advance so a public response can be anticipated.  If a backlash is coming, be prepared for it now, or change.

The drop in the price of BP stock is an easily measurable backlash to how they have handled their PR.  At this writing it has cost the shareholders of the company over $100 billion in share price and at least $20 billion in expenses reimbursed.  International relationships between countries have been strained.  A quality PR plan carried out with discipline would have cost far less.  The same lesson applies to your personal PR plan.

STORIES

The greatest things about stories are the embedded kernels of wisdom within the fictional storyline that illuminates key points of life.  The origin of mankind and the politics of the day rarely intertwine, but here’s my example for June 2010:         

God was sitting on his throne one day enjoying the adulation and service of the angels when he began to wonder if they would be the same way if they were given a choice.  He called Lucifer, the worship leader, over and announced that immediately the angels could choose.  If they wished to continue to serve him nothing would change, but if they wished to stop a place other than heaven would be provided for them.  They all voted to continue to love and serve him, and so they did.  Lucifer continued as their leader.

As time passed, however, Lucifer began to wonder if that adulation and service could be for him instead of God.  He decided that rather than ask God for a place other than heaven, perhaps God would share heaven so he approached God with the idea.  God patiently explained that angels were created beings, so they could not and did not have the abilities to be God.  Lucifer did not understand this at all, so God created a hell and an earth as comparisons to heaven.  Lucifer chose the earth and called for a vote.

This second vote by the angels resulted in nearly one third of the angels going to the earth with Lucifer.  God decided to make those votes permanent for the angels and created man with choice from the beginning.  He set up a system on the earth where the choice of man would become permanent for eternity but include free will during a lifetime on earth.  Eventually the system included women, as well as all the plants and animals that would provide sustenance for the men, women and children that followed. 

Soon after mankind was created Lucifer tricked the first woman to make the choice of disobedience, followed quickly by the man, so the concept of sin entered the world.  When one of their sons killed the other, death became the point where the eternal soul moved to heaven or hell.  Lucifer found satisfaction in the obvious grief God exhibited when souls went to hell, so he set out with his band of angels to snare as many humans as possible.  After an eternity of loving and being loved God had a situation to deal with.

Since He had provided choice from the beginning the extremes needed to be clear.  He sent himself as his son to pay the penalty of sin for those that chose him, and made hell a lake of fire that did not consume, for those that did not.  He provided the two options for all humans past and present and changed Lucifer’s name to Satan.  He gave his son the name of Jesus, and after death raised him from the dead so all would know who he was.  He placed an eternal hedge of protection around children and challenged Satan.

Thousands of years followed with an ever increasing number of souls living out their years with free will in all aspects, but spiritually choosing their eternal destiny.  The spiritual battles often became physical battles with wars and rumors of wars commonplace.  Many worshiped the name of the Lord, and many chose not to accept the gift of eternal life.  Satan offered many false options and proved cunning in his disguises.  He taught those that came with him originally to transform into selfishness, control and various addictions.

 The grief God felt when souls went to hell grew and grew, as Satan confused, cajoled, or tricked each person into rejecting Jesus.  He had allowed the free will for mankind and given Satan and his demons that vote, so that had to continue.  His best option was to let everyone know there was a time limit on the existence of the earth.  He had revealed that when He provided the writings that became the Bible, but only Satan took it literally.  With billions in the world to be told, more specific instructions were needed to capture their hearts.

God chose a date for the end of the world, and notified Satan as well as His followers.  Satan’s response was swift, choosing a false Messiah to confuse those who were waiting for the return of Jesus and putting out a movie about Mayans.  God’s followers sent out Tweets, posted news on Facebook, and made the rounds of the cable shows with their news of destruction.  Satan’s Messiah went on network news channels only and assured the world not to worry, the world would not end.  In the end, the election of 2012 did not take place at the ballot box, but in the heart of each human being on the face of the earth.

