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What Time Is It?

TIME MAGAZINE got it wrong…terribly wrong. On December 14, 2011 TIME announced their Person of the Year for 2011 as “The Protester.” Their cover image is below:

Well, it seems to make sense on the surface and looks good too. Yet, there’s something that TIME missed – something beneath and beyond the faces, voices and actions of the protesters – that has been beamed incessantly into the global consciousness during 2011 by every media outlet that could connect to the web. Other media outlets have suggested that “If you protested in 2011 for ANYTHING at all, then YOU are TIME Magazine’s “Person of the Year.” — REALLY?

Stay with me…

Trust and Time

Here’s what TIME dismissed that I discovered. I refer to it as “THE Dis…” – My Person of The Year for 2011. Discretely buried beneath the image of The Protester one discovers a pervasive sentiment that involves a population far larger than those who “protested in 2011 for ANYTHING at all.” 

THE Dis… include the disenchanted, the discouraged, the disillusioned, the disturbed the discontented, the disdainful, the disheartened. THE Dis… includes those who were disengaged from any form of active protest yet, experienced a degree of disgust and disappointment at the disintegration of expectations that they had learned to rely upon for certainty, stability, security and serenity. THE Dis… may not have occupied anything tangible….they may or may not have been participants in the encampments, and the public discussions or the disorder.  Yet, they were/remain dismayed. Not that they were disinterested or dismissive of the disorienting tremors that seemed to displace what one thought one knew. During 2011, disruption, in every sense of the word, seemed to display itself in duration, forms and degrees that displaced hope, trust and confidence. 2011 was a time period when distrust seems to have achieved new levels of dispersion.

In his most recent book, The Price of Civilization – Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity, economist Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University writes:

“We have become a country of strangers. And that estrangement is accompanied by falling trust. Markets cannot overcome the distrust…No significant economic trend in any part of the world leaves the rest of the world untouched…Without trust, there is little chance for coordinated global actions needed to fight poverty, hunger and disease.” [i] (emphasis is mine)

For THE Dis… 2011 was a year when disillusionment seemed to disburse itself without regard to borders, boundaries or birthright. Sociologist Daniel J. Levinson describes the challenge that was pervasively experienced by THE Dis… during 2011 – and shall, in my opinion, remain our challenge in 2012 and beyond. Levinson describes it in the following:

As he attempts to reappraise his life, a man discovers how much it has been based on illusions, and he is faced with the task of de-illusionment. By this expression I mean a reduction of illusions, a recognition that long held assumptions and beliefs about self and world are not true. This process merits special attention because illusions play so vital a role in our lives throughout the life cycle.”[ii] (emphasis is mine).

During 2011, disorientation became a vastly more common, and perhaps intense, experience for the global citizenry. The task of de-illusionment described by Levinson above is not an event – as he states, it’s distinctly a process. For THE Dis… becoming dislocated or dislodged from the fact that long held assumptions and beliefs about self and world are not true is laden with distress. What do you think of an elected governing body that has a 9% public approval rating? (The U.S. Congress) For far too many in the U.S., 2011 contained an ongoing experience of unemployment, stagnant wages, healthcare coverage and costs, rising energy and food prices, shelter, hunger, the costs for education, and homes that are not worth their current mortgage debt. Does this sound mental, spiritual, economic, disruptive and discombobulating? Is a sense of fairness, confidence, the absence of corruption, and a sense of hope fundamental to the human condition and the effective functioning of a democracy? Well, actually – it’s all of that. These are not illusions – they are indisputable facts of human life. They are matters of the soul for individuals, organizations, movements and a nation.

The Alarm Clock:

 Economists George Akerloff and Robert Schiller have said that “we must pay attention to the thought patterns that animate people’s ideas and feelings”…..that, even in the arena of important economic events that occur within human civilization  “their causes are largely mental in nature.” [iii]

Yes, My Person of the Year for 2011 is THE Dis… the year when we were all required to confront our respective and collective disenchantment…with others, with institutions, with circumstance and condition – with ourselves. 2011 is a year when the disempowered discovered their tolerance limits, when the disinterested became engaged, when the dismal, global economic conundrum endured, when the disreputable were dislodged, when the discouraged became courageous, when the disheartened became desperate, when the dislocated and dislodged began to come together. A year when untold precious human lives were destroyed – disfigured – even dismembered – in the process.

