What do we fear?

"For the LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying, 'Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. But the LORD of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread." Isaiah 8:11-13 (ESV)

Isaiah wrote this over 2,700 years ago! We have either abaondoned God or replaced God with the image of humankind. We weep and lament for the injustices in our society but refuse to turn to the source of true justice. We want to administer justice from a place of anger and hatred. But justice must flow from righteousness, and none of us is righteous. (Romans 3:10)

"None is righeous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to decive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes." Romans 3:10-18 (ESV)

Repentence before God must precede our journey towards justice. As long as there is one who believes that they are more right than another justice will not be served. We must repent and acknoweldge the source of justice that exists outside of ourselves.

Isaiah asks the question in 8:19: "Should not a people enquire of their God? We enquire of God by turning "to the teaching and to the testimony" (v.20). Jesus said that the teaching and the testimony were summed up in two commands: Love God with all your heart, soul and mind; and love your neighbour as yourself (see Matthew 22:37-39).  

If God's word does not turn us towards loving God and others, we will continue to "pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry." And being hungry (spiritually) we will "be enraged and will speak contemptuously against [our] king and [our] God" (Isaiah 8:21).

Eugene Peterson wrote in As Kingfishers Catch Fire: "Biblical prophets and contemporary biblically formed prophets are immersed in the present, what is going on in the present truly but maybe not obviously." If we can bring our focus to the present we may begin to understand what is needed for justice to be done. If we continue to look to the past and to humanity for justice, we very likely will continue to experience 'distress and darkness' and 'the gloom of anguish' (Isaiah 8:22). 

A positive influence

In 2008, my creative mother gave my brothers and me a branding iron. This brand came in a nice wooden box and it was crafted in the shape of our initials. Accompanying this wonderful gift was a letter. It encouraged us to leave our mark on something or someone, to do something that would leave the world a better place than we found it.

We are now over a week into 2012 and many of us may have made resolutions to better ourselves. These resolutions may have come in the form of goals intended to improve our physical appearance, emotional state, mental abilities, or professional status. These goals are all important and I have set some of my own in these areas. But life is short and in light of some recent events, I have given myself to serious contemplation about how the goals and priorities we set may influence the lives of those people around us – our family, co-workers, and community. 

Family

Firstly, I am going to focus on family. I love and value my family, but they are often the ones that get neglected while I am working at pursuing my goals and ambitions. We must make the conscious choice to cherish our family. They may infuriate you and drive you to despair, but they are the only family you have. Learn to get along and support each other. If you can do this, even when you do not see eye to eye, you will learn a lot about being mature and this will help you in your relationship with others. In many cultures, the family group includes children, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. This is something that has been lost to great extent in Western cultures. Although they still exist, the break down of the nuclear family has cost us a great deal. Let us not be afraid to look to other cultures for the lessons they might be able to teach us about the importance of family.

Workplace

Secondly, we spend most of our lives working with others. At work it is easy to focus on our job responsibilities and career advancement. For those that are goal oriented, this sometimes means that we focus on our careers at the expense of others. If making someone else look bad makes us look good it is just the price we pay to get ahead. You may work for a terrible boss or (if we are honest with ourselves) we may admit that we are terrible bosses. For those in this category it is not too late to learn the ‘soft’ skills required to be a good manager or boss. If you are a manager you have within your power and influence the ability to make the lives of your employees wonderful or miserable. It is easy to make our employees lives miserable. All it takes is for us to decide that we want things done our way. A 2009 survey conducted by the Ministry of Economic Development found that New Zealand had some of the worst managers in the world. This is not good news for our employees who we depend on to get things done. Improving workplace culture is almost solely in the hands of the management. But making these changes often means that the manager has to learn and adapt. In 2012 I plan to focus on helping the people I work with to perform to their fullest potential. This may mean that I have to get out of the way. 

Community

Finally, there is room for me to reach out to others. I have always had a passion for politics and community service. My view of politics has always been altruistic – people making personal sacrifices in order to serve the greater good. Unfortunately this is not what politics is like. As with all things there are exceptions to every rule, but it seems that in many cases politicians focus on what they can get out from their position and influence. In contrast, community service is something entirely different. Community service is about helping others, being dedicated to local causes that help local people. These acts of service usually go unnoticed and unrecognized by the wider world. But that doesn’t seem to matter to those involved. They seem content to do what they love to do all while helping others. If you are not already involved in your community, consider in what ways you can get involved in 2012 to be a positive influence.

Further Reading

Coleman, J., & George, B. (2011, December 30). Five Resolutions for Aspiring Leaders. HBR Blog Network. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/12/five_resolutions_for_aspiring.html?cm_mmc=email-_-newsletter-_-leadership-_-leadership010512&referral=00206&utm_source=newsletter_leadership&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=leadership010512

Hart, S. (2011, October 15). Management training below par. NZ Herald. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10759111

Daily Mail. (2012, January 3). Why natural leaders make bad bosses. NZ Herald. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10776492

APA formatting by BibMe.org.