VALUES

The unabridged dictionary defines “values” as acts, customs, and institutions regarded in a particular way, usually favorably, by a people group.  A similar and illuminating definition is “that which is desirable or worthy of esteem for its own sake”.  While morals makes the distinction between right and wrong (see the April 2006 subject of morality in this blog), values assign the importance of the activity or custom to the group.  Character is a description of the traits or qualities of a person, while values assign the acceptability of those traits. Religions, cultures, and many countries also have a list of values, published or not, that are accepted by most if not all.  Often that acceptance is why they are a people group.  This blog is about your values today, and why you claim them.  If you are like most people, your values have changed over time.

Multiculturalism occurs when differing people groups are combined for some reason, often by an external force to at least one of the groups.  When the values of each group differ, the pressure from opposing sides to conform is increased.  Ethnic strife resulted from these situations throughout human history, none more obvious than what we refer to as the Civil War 150 years ago.  The United States has continued to add more people groups, with widely varying traditions since.  Many urban areas still have neighborhoods referred to as Chinatown, Little Italy, or neighborhoods referred to as barrios.  The integration brought about by Civil Rights legislation and desegregation activities blended the customs and cultures over time.  The USA is now a multicultural society.

The favorability of values sometimes differed between the people groups, causing friction and concern.  A tolerance movement spread throughout the country suggesting that all values be universally accepted for the peace and civility of all concerned.  This thought process morphed into acceptance of all morals and a societal view making everything desirable and worthy of esteem.  The problem is that the distinction between what is right and what is wrong can’t come from a societal majority, or societal acceptance.  Failure to do what is right is called sin. God sent the law to ensure we understood we are not righteous. No culture or society should ever determine our morality. Absolute truth never changes.

Inclusion of all values or rejection of all values in a multicultural society leads to the same disastrous result.  Shared values are those acts and customs that can be agreed upon via compromise or reasonably universal acceptance.  Scheduling Christmas on December 25^th is an example.  Rejected values are those acts and customs that violate civil right laws and can’t gain legal status.  Forced teenage female circumcision is an example.  Between the two sides of shared and rejected is a vast area that includes not only legal status considerations, but ethical and moral as well.  Each citizen has rights, and in a free country the ability to exercise those rights.  When the exercise of those rights restricts the rights of another it is wrong.  If it only offends them, it is freedom, a value worthy of esteem.

Traditional values usually refer to the origin of the values.  The origin of the USA came from a declaration that led to a revolutionary war, and a constitution that led to a country.  The tradition of slavery changed slower than the wording of the constitution that called men free.  The tradition of federalism came with the results of the civil war that freed the slaves, but has massively grown since.  The multiculturalism of races, religions, orientations, and genders has included political values along the way.  The varying views of proper values by the electorate are often shaped by media portrayal of parties, candidates, or legislation.  The changing media delivery has coincided with a polarization of views regarding proper values and the government decisions that affect all citizens.

Businesses will often publish a list of values, and sometimes refer to them as shared values, suggesting all employees should agree.  The U.S. Army lists seven values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.  Respect for the values of others does not mean acceptance or agreement with those values, so the proper place for the three branches of government is to ensure freedoms that don’t restrict others are protected.  Taxation of all citizens for the common good of some is a slippery slope.  A key cause of the revolutionary war was taxation without representation.  Taxation to ensure freedoms for only some citizens, but restrictions on others, is tyranny to the one being restricted but taxed.  Jesus said in response to the tax question “Render unto Caesar what is Caesars, and to God what is God’s”.

God is absolute truth, a standard to measure our values against.  Absolute truth, defined in the January 2007 edition of this blog, is “that which is true for all people, for all times, for all places". Excellent guidelines, rules, ordinances, beliefs, resolutions, laws, traditions, and perceptions must never be at the same plane as the truth. Values that come from these societal standards may not be bad, but may not be universal.  Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the way and the truth, and the life”, so my values should not conflict with His.  I claim the basis of my values from the Bible as a Christian, but also the Constitution as an American.  I also claim as the basis of my values my life experience that differs from many other people.  The 60 previous entries in this blog cover in detail what they are.  What are your values, why do you claim them, and have they changed from reading mine?

