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Importance of Investing in Real Knowledge

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin, circa 1777 by Joseph Siffred Duplessis; image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, in public domain

Benjamin Franklin reportedly said: “If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays best interest.”  This particular quote emphasizes the importance for an individual to acquire knowledge at any price. In some ways it is analogous to Christ’s teaching from the sermon on the mount:

 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6: 19-21, KJV)

Both were teaching that there are things that are more valuable than material wealth. Whereas Christ was teaching the supremacy of spiritual things, Franklin raised the flag of intellectualism. However, it seems both teachings were lost on much of American culture for the first 150 years of this country’s existence. The predominant, driving force in the United States from 1776 until 1929 was materialism, the accumulation of wealth and material things.

Beginning in the 1930s, American society in general started transitioning from an industrial society to a new type of culture where value was based on technology, information and the use of information. Fritz Machlup was the first economist to popularize the term information society. Following in his foot steps, Peter Drucker was credited by BusinessWeek with the invention of the science of management. In 1966, he was the first author to give currency to the terms knowledge economy and knowledge worker.  A knowledge economy is an economy in which growth is dependent on the quantity, quality and accessibility of available information, rather than the means of production.

from Presenter Media

By the year 2000, the concept of the knowledge worker had  permeated all levels of all industries. Drucker can easily be seen as a disciple of Franklin…put your money in knowledge. In 2004, in Handbook of Business Strategy, Vol. 5 Iss: 1, George Elliott wrote: “Cognitive excellence: our people are our most important asset.” A year later, Baruch Lev, director of the Intangibles Research Project at New York University Stern School of Business, stated that “people are the most important asset of most companies.” Not only their knowledge, but the people themselves had become assets. This set off a firestorm of arguments. Are people to be treated like material resources?

However, in the 21st century, people are not the only intangible assets. In Lev’s earlier work, he demonstrated that in 1980, the total value of many international corporations was fully accounted for by their tangible assets. Today, he estimates that 80 percent of their value is tied up in intangible assets — brands, patents and trademarks. Note, that he didn’t mention people or intellectual property.  Franklin seems to be right. Investing in knowledge, both by individuals investing in their own knowledge and by corporations investing in their employees’ knowledge, pays off most handsomely.

I can’t argue with the main premise of Franklin’s maxim. However, I do think that today we take, and even Franklin in his day took too narrow a definition of knowledge. Franklin was placing his emphasis on “head” or content knowledge. I want to broaden the scope of knowledge to everything that can be an answer to the question, “What can I know?” How many different ways do we fill in the blank in the phrase, “I know ________.”

How many times have we said:

  1. “I know something.” This is the content knowledge of a subject matter. This is what many of our school teachers asked us to learn.
  2. “I know how to do something.” This is a skill that we learned or could do instinctively.
  3. “I know what I like.” These are the values that I hold dear.
  4. “I know myself.” This is personal knowledge that we generally believe that we don’t learn, but just know.
  5. “I know that person.” This is social or relational knowledge.” Sometimes this knowledge is very deep and intense. Other times this knowledge is superficial at best, and is said to be a “nodding acquaintance.”
  6. “I know God.” This is very personal and is on a different level from the material or physical world. This is spiritual or supernatural knowledge.

These six types of knowledge constitute whole or real knowledge. In another post I will more fully examine the six types of knowledge and how one can obtain such knowledge. In the meantime, like the television advertisement suggests, now is the time to start investing more in your future.

 

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Four Lessons from FIve Verses

Memorial Day 2016; courtesy of blogspot.com
Put on the armor of God; courtesy of blogspot.com

I begin this post with a note of thanks to our pastor for the Memorial Day service this past Sunday morning. To begin the service,  Rev. Greg Wahlberg, of Calvary Baptist Church, York, PA  used the introduction to the “whole armour” passage of Ephesians as the call to worship.