Grassroots change

America is in trouble.  From where I sit, the President and Congress have lost the ability to make the fundamental changes required to restore stability to the America.  Too much political will and influence has been squandered on saving face, jockeying for position, and trying to capture (or re-capture) the White House in 2012.  Wake up folks.  The prize isn't the White House.  The prize is a country that continues to function responsibly.  If America misses the present opportunities to show real leadership, I fear it will be a long time before the balance of political and economic power sways back its way.  If there isn't a sense of urgency about this among the American people then a huge opportunity is going to be lost.  Throughout history, major change was accomplished, not by the ruling class, but by small groups of discontented citizenry.  Although a corrupted form of capitalism has seemingly trumped democracy in America, the majority still holds more voting power than the ruling elite does.  Americans at the grassroots can still make a difference in this present situation.  In fact, making a deference isn't optional.   

John Kotter (2008) argues that for any change to take place a sense of urgency needs to exist.  To the Baby Boomers who hold a tremendous amount of power and influence, I urge you to use these assets to make sure that there's an America for the next generation.  For the X, Y, and Millennials, we need to work with the Boomers to face the challenge that few generations have faced before - the restructuring of a society and culture.  In 1862, Abraham Lincoln said to Congress:

The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate for the stormy present.  This occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion.  As our case is new, we must think anew, and act anew.  We must disenthrall (set free) ourselves, and then we shall save our country."  

Those words were spoken in the middle of the American Civil War.  The country was divided over philosophical and moral differences about where the country should go.  The country is again divided over philosophical and moral differences.  This time, the war isn't being fought with guns but with money.  The country is struggling over where it will go in the future.  No country has ever survived for long with out a robust middle class.  When the divide between rich and poor becomes too great, the country disintegrates.  This is a defining moment for America.  The middle class has been gutted.  It seems that they are waiting for a political saviour to rescue them.  Guess what?  That's not going to happen.  The Tea Party cannot fix this issue, nor can the President or the Republicans and Democrats in Congress.  It's an issue that needs to be sorted out at the grassroots.  I think Lincoln's words provide us with some good advice on what we should do.  We need to think and act anew. 

Vote everyone out of Congress

This is a radical and revolutionary idea.  Kotter (2008) suggests that first tactic to bring about needed change is to bring the outside in.  The present Congress has shown that their experience counts for nothing.  They have been unable to call upon what they know because they learned it in a world that is vastly different from the one in which we now live.  This occasion is piled high with difficulty and it requires us to think and act in new ways.  We don't need experience in Congress; we need people who can think for themselves and for their constituency.  Elected officials are not there to build a career and lifestyle for themselves.  They are there to represent your interests.  If the American people can call and write to their elected officials in record numbers and still have Congress do the opposite - then its time for them to be shown the door.  I saw a billboard on the CNN website that said: "You can't fix stupid, but you can vote them out of office."  The current Congress doesn't know what to do because their experience has them trapped in the past.  What worked yesterday isn't going to work today.  

Identify someone YOU know to run for the office

The current political system requires those who run for office to receive an endorsement from the party.  This endorsement usually means that the person has jumped through all proper hoops; they've put in their time.  But a person who has spent this much time trying to impress the king makers is hardly going bit the hand that puts them in office.  From the grassroots levels, we need to start identifying people we know and trust.  People who love the country and want to see things change for the better.  This isn't about Republican or Democrat; but about finding Americans who will serve their country out of a sense of duty.  These people will be hard to find, but they're out there.  It's not impossible.  Their primary ambitions shouldn't be to become life long politicians, or to win re-election.  They should be dedicated to rescuing America from its current crisis - or to die trying.  These people should not only think differently, they should act differently.  

Do something - ANYTHING!

Apathy isn't going to change anything.  Neither will giving up on doing good and making a difference locally.  The system may be broken but it can be fixed.  Too many have been distracted by the consumerist lifestyle.  We're busy trying to pay the bills and keep on top of the everyday things of life.  We're too busy to get involved.  We need to make it a priority to save the democracies in which we live.  If we've enjoyed the life we've had in the land of the free, we need to ensure that future generations can continue to do the same.  I recently read two quotes in Tom Peters, The Little Big Things (2006).  

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.  Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." - G.B. Shaw, Man and Superman

Whenever anything is being accomplished, it is being done, I have learned, by a monomaniac with a mission." - Peter Drucker

Don't adapt to the world any longer.  Stop doing things just because that's what others do.  Moreover, get a mission for your life.  If you don't know what your purpose is, find it!  

Works Cited

Kotter, J. (2008). A sense of urgency. Boston: Harvard Business Press. (Amazon)

Peters, T. (2006). The little big things: 163 ways to pursue excellence. New York: Harper Studio. (Amazon)