DEREGULATION

The United States was founded upon principles that are no longer taught in our schools. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". The declaration that God provided the liberty and that the pursuit is up to us has changed in my lifetime. “Give me liberty or give me death” has now changed into “There ought to be a law against that”. We have witnessed it as an increase in laws and regulations as government works to control the details of our lives. The unintended consequences of these meaningful regulations then require even more laws.
Deregulation is the term to describe the removal or simplification of government rules and regulation that constrain the operation of market forces. If we all as free people use our liberty and pursue our happiness to trade or buy and sell from each other it is called a market. The forces of supply and demand, representing the aggregate influence of self-interested buyers and sellers on the price and quantity of goods and services, control the market. This system is often called a free market, or due to the money aspects, sometimes referred to as capitalism. The political ramifications of the resulting winners and losers also impact the view our government agencies have on the process.

Other countries have tried other systems like socialism, or communism that provide a “fairer” distribution of the market wealth. However, they have found that when the market is not free it shrinks. As governments tax the market wealth to fund themselves, the shrinking market soon ends the government system. Capitalism as a system can have abuses. This has caused both legislative and executive branches of our government to add regulations to control specific situations. Over time the new situations and consequences of previous laws have created a maze of regulation that makes it difficult to do business, thus shrinking the market and the tax base needed to maintain the regulators. Politicians have responded by giving out tax money to specific voter groups.

If regulations had not been defined by government, deregulation would not be needed. Therefore this blog is championing the removal of government rules and regulations in all areas of the marketplace that are shrinking. Recent negative publicity about Wall Street deregulation did not pinpoint the true cause as new regulation of the mortgage business that coincided. The increase in the number of attorneys in the country has coincided with both the growth of regulation and the wording that makes the laws difficult to comprehend. The general population has had so many of their liberties taken away that they seem numb to the effect. A recent “Tea Party” movement, named after the revolutionary founders of the U.S., has publicized the resulting tax burden of excess regulation.
The first sentence of the blog mentioned the principles no longer taught in our schools. A government plan to help children, called “No Child Left Behind”, focused attention on reading, writing, and arithmetic but inadvertently ended social study education. Jesus Garcia, president of the National Council for Social Studies says “We say the purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good in a democratic society in an interdependent world. Historically, social studies have always been one of the core subjects that were dominant in the curriculum.” The result can accurately be characterized as “reeducation”, purposeful or not. A recent textbook requirement change in Texas by the State Board of Education helps, but like all new regulations will have unintended consequences.

An entire generation of American students has not been taught the principles that our society was based on. The expanding tax needs of the government and the shrinking market caused by the excess of regulation makes the urgency to change course quite high. Opinions about what other people should be allowed to do or not do should remain opinions. When they become the law of the land, experience has shown the unintended consequences are devastating. As 2010 is an election year the politicians that voted on or decreed the regulations should be replaced with those who are committed to deregulation. Fewer laws, less government, and more liberty is better. Well meaning regulations end up causing more harm than what they are designed to address.

MITIGATION

For years I have believed the concept that working from your strengths was wise. Marcus Buckingham wrote a best-selling business book titled “Now, Discover Your Strengths” that jump-started a strengths movement based on a simple premise. That premise was that we spend too much time repairing our flaws or weaknesses and too little time building on or developing our strengths. He followed that book with one titled “Go put your strengths to work” suggesting that we do not learn from our mistakes, so don’t pay any attention to them. Employers hire for strengths, and retain for strengths based on teams. The idea is that other employees in a work team will always have balancing strengths to your flaws.

Mitigation is defined as: to reduce exposure to risk; to moderate a quality or condition. I have recognized the need for mitigation of my belief and the premise Marcus Buckingham made in his books. Having to terminate the employment of several friends who did not learn from their mistakes or mitigate their weaknesses was my cruel lesson that working from strengths alone is insufficient. It is wise to add a mitigation strategy to moderate your negative flaws, while building on the positive strengths. The October 2009 edition of this blog featured a section on risk assessment. Employers actually retain for results. While the work team utopia sounds nice, personal responsibility for mitigation remains.