 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-13, KJV)
The scripture reading for the day was one of Paul’s most powerful exhortations to his protege Timothy. In the first five verses of the second chapter of his second letter to Timothy, Paul, as a father figure and mentor, delivers a persuasive message to the young pastor.

Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.  And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. (II Timothy 2:1-5, KJV) 

Soldier carrying another soldier, both in full gear; courtesy of warriorshepherd.com

In this short, grand, thought provoking passage of just 5 verses, Paul teaches us at least 4 potent lessons. Pastor Wahlberg used the lesson from II Timothy 2:3 & 4 as the theme of his message, entitled “The Good Soldier.” In these verses, we are told that the good soldier must endure hardness and avoid entanglements:

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. (II Timothy 2: 3 & 4, KJV)
This principle goes to the core of training and standard operating procedures for soldiers through out history. Paul certainly endured hardship in his life as a soldier for Christ. In the 11th chapter of II Corinthians, he recounted many of the hardships he faced.

Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;  In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. (II Corinthians 11:25-27, KJV)

Why is it necessary for a soldier of the cross to train so hard? It is difficult enough to face an enemy across a battle line from your own forces’ entrenchments. However, today we find ourselves in enemy territory. When you are behind enemies lines, you must fight a war of resistance. We must be part of the resistance facing three formidable foes: the world (outside forces), the flesh (inner influences) and the devil (a stubborn adversary).
Christians are constantly fighting the world and its prevailing cultural current. These outside forces would like to dominate and mold our thoughts. Christians must stand firm for what is right and be guided by a set of principles that is higher than those of the society about them.  “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world..”  (I John 2:15a, KJV)
Because of Adam, sin entered into the world. The sinful nature is passed down from generation to generation. Each of us is born with an inner foe, a heart that is inclined to sin, or rebel from God. The flesh has bent to reject authority, especially the authority of an all-righteous God. The answer to fighting this inner foe is to rely on God’s Spirit which He has given Christians.  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16, KJV)
Satan as a roaring lion; courtesy of apologeticswithme

Since Satan fell, he has continually battled for the hearts and minds of humanity. Scripture paints two very different pictures of Satan. One is that of a frighting, roaring lion. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8, KJV). If this were the only version of Satan that we saw, most of us would be scared straight. However, the devil also goes around as an angel of light.  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light  (II Corinthians 11:13&14, KJV).

Satan as an angel of Light; Snare of Light; courtesy of blogspot.com

This collection of enemies is impressive and daunting. How can we possibly overcome them? Only by hard training and reliance on the power of God. After the third temptation by Satan, Jesus admonished him with this rebuke:  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Matthew 4:10, KJV)

I began this post with the claim that there were four lessons in these five verses from the second chapter of II Timothy. We don’t have the time or room to fully develop the other three lessons in this post. I will just give you a hint at what’s coming in future posts. The second lesson is found in II Timothy 2:2, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”  This is God’s four-tier pyramid plan for the “edification of the saints.”.

The third lesson is found in II Timothy 2:5, “And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.”  We can only “win” if we do it within the rules. For the fourth lesson we return to II Timothy 2:1, “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”  There is definitely a lesson dealing with it means to being “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
Please stay tuned for more powerful and insight lessons on Christian life from II Timothy.

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American Higher Education is a Sandy Beach

Who pays what in this new paradigm?” This is one of the provocative questions that I raised in my recent  post The Paradigm of Surviving and Thriving. However, since American Higher Education is a complex system, there are many questions that need to be considered before we should even draw the conclusion that the current system even needs changing. If it is in need of changing, we must then determine the appropriate changes and who is responsible for implementing those changes.

Some of you are already asking why in the world would I, as someone who has spent more than 50 years intimately engaged in higher education, suggest that we need a new paradigm for American Higher Education? What’s wrong with the current design? Before I get to the topic of changing American Higher Education (AHE), I should start by describing the current state of AHE. I begin with a picture. AHE is very much like a sandy beach.