2011 is the year when the alarm clock went off. The disillusioned began to embrace the truth that only the process of de-illusionment can produce – an awakening – a recognition that long held assumptions and beliefs about self and world are not true.  Did you find yourself dismayed by the discord, dissension, discourse and disruption in 2011? Well, wake up! You have a planet full of company. The sensations of your soul are not dissimilar to those experienced by the world around you.

Counter Clockwise:

Ok…it’s 2012. I’m concerned. Why?

I’m hopeful that 2011 was simply part of the process of what economist Joseph Schumpeter referred to as creative destruction. Yet, people like to throw that term around without understanding what Schumpeter was really talking about. Schumpeter, as recounted by Thomas K. McCraw of the Harvard Business School, shares the following:

“Destruction, however painful, is the necessary price of creative progress toward a better material life. But the correct sequence is vital: creative innovation first, then the destruction of obstacles that lie in its way.” [iv]

This is my concern for 2012: It’s when we humans destroy as our initial response and assume that the construction will simply appear thereafter – the opposite of Schumpeter’s principle – the result can be catastrophic.[v]

The Dis… as celebrated as it may have been in 2011 – can have unanticipated, destructive consequences. You see, The Dis… can morph. It’s virile and viral nature can endure and replicate into new forms that may continue to plague us. This is particularly true when it morphs into cynicism. As Sachs points out: “When the political and economic situation is as dangerous as it is today, cynicism and loss of time are far more dangerous than they look.”[vi]

History reveals that cynicism is cyclical. I have referred to this phenomenon by creating the term cynclical (sink-li-cal) [vii] Cynicism has properties whereby you always end up in the same place you started. Yet, this phenomenon possesses energy, inertia, and a trajectory; like a whirlpool…round and round and down. Whether you are the originator of cynicism or the recipient of it, it has an energy that negatively impacts all concerned. It maintains the loss of essential balancing reference points and sustains a sense of dizziness essential to preserving the illusion that we cannot make progress; retarding the willingness to expend our energies toward the pursuit of positive possibilities.

If you can relate to my characterization of The Dis… my prayer for you is to consider the implications of how you use your time in 2012 – as productively and constructively as possible. May it be a year for you when innovation precedes destruction. A year when you recognize that your thought patterns are animate – how you think and what you think matters. A year when you accept the process of de-illusionment as an essential aspect of human existence –that long held assumptions and beliefs about self and world are not true. A year when you look back and reflect on 2011, you will seek to muster a renewed sense of trust in both the present and the future. A year when you humbly acknowledge we all have much to learn about change; that “learning how to change requires understanding how we go astray.”[viii]

I will close with a quote from David Brooks:

“The human race is not impressive because towering geniuses produce individual masterpieces. The human race is impressive because groups of people create mental scaffolds that guide future thought.[vii] (emphasis is mine). [ix]

Think about it…the clock is ticking.

NOTES

It’s that time of year….for the last two weeks our snail mailbox has bulged with junk mail from every imaginable (and unimaginable) source. Our digital in boxes are being pounded hourly by every retailer on Earth (Earlier today, my wife had 535 emails in her in-box having been away from her laptop for 10 days). Mail…coming at us from every conceivable source and direction. Heck, we’ve never heard of most of these folks that seem to have our addresses. The mail has become burdensome – a nuisance – a pest. Actually, it’s become primary source of fodder for our recycling bin. It’s in the spirit of recycling ideas that I write today.

You won’t find me in agreement with columnist George Will very often. However, his November 25, 2011 op-ed in the Washington Post is an exception. It seems to me that although the U.S. Congress cannot agree about basically anything that might translate into a comprehensive action agenda for moving this country forward, perhaps we’re  going to forced to chisel out one piece of a solution at a time. Re-engineering the U.S. Postal Service may be a great place to start.