In any aspect of life an honest self-evaluation will show you areas that fall into the two buckets of strengths and weaknesses. Building on your strengths is the right thing to do and often even feels good. However, Hebrews 12:11 says “All discipline for the moment seems to not be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness”. James 3:17 says “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy”. Mitigating your weaknesses is the other side of the coin from the efforts of building on your strengths and can’t be ignored.

Techniques can include enlisting specific team members in an active mitigation, to actually working on improving the flaws you found in your self-evaluation. Results are the measurement that determines success. Many colleges now have group assignments where students work through these very issues for a collective grade. Businesses report profits based upon all the efforts of the employees and management of the business. The cultural shift from individual responsibility to collective sharing of overall results throughout modern society has contributed to this situation. Understand that the ownership of your mitigation strategy remains with you in all circumstances.

PERSEVERENCE

I enjoyed listening to Olympic athlete Ruben Gonzalez who will participate in the Vancouver Winter Olympics this month at age 47, his fourth Olympic participation.  He said God gives you a dream and God gives you all the power, as his story proves out.  His dream was to be an Olympic athlete, but the obstacle was that he isn’t athletic.  After researching all sports he settled on the luge, thinking lying down on a sled can’t be too difficult.  He found that the courage to persevere after crashes and injuries was the difference between success and failure to reach his dream.   

 Courage is crucial. Luke 21:19 says “by your perseverance you will gain your lives”.  Romans 5:3 says “exult in tribulation, knowing tribulation brings about perseverance”.  James 1:12 says “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial…”  Perseverance is just a big word that means you will never quit.  A famous quote from Winston Churchill is the simple message: “Never, Never, Never QUIT”.  As we all know there are forces against us designed to discourage us and cause us to want to quit during times of trial.  A plan to persevere shows wisdom.  Start by listening to those who have proven they won’t quit.

Ruben Gonzalez said there are 5 steps that he believed would propel anyone to unstoppable success in any endeavor. 1) Create your own team of people who believe in you and who will encourage you during challenges. 2) Find an arena you are suited to. 3) Have the courage to take action and get started. 4) Have the courage to endure, to go all the way no matter what. 5) Develop the attitude that you’re willing to do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.  Walt Disney said “All dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”.  The price of regret is 100 times more than the price of success.  Choosing the endeavor is a starting point of success for each of us.

I would suggest the first two steps mentioned are often harder than the perseverance that follows.  There are far more critics than believers, and relationships are often complicated.  The arena that you are suited to should be linked with your dream, or it’s just a daydream.  Ruben found that his hardheaded passion was a more important link than his athletic ability, but not in any sport.  The clarity needed to view ourselves accurately can often come from those same people that love and believe in us if we listen.  That trust requires an investment of time and understanding of perspective.

The winner of a race is not determined until the end, but don’t be concerned if you view those ahead of you.  In the 1992 Olympics Derek Redmond injured a hamstring, and after falling down, stood up and decided to finish the race.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nifq3Ke2Q30 Helped by his father (who believed in him) across the finish line, the example of courage to finish is remembered to this day, while the “winner” of the race is long forgotten.  The Apostle Paul said in Acts 20:24 “But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace”.

MODERATION

A recent terrorist attempt brought to the forefront a subject called radicalization.  A growing number of people, mostly men, appear to desire violent actions and express hatred due to a philosophical change in their worldview.  Moderation by definition is keeping within reasonable limits; not excessive or extreme.  While freedom from excess or extremes can be a good thing, an average may not be perceived as good when discussing quality.  Yet, Philippians 4:5 says “Let your moderation be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand.” “Moderation in all things” came from Aristotle’s Doctrine of the Mean, as presented in his Nicomachean Ethics.  It is not stated in the Bible.

It can be argued that the middle ground between two opposing extremes is moderation, but the same can be said for the difference between two positions that are considered extreme by the majority.  Al Qaida members may have two varying training methods that moderating would be a mixture of both.  Moderation is not the same as compromise, but a viewpoint.  Many people start a new year with a list of resolutions, usually things they want to improve.  Often, the list has the extremes of how we perceive what we should do.  Moderation gets to the point: Resolution- BE HAPPY.