Shifting sands at Tentsmuir; image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and geograph.or.uk
Sunset at Crystal Cove Beach; image courtesy of wikipedia commons
Eroded beach castle on unidentified beach; image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

What were your thoughts as you looked at these pictures? My thoughts were that a sandy beach is an excellent metaphor for higher education. A beach can be a safe and secure place. It is often a desired destination for sailors at sea looking for a place of rest and safety, and a place to replenish their supplies. I find a sandy beach an inviting place to sit, relax, stare across the water and reflect on many things, including my own existence. One thing about a sandy beach, which is also very similar to higher education, is that it is never the same from one day to the next. The winds that naturally blow off the waters toward land and the waves breaking on the shore from the action of tides and storms move billions of grains of sand each day. Those sand castles that are painstakingly built in the wet sand left as the high tide slowly ebbs into low tide, are quickly eroded away into a mound that bears little resemblance to the original. The participants in AHE can build their little castles and silos, but the shifting winds of academic disciplines, all levels of government, public sentiment and the general economy can gnaw away at those once beautiful edifices. Sometimes the changes come gradually, when they are caused by gentle breezes and the endless cycle high and low tides. Sometimes the changes come quickly, especially when they are caused by storms. Not all storms are the same, and not all storms have the same intensity. Gentle rain with almost imperceptible wind will produce small changes that can build up over time. A severe storm can wreck havoc in a very short time., leaving behind irreparable harm. We are reminded of this by Jesus as he taught the multitude:

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. (Matthew 7:24-28, KJV)

 

Storm damage from Hurricane Ivan at Pensecola,FL; image courtesy of Jocelyn Augustino, FEMA, and Wikimedia Commons

When you live in a storm zone, you make plans for many different eventualities. When a storm is imminent, you don’t have time to make plans. You may only have time to react. In the case of a catastrophic storm, you take the precautions necessary to save people first. We are reminded of this by David in the Psalms: “I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.” (Psalm 55:8, KJV) Property is secondary. Property can be replaced. You can rebuild in the previous location, or a new location. There have been a number of storms to hit AHE. I can’t say that we have always had good contingency plans. We have not always reacted in a timely manner to hazardous conditions. We have not always built our castles wisely in terms of location or design.

This is just some introductory thoughts that will lead to a series on the American Higher Education system, where it is currently, where it should go, how we’re going to get there, how many much it is going to cost, and who should pay for it. In the meantime, find a nice, deserted beach. On a clear morning, go down to water’s edge and take in the beauty of the sunrise. As you meditate there on the beach, you should also pray like David in the Psalms, “Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” (Psalm 5:3 KJV). Spend that time getting right with God, and being transported to another place. Then you can sit down, reflect on things like AHE, and enjoy the moment, with the only noise coming from the waves on the shore line or the mews, keows, ha-ha-ha-ha’s and huoh-huoh-huoh’s of sea gulls communicating with each other. Don’t be surprised if the keows of the gulls start sounding like the noise from that last committee meeting.

Sunrise at Virginia Beach, VA; image courtesy of Rae K. Hauk and Wikimedia Commons

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Who Are My Neighbors and How Can I Love Them?

In my last post I noted that my next post would answer the question, “Who are my neighbors?” As I began to fill in the outline that I had developed for my post, I discovered that I needed to answer a second question: “How can I love them?”

Loving someone with whom we are very close, like friends and family, can be hard. However, at least 10 times in Scriptures, we are told to love our neighbor.  The obvious questions are: “Who is my neighbor?” and “What does it mean to love my neighbor?”