As Will points out in his column, “USPS lost $5.1 billion in the latest fiscal year — after serious cost-cutting. Total 2012 losses may exceed $14 billion, a figure larger than the budgets of 35 states. “

Wow! I mean can you agree that this is unacceptable? If the USPS was a private company, there would be a horde of management consultant types walking around the place examining both the internal operations and the external reality to determine the viability of this outfit. Again, assuming the USPS was a private company, the management consultants would likely recommend one or more of the following:

a. Sell the entire USPS operation to an amalgam of private equity funds.

b. Arrange an immediate injection of very expensive capital.

c. Trim the labor force substantially (see Will’s column – Labor costs at USPS are  at 80% of overall costs.

d. Substantially reduce the daily operational requirements of the enterprise (Translation: reduce the number of days mail is delivered in America).

e. Identify strategic partners who might be willing to take the risk of doing certain aspects of the USPS business model profitably.

f. File a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition to reorganize the whole bag of mail.

From where we sit in our family, we would be fine with mail delivery once a week. Frankly, we’d even go pick it up at a location within a reasonable proximity. We have to go to a USPS location to obtain the postage for outgoing packages etc.

You see, oftentimes, moving forward  requires leaving something behind. It may initially seem like sacrifice, feel strange, uncertain or even uncomfortable. Change is like that. It contains each of the aforementioned dimensions.

Are you willing to sacrifice to move forward together as a nation…or is your commitment to the future of our country just a bag of hot air? Change that involves a sacrifice by all is a notion that will carry the mail for this country. Let’s discard all our unique notions about the inconveniences we may suffer from. This is simply one opportunity to come together and leave behind some notions about inconvenience and sacrifice that are now clearly labeled, return to sender.

You can email or snail mail this to your elected representatives. The operating losses are yours – their mine – their ours – our U.S. tax dollars.  After reading this, maybe you might prefer the USPS to return to sender – your portion of the $14 billion dollars they are projected to lose in 2012.

Fat chance…you can throw that last one in your recycle bin.

Slater, Philip The Chrysalis Effect – The Metamorphosis of Global Culture, SUSSEX Academic Press, Brighton, U.K. and Portland, OR Copyright © 2009 by Philip Slater

Once again, sociologist Philip Slater provides us with a treatise on the metamorphosis of culture – this time – global culture. The book contains a number of little gems. This book is a diamond in the rough regarding perspectives on cultural evolution. Here are a few of my favorites.

Jared Diamond, in his study of failed cultures, observes that what usually decides whether a society survives or collapses seems to be a “willingness to reconsider core values.” P. 5

‘We’re an evolving species…The environment – even social and cultural contexts – can switch genes on and off. P. 12.

Every new culture retains parts of the one that preceded it. p. 27

A cultural system can make people believe the most bizarre ideas – even be willing to die for them, and to kill others for not sharing them. It can transform the most unpleasant kinds of behavior into cherished virtues. P. 29.

Innovation comes from outsiders. Those most deeply committed to, and successful in, an old system will be the last to notice a radically new idea, and will be most resistant to it. When change comes, it’s the outsiders – those uncommitted to the status quo –who are poised to catch the wave. P.53

This desire to cleanse the world of ‘evil’ has led to virtually all the great atrocities of history. P. 74

We’d also have an easier time living if we thought of ourselves as verbs rather than nouns – as events rather than as objects. P.  82

Participating in the evolving Integrative Culture means thinking of yourself as a process. It means thinking of everyone and everything around you as a process. It means becoming a verb. P.83.

Concentration of power equals abuse of power for the only way not to abuse power is to share it. Such concentrations are blood clots in the circulatory system of society. When an artery becomes clogged, blood doesn’t get to the brain or the heart and people have strokes and heart attacks. Concentrations of power and wealth have a similar effect on the body politic. The circulation of wealth, resources, and, especially, ideas, is blocked. In a healthy system, information flows are unimpeded by clots of power or the sclerosis of hierarchy. P.100.