In my lifetime, consumption of coffee has been mostly perceived as unhealthy.  Yet, in December of 2009 the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that 3 to 4 cups per day reduces chances of developing Type 2 diabetes by 25%.  In that same month Harvard researchers found that drinking less than 48 ounces of coffee per day lowered the chances of men developing aggressive prostate cancer by 60%.  Most of these benefits are not from caffeine, so decaf works fine.  The key is the moderate amount.

Previous entries of the blog have suggested moderate exercise and diet provides a positive effect on our health.  Peter Whitehouse, author of “The Myth of Alzheimer’s” says socialization and feelings of belonging are critical to brain and physical well being.  He says “our brain health has as much to do with the environment we create as our genes”.  Our minds work somewhat like a computer, in that what is input is what comes out.  With over 100 million blogs on the web to go with the multitude of books and movies your views are being affected, so choose wisely what you input.

The quote from Philippians came from the King James Version.  Other translations of the Bible use words like graciousness or gentleness for the word moderation.  The Living Bible uses the term unselfish and considerate in all you do.  In Matthew 22 Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was.  “Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Jack Rowe, chairman of MacArthur Research Network, and professor at Columbia University says “factors predicting aging are not dominated by heredity but by lifestyle.”  Radicalization and moderation both come from and are caused by lifestyle.  Lifestyle is the result of your worldview.  Moderation is the resulting lifestyle when one accepts the RADICAL idea Jesus presented as a command.  It provides happiness, purpose, and a sweet spirit, not violence and hatred.  It’s also how you will inherit the earth.

CARING

Perhaps the strongest words to describe insignificance is the question "Who cares?".  Those people or things that we are concerned about are also those people or things that we care about.  Some people have a large list and some have a very short list, often based on their level of compassion.  The economic impact of the recent recession and resulting high unemployment makes this Christmas season an important one for those who desire to help.  The Washington Times reported on 11/23/09 that some corporations and businesses are canceling holiday celebrations and donating the money used for parties to help charity groups.  The national community relations head for the Salvation Army reported they are getting a 300 percent increase in demand for short-term emergency care in some communities.  Harris Interactive released a poll this month that said just 38% of Americans will be giving to charity during the holidays compared to 49% last year.  Economists forecast that average consumers will spend $740 on Christmas gifts for their friends and family, down from $801 last year according to the Gallup organization. 

The Circle K Gulf Coast business unit is hosting a week of "Caring and Sharing" starting December 7th.  Activities include specific needy family gift giving, a day serving at a local charity, a day of health screening, and other community involvement interaction that communicates caring to those giving and receiving.  Perdido Bay Baptist Church is ramping up the Food Bank ministry and adding Christmas food baskets to the normal distribution but greatly expanding the quantity of families getting assistance.  The church also hosted an inaugural "GriefShare" seminar to encourage and provide advise for those who face the holidays after a loss.  There are many examples where you live as well, but the point is the needs are at all-time high and the resources are at an all-time low.  Caring is more than feeling, it is expressed in actions.  The dictionary definition of compassion is - sorrow for the distress or misfortunes of another, with the desire to help.  A recent example reported in the media was an action by basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal who paid for the funeral of a small girl who was killed after being sold by her drug addicted mother.

My daughter is employed by Cross International, an organization focused on offsetting the result of extreme poverty throughout the world.   Check their website at:http://www.crossinternational.org/ for opportunities to make a difference between life and death for someone, rather than between a bad year and a good year.  Ephesians 4:32 says "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you."  Yes, those in extreme poverty are viewed by God to be the same as you (just with fewer resources).  In the sermon on the mount in Matthew, Jesus said "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear......But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well".   Lack of caring is caused by a hard heart.  Proverbs 28:14 says "Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble."   Deuteronomy 15:7 says "...do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother."   Hebrews 3:8 quotes the Holy Spirit and says do not harden your hearts as you did in rebellion.