Jesus answers both of these questions in the Luke 10 record of the encounter between Jesus and an expert in the Jewish law,

23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.  25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. (KJV)
from Presenter Media

Jesus, knowing that the lawyer was asking Him  a “gotcha question,”  turned the question back around to the lawyer.  Jesus replies, “You’re an expert in the law. How do you read it?”  This exchange reminds me of one of the modern talk shows where the host grills a guest with tough questions asked to catch the guest in a contradiction or lie.

from Presenter Media

 

 

The lawyer is trying to paint Jesus into a corner from which he can’t escape without stepping on the fresh paint.

from Presenter Media

However, Jesus turns the question back on the lawyer. The lawyer is now so unsure of how to proceed that he kicks over the can of paint, trapping himself.

Is the Old Testament more neighbor friendly than the New Testament?  In the Old Testament, there are more than 120 references to neighbor or neighborhood; while in the New Testament are only slightly more than 20 such references.  The lawyer’s response refers back to Leviticus 19:18,

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord. (KJV)

For the 1400 plus years between the time of Leviticus and the time of Jesus, Jewish lawyers and rabbis were continually debating the question asked by the lawyer: “Who is my neighbour?” Most of the strict constructionists said that because the first half of Lev. 19:18 only referred to the children of Israel (“the children of thy people”), the second half should also only refer to the children of Israel. These strict constructionists taught that Israelites had no responsibility to love Gentiles.  Many taught that the Israelites had a responsibility to avoid Gentiles completely. In fact, this allowed the children of Israel to despise anyone who wasn’t a “full” child of Isreal. This was carried to the extent of excluding any Israelite who married outside “the faith”, and any “half-breed children” that descended from such a non-sanctioned union.

from Presenter Media

In His response to the lawyer’s answer, Jesus completely reverses the course of the strict constructionist’s view that neighbor only referred to other Israelites. HIs answer swam in the face of almost all of mainstream Jewish thought of more than a millennium.

Actually how did Jesus answer the lawyer? He tells a story about “a certain,” unidentified man being attacked and severely injured by thieves. In this story, three individuals, two Jewish religious leaders and an unidentified Samaritan, encounter this unfortunate attack victim . The priest and the Levite do nothing to help or even acknowledge the “half dead” individual. Then a member of a hated group of half-breeds, the Samaritans, comes along. This good man not only stops to see if he could help the unfortunate victim, he goes out of his way to get the victim extra help. Jesus then puts the lawyer on the spot with the question of the moment,  “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?” The lawyer is caught in his own trap. It is obvious that the two Jewish officials who did nothing could not have been neighborly. However, the lawyer could not bring himself to even say that a Samaritan could be a good neighbor. The lawyer responded, “He that shewed mercy on him.” Then I can see Jesus looking straight at the lawyer and with emphasis saying to him, “Go, and do thou likewise.”

Image from Presenter Media

So to answer the foundational questions: Firstly, who is my neighbor? It is any one in need with whom I come in contact.

from Presenter Media

Secondly, how do I love them?  I provide the help that they need. It might be a hand up to help them get on their feet. It might be a shoulder to lean on to help them get around. It might be a roof over their head to give them shelter. It might be a meal to help nourish them. It might be medical assistance to help heal them. It is whatever they need that you can provide.

The point of most parables is to force the audience to place themselves into the story and figure out how to respond. So here’s the question to you: Who is your neighbor? and How should you love them? From this Good Samaritan story, we now have hundreds of Good Samaritan hospitals and shelters run by service agencies, offering love and aid to the needy. We also have hundreds of state and local laws, known as Good Samaritan laws, offering legal protection to individuals who in good faith come to the assistance of another individual in dire need. Paraphrasing the question from an old television game show, “Who do you love?”

My post next week asks the questions: Is there a difference between ethics and ethical behavior? Can we mandate ethics, or is our best expectation compliance at the behavioral level?