In the old industrial economy workers were expected to be as robotic as possible, and rote training in school prepared them to function well on assembly lines. But in today’s economy the  emphasis is on information, services, invention demanding imagination, creativity, and social skills – diametrically opposite requirements. Adaptation to the future means retooling our schools to make them relevant to the world we live in. p.105.

There’s no way to insulate yourself from the bad things around you that doesn’t at the same time insulate you from the good things around you. A wall protects but it also imprisons. Every fortress is also a jail. p.117.

A lot of wasted energy is required to sustain artificial barriers.  p. 137.

Reading this book is NOT a waste of energy. Invest in yourself – read this book – and bust through some artificial barriers in the process. Like I said – this book is a diamond in the rough and tumble of perspectives on the evolution of cultural change – a perspective distinctly worthy of digestion.

“The old ideas don’t work – and they shouldn’t because they are from  the past – and the problems rushing at us are in the present and are coming from the future.” P.41

If The Church Were Christian – Rediscovering the Values of Jesus by Philip Gulley,  Published by HarperOne, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers NY, NY Copyright (c) 2010 by Philip Gulley.

From the author of If Grace Is True, Philip Gulley does a masterful job in crafting a heartfelt call to re-imagine, reform and rediscover the values of Jesus in how the “Church” carries out its role. Of course, that would include those who claim affiliation with a church (attendees) along with the paid professionals.

This is distinctly NOT one of those church-bashing books.  Gulley has insights on this subject that others have yet to write about.  It’s good — very good. Of course, the observations he makes about the church will be unsettling to say the least for some. However, if you listen for the author’s heart, you will not identify a vengeful motive. On the contrary, I found the writing to be an expression from one who deeply wants the institutional church (and Christians) to truly rediscover the values of Jesus in their respective lives.

Gulley writes: If my hope in this book is the rediscovery of the values of Jesus, it seems odd to suggest the church might not be the vehicle for that regeneration. But if history has taught us anything, it is that renewal blossoms in the most unlikely places. P.8.

This is a man who deeply reveres Jesus. Perhaps that’s the reason for the sub-title to this work. Gulley yearns for a renewal and transformation of both the Church and the Christian. His desire is for Christians to be known by their behavior, as identified by others, as reflecting Christ. He says, The highest compliment we can ever pay anyone is our desire to be like that person. P.27 For the joy of Christian faith is not to be found in the rote recitation of dogmas about Jesus, but in modeling his mercy and love, which alone have the power to transform us and our world.”p.28

Yet, he poignantly characterizes the challenges as well. Listen to the following:

This is the state in which we find ourselves today—judgment and blame are believed by many to be God’s will, the tools by which God’s holy purposes are accomplished, and in that odd equation, coldness is treasured as much as compassion. P. 57

Today, the church is hemorrhaging members, as more and more thoughtful people look outside the church for enlightenment. Efforts to stem this flight are usually superficial, changing the church’s outward appearance but remaining inwardly the same, wedded to a worldview  many have found unhelpful in their search for meaning. Though more and more people seem interested in spirituality, they look less and less to the church as a setting for their search. What if the church began to understand itself as a seedbed of inquiry, as a place where persons could gather to consider what it means to be human? What if the church understood itself less as the conveyor of an unchangeable truth and more as a community of seekers, eager to think, grow, and explore? Pp.110-111.

I have often wondered if some forms of religion couldn’t more accurately be classified as a mental illness, given their power to distort the human mind and spirit. Were one determined to damage someone’s life, I could imagine few things more destructive than regular exposure to some churches. P.32

Bad beliefs persist because the “true believers” who spread them have made dissent unpleasant and difficult. They persist because the popes, priests, and pastors who promise to deliver us from the grip of sin, enjoy the institutional power these myths and doctrines confer. But, chiefly, these negative, pessimistic worldviews persist because we the people have been too fearful and too compliant, too willing to endure the spiritual abuse they engender. P.40.