If you are that average consumer mentioned in the paper who plans to reduce Christmas gift spending by $61, consider an even more impactful change this year.  Create your own care and share week, or find a worthy charity that needs more resources, or recognize a need that should to be met in a far land.  Ask your friends and family to join in and exchange stories of what you did to meet a need, instead of as many packages full of wants.  You can still spend less money and based on recent shopping tours, you might even spend less time.  If you just don't care, I'd ask that you follow the wise advise of our pastor, who said "pray for a burden".  Hard hearts come from focusing on ourselves and our desires.  1st Timothy 5:4 cautions to put family first:  "but if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God".  The wisdom of caring is available this Christmas season.  James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him". 

SIMPLE LIFE

Most people say they want to simplify their life but don't know how, or as Confucius said "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated". In all areas, a genuine simple life is how you define a balance between excess and deprivation. This blog entry will investigate how you can find a better balance if you are willing. The February 2006 version was about a balanced life, but this month's could have been titled voluntary simplicity. Minimalism and down shifting are two terms used in different generations to communicate the same thing. An old Yiddish proverb says "the truly rich are those who enjoy what they have". Don't confuse this message with the television series by the same name that ran from 2003 until 2007 and added to the fame of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. Their purpose was to make fun of the happy people they met living a simple life. We know from media reports that the personal lives of Paris and Nicole were not simple and were not happy. Wisdom comes from recognizing you are not in control of the beginning, middle, or end of your life. Psalms 90:12 says "Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts." That wisdom can be defined as the self-control and decisions you make with the stewardship of the free will God gave you.

I recently read a book titled "Simple Life" by Thom Rainer, because I'd previously read his great book "Simple Church". Before that I read Dave Ramsey's publications from "Peace University". About a decade ago I attended a seminar held by Bruce Ammons and learned some practical steps to simplify (and therefore de-stress) my life. A great example was his view of footwear. Bruce concluded and I agreed that a black pair of dress shoes with black socks would fit all the circumstances of my life except when I needed athletic shoes with white low-cut socks. Everything else could be discarded and the two pairs of shoes and the two sections of my sock drawer lasted for years. Then one day I bought a pair of sandals for summertime. Then a day came when the idea of multiple color dress shoes, athletic shoes for differing events, slippers, cowboy boots, and casual shoe needs ruined my footwear simplicity. Maintaining a simple life takes diligence. Controlling your thoughts is a continual needed discipline, as the mind searches for things you want. I can go back to footwear simplicity and donate my excess to those that need it far more than I, so if you have ruined simplicity in an area of your life you also can fix it by learning how.

"Simple Life" breaks it down into clarity, movement, alignment, and focus. A quick internet search found other books and websites, like the philosophy book, "The Simple Life" by David E. Shi, or self help sites like www.zenhabits.net or www.aquietsimplelife.com. The point is that there are sources of information other than this blog and the previously mentioned book by Thom Rainer and his son. The first step is the decision to simplify your life and that almost always requires acceptance of less. In my shoe example, my needs did not change, only my wants. Simplicity requires controlling your wants. Many times people will even go into debt to purchase what they want for themselves, which adds to the actual price with interest payments on top of what was paid. With the complexity and speed of technology it would seem reasonable that we would have more time, but in reality the expectations have been increased so you'll also have to control your time. This requires prioritization of what is the most important. If you recognize it is almost all small stuff the old saying makes sense. "Don't sweat the small stuff". Happiness is not found in increasing the things we own, but how what we "own" is used for other people.

In our shrinking world, the increasing number of people we know and the friends we connect with on Facebook or other social media, makes the societal pressure to conform complex. That complexity seems to make the promise Jesus made about abundant life in John 10:10 impossible. A simple answer can be found in Hebrews 10:24-25, "and let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near". An abundant simple life is based on your attitude, not your finances. An abundant simple life is based on your priorities, not your time. An abundant simple life can't happen with personal excess, but doesn't require great deprivation. As Romans says in chapter 13 "pay your obligations to everyone.....the commandments all are summed up by this: love your neighbor as yourself". Relax and enjoy the ride, it's a simple life because you really are not in control of more than obedience. God is in control. Anything more just leads downhill to stress and unhappiness. As if it was needed to pound home the point, Romans 12:3 cautions "for by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one". How are you using your measure?