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Facing Down the NIMBY Dragon with Humor and Scriptures

Although most NIMBY situations are very serious affairs to the local communities involved, individuals outside of the fray can often find humor in the midst of the tension and fiery passions of the antagonists. My next four posts are NIMBY scenarios with some of their humorous aspects front and center. I have tried to be humorous or witty even in the titles of the posts. The first two posts present real NIMBY scenarios with which Inhaber deals in his book, Slaying the NIMBY Dragon.  The second two posts concern NIMBY situations which are not real, but are realistic enough to sound real. I did not originate these two scenarios. I have done an exhaustive search for the originators. However, my searches have come up empty. If someone knows from where these scenarios came, please let me know so that I can give credit or blame to whom it is deserved.

I know full well that humor is not always the most appropriate way in which to deal with problems. Therefore I will end my series on NIMBY situations with several posts that look at NIMBY through the lenses of scripture and faith. What do scriptures say about the NIMBY attitude? Is it ever justified to invoke a NIMBY approach?

My first humorous NIMBY post is entitled: Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch. It concerns the State of Tennessee against the United States Department of Energy over a low-level nuclear waste dump to be sited near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Oak Ridge was already the site of a nuclear laboratory and a nuclear power plant. The whole economy of the Oak Ridge region was built on nuclear science. The overwhelming majority of the residents of the Oak Ridge area were in favor of placing a nuclear waste dump in their town. Where did the Department of Energy hit a snag?

My second humorous NIMBY post is entitled: Never Underestimate a Group of Irate Senior Citizens. It deals again with the United State Department of Energy attempting to build another nuclear waste dump. This time the proposed dump is in Allegany County, New York, a very rural area, that had few populated areas. It seemed perfect for a nuclear dump. The DOE did all their homework. There were no geological problems which which they needed to be concerned. The land was only farm land and therefore should be cheap to acquire. What went wrong?

My third humorous NIMBY post is entitled: What Makes a Better Neighbor, a Prison or a University? The seed for this post was planted many years ago during a dinner conversation at an academic conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I don’t remember the names of the participants. However, I know one was an individual from a New Mexican institution. Another attendee at the table made the observation that there were no four-year state colleges or universities in Sante Fe, the capital of New Mexico. The person from New Mexico chuckled and said that this was an ongoing debate in the state that degenerated into a very biting joke. The joke was: “Why did Albuquerque get the state university and Santa Fe the prison? The answer: Santa Fe got first pick.” In this post I will dissect the advantages and disadvantages of both prisons and universities as neighbors.   

My fourth and final humorous NIMBY post is entitled: Which Would You Find More Acceptable in Your Back Yard, a Toxic Waste Dump or a Murder of Crows? I know many of my readers are saying “Who would want a toxic waste dump in their back yard?’ Many are also saying “Who cares about crows anyway?” This question turns on a play on words in the phrase, “a murder of crows.” The scientific term for a group of crows is “flock.” However, the literary or poetic term for a large group of crows is a “murder.”  But the play on words doesn’t end there. The word “crow” is a derogatory word for a lawyer. The seed for this post was planted by a joke on a late night television show just after the super fund toxic waste dumps were identified. The joke started out with the comedian reminding people that New Jersey had the most super fund toxic waste sites. He then continued by pointing out that the District of Columbia had the highest concentration of lawyers anywhere in the United States. He concluded the joke by asking, “How come New Jersey has the largest number of toxic waste dumps and Washington has the highest concentration of lawyers? Obviously, New Jersey got first pick.” In this post I will analyze why New Jersey leads the nation in toxic waste dumps while Washington leads the nation in lawyers.

Although laughing at the foibles and silliness of others may make us momentarily feel good, it is ultimately not the best solution. Not every problem can or should be solved with humor. Sometimes we must be serious, and go back to the foundational values of our culture. Christians are suppose to turn to Scriptures to find their values. God’s Word should be the basis for our actions. There are three passages of Scriptures that jump out at me in terms of talking about how we should treat our neighbors, and who are our neighbors. I will divide these lessons into three posts.

The first post will deal with the familiar parable of the good Samaritan. The second post will consider another of Christ’s lesson about how we should treat the poor and unlovely. The third post considers the passage about the two Great Commandments.