Gulley cries for reform, renewal and transformation:

It is long past time for the flowering of a life-giving Christianity. Indeed, our future as a race might well depend on our willingness and ability to abandon the Christianity that divides and degrades us so we can embrace a new a new way of thinking about God and ourselves, a spirituality that more accurately reflects the values and priorities of Jesus. Pp. 44-45

In a similar vein to Brian McLaren, Philip Gulley shouts about established religion’s penchant with being an “answer machine.” He suggests an alternative: Religious institutions committed to communal uniformity seldom ask questions. The risk of straying beyond conventional answers is too great. Jesus asked questions because he believed in their power to engage his hearers, and he wanted his disciples to consider the reality of God in other ways, not regurgitate past platitudes that had lost their meaning and vigor. His frequent encouragement for others to embrace a new manner of being reveals a man quite comfortable with independent thought and action, who urged his hearers to flourish and grow and not be spiritually root-bound. Pp.117-118

From an organizational behavior standpoint, Gulley’s observations are insightful:

This might be a universal given with any institution – every organization inevitably forgets the values that inspired its start and focuses instead on its’ own perpetuation. P.123 Anyone who believes in the institutional purity of any Church has not been deeply and thoughtfully involved with organized religion. It is only possible to maintain the delusion of institutional purity by remaining willfully ignorant of the many ways religions have forsaken their core values. This delusion transcends denominational boundaries. P. 124 This blindness to the institutional failings of the church causes irreparable harm, perhaps as much or more harm than the failings themselves. For until we are mindful of the church’s failures, we’ll do nothing to mend them. P. 125 This blindness is perpetuated when the church insists it is not a human institution, prone to error, but a divine institution and therefore, infallible.  What a divorce from reality this assertion requires! P.125

What’s the solution? Gulley has some biblically based wisdom that is difficult to argue with:

To be a follower of Jesus is to choose, at every ethical crossroads, to serve people above structures. P. 137 If the church were Christian, we would do what Jesus did – equip one another to live better in this world and stop fretting about the next one. P.184

What is the theme that seems to run throughout this book? I believe the following is an accurate characterization, in the author’s own words:

The central task of this church would not be convincing us to believe doctrines about Jesus. Rather, it would help us live out the priorities of Jesus – human dignity, spiritual growth, moral evolution, and the ongoing search for truth and meaning. P. 190

I truly enjoyed this book. You will too. It’s as much about the challenge for personal growth and renewal as it is about the necessity for change within the institutional church.

After all, churches, like any other form of organization, are inhabited by us. If we don’t change, the “organization” won’t either. Change from within – the essence of the invitation of rediscovering the values of Jesus – isn’t it?

Photography by Bill Dahl - All Rights Reserved

Jacob Bronowski – The Origins of Knowledge and Imagination, Yale University Press Copyright © 1978 by Yale University, p. 123

A Precious little treasure.

“If we are to live our lives fully and well, we must learn to embrace the opposites, to live in a creative tension between our limits and our potentials.” (p.55).

This candid and revealing little book is packed with eternal truths that each of us need to be reminded about — or learn. Palmer has the unique ability to share the essence of the human condition and the realities and prospects of the spiritual life in this little gem.

The sub-title is “Listening For The Voice of Vocation” — an incredibly timely call for many of us roiling in the midst of this current economic conundrum. Perhaps, times like these can be times we choose to listen — let our lives speak — hear what our souls are saying — and move that way.

This little book is packed with the courage and insights that will assist you on your journey.

Buy three — there are two other people you know who could really be helped by what Parker Palmer has to share.

In these unprecedented economic times , what might faith mean?  Theologian Brian McLaren suggests:

“Faith involves admitting with humility and boldness that we need to change, to go against the flow, to be different, to face and shine the light on our cherished illusions and prejudices, and to discover new truths that can be liberating even though they may be difficult for the ego, painful to the pride.” (1)

From the above, we can see that the faith required to reimagine creating tomorrow today involves a multi-dimensional approach. Let me explain:

(1) It requires admission – a confession, if you will.

(2) The nature of this admission is twofold: it must be humble and bold.

In terms of the humility dimension of this matter, the following from Rabbi Harold Kushner speaks to the heart of the matter:

“being human is such a complicated challenge that all of us will make mistakes in the process of learning how to do it right, then we can come to see our mistakes not as emblems of our unworthiness but as experiences we can learn from. We will be brave enough to try something new without being afraid of getting it wrong. Our sense of shame will be the result of our humility, our learning our limits, rather than our wanting to hide from scrutiny because we have done badly.” (2)

The boldness dimension of the admission is characterized concisely by Senator John McCain. He refers to it as courage:

“Courage (emphasis is mine) is that rare moment of unity between conscience, fear, and action, when something deep within us strikes the flint of love, of honor, of duty, to make the spark that fires our resolve.” (3)

3) In terms of speaking about illuminating our  illusions, most folks can get pretty riled up. Why? Because it causes us to truly examine and evaluate the truthfulness  and practical application of what we have been assuming, thinking and doing. Consider the following from Daniel Levinson:

“As he attempts to reappraise his life, a man discovers how much it has been based on illusions, and he is faced with the task of de-illusionment. By this expression I mean a reduction of illusions, a recognition that long held assumptions and beliefs about self and world are not true. This process merits special attention because illusions play so vital a role in our lives throughout the life cycle.”(4)

(4) Residing comfortably within many of our illusions rest our prejudices. As Dr. King once said:

“There is little hope for us until we become tough-minded enough to break loose from the shackles of prejudice, half-truths and downright ignorance.” (5)

Finally, there’s that issue about what to do with faith. As McLaren defines it, faith is certainly not something the human species is imbued with whose sole purpose is some form of peace of mind, resting comfortably on a couch. No, faith is designed to move us from spectating to participation. The following sums it up quite nicely:

“Whatever our passions and commitments may be, we all face similar questions about how to cross the threshold from passivity to participation, to make our voices heard and make our actions count, and reawaken and sustain our faith in the future.” (6)

So, what’s your response? Once again, the words of Dr. King echo a truth with a poignant, present day application:

“To be honest is to confront the truth. However unpleasant and inconvenient the truth may be, I believe we must expose and face it if we are to achieve a better quality of American life.” (7)

May this writing be one element of inspiration that provides you with the courage to act on your faith to improve the community you reside in.

Reflect on this.

NOTES:

(1) McLaren, Brian Finding Faith, Copyright © 1999 by Brian McLaren, Zondervan Grand Rapids, MI pp.13-14.

(2) Kushner, Harold S. How Good Do We Have To Be – A New Understanding of Guilt and Forgiveness, Little, Brown and Company Boston, MA Copyright © 1996 by Harold S. Kushner, p. 39.

(3) McCain, John In Search of Courage, Fast Company Magazine, Issue Number 86, September 2004, Copyright © 2004 by Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing p.54-56.

(4) Levinson, Daniel J., The Seasons Of A Man’s Life, New York: Ballantine Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Copyright © 1978, p.192

(5) Scott King, Coretta The Words of Martin Luther King Jr., Newmarket Press, NY, NY Copyright © 1983 by Coretta Scott King and Newmarket Press, p. 30.

(6) Rogat Loeb, Paul. Soul of a Citizen-Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time, St. Martin’s Griffin, NY  Copyright © 1999 by Paul Rogat Loeb, p.11.

(7) Scott King, Coretta The Words of Martin Luther King Jr., Newmarket Press, NY, NY Copyright © 1983 by Coretta Scott King and Newmarket Press, p. 89.

“Today, more than ever, we need people with the courage to tell the plain truth. We need brave men and women who refuse to trumpet platitudes, or take stale ideas off the rack. That is why we must cherish those people who have the guts to speak the truth: mavericks, whistle-blowers, disturbers of the public peace.

Hamill, Pete Words Worth Fighting For, Fast Company Magazine, Issue Number 86, September 2004, © 2004 by Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing p.90-91

“The walls of the echo chamber can sometimes keep out fresh voices and new ways of thinking.”

—-Barak Obama 11-26-08 – CNN.com