My final post on the teaching of Scriptures concerning NIMBY situation examines the question, “Are NIMBY and Scriptures completely incompatible?”  Is it ever okay to stand up and say, “Not in My Back Yard”? We will look at a couple of Old Testament examples and a very prominent one from the New Testament involving Christ’s actions in the Temple.

 

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The Edamame Menace Part II: Boutique Mentality

In Part II of The Edamame Menace, I begin looking at the concept of the Boutique Mentality, a riptide cultural phenomenon that is sweeping across the world dragging millions of people into waters that are way too deep for them.

In today’s world we are being acculturated to develop an insatiable desire for expensive things. Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded with shows of wealth, luxury and exclusivity. We can’t escape it.

This constant pressure is overwhelming families from every social-economic status. Elementary school aged children must have designer shoes and jeans. If they don’t have the latest, greatest fashion, with a famous name splashed all over it, these children claim they will be ostracized by the other children in their school. Never mind the fact that these very expensive shoes will have to be replaced two or three times during a school year because children, in the course of being children playing on paved playgrounds, are very hard on shoes and wear them out quickly. In addition to these shoes breaking down, it ignores the fact that their feet will grow one or two sizes during the school year, Personally, I find it reprehensible to pay for holes in new jeans that would naturally appear through the hard wear. However, many responsible parents will not permit children to engage in childhood play in these expensive jeans. “You’re not wearing those jeans outside to play in and get dirty.

However, parents are not immune from the same marketing pressure as their children. Conscientious parents who want to help their children get ahead socially or educationally in school, get caught up in the brand name frenzy, and buy into every fashion or technological fad that comes along. Every elementary school child must have his or her own game boy and smart phone. If you don’t have a facebook page by the time you’re twelve, you’ll never be part of the in-group or A-crowd.

So that their children do not lose out academically in school, these parents buy the latest technological advances and educational add-ons . They pay for tutors to help their prize children achieve their full potential. Private music, dance lessons, and summer camps for high achievers are in great demand.

The pressure is intensified when the students reach Junior High School. Now they must have the latest, in-vogue sneakers or boots, and the most recent fashion releases from their teen-age sports or music idols. Fads are sparked by celebrities appearing on television. The fans must look just like their idols. So they have to have the brand name clothes. Only the authentic will do. They “wouldn’t be caught dead, in any cheap imitation.” They must also have the expensive pit tickets to their idols’ concerts. You’re not part of the action, if you get stuck in the balcony or have to wait to see the concert on the DVD or the pirated Youtube video.

For the boys who want to be sports stars, their sneakers must bear their sports idol’s name. This generally means it must come from an exclusive and expensive store, a sporting boutique. We are continually sold a bill of goods. “It is the shoes that makes the kid jump higher and run faster.”

This is the American dream. There’s one problem with this dream. It is a reality to only at most 20% of the American population.  For the rest of America, it’s really only a nightmare. Far more than half of the American families only see pictures of this life style. They have no opportunity to participate in it. Their family incomes are at or below a subsistence level of living. The cities they live in are falling apart, taxed to the max, and wracked with drugs and crime. Their schools are bankrupt and in disrepair.

In the next posts in this series, I will speak to what happens when children reach high school and college age. Unbelievably the pressures don’t decrease. They only intensify. What happens when young adolescents find themselves under the gun to succeed in a world for which they are not prepared?

Later in the series, I will also speak about the pressures on adults and organizations, including churches, schools, corporations, governments, and the health care industry. Where can we turn for answers and remedies? I am reminded of the modern folk classic “Turn, turn, turn.” written by Pete Seeger, who relied extensively on Chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes.

 

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to build up,a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time of love, a time of hate
A time of war, a time of peace
A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing

To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time for love, a time for hate
A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late

It seems to return us to the last line of the Shaker hymn, Simple Gifts, “Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.”