August 28, 2024
Leadership Notes
I’m thinking about designing a graphic-T that says something like, “I Survived Heat Dome 2024!” What a week, especially after the fall preview we had last week. I guess it’s true – global warming is going to kill us all. Fear gene engaged.
If my candidate doesn’t get elected, democracy dies. Ignore the fact that we’re not a democracy. That statement makes no sense to me at all. Your person kills democracy…mine doesn’t. Or my person kills democracy… yours doesn’t. Fear gene engaged.
Building more nuclear power plants could really help our electricity conundrum. But Chernobyl. Three Mile Island. The China Syndrome {oh, wait, that’s a movie}. Doesn’t matter. What is the best argument against nuclear power? Seeing a three-eyed fish on an episode of “The Simpsons” doesn’t count as a legit answer. Fear gene engaged.
Remember four years ago when a deadly plague was sweeping the nation? Remember when fifteen days to slow the curve became over a year of draconian measures and violation of civil liberties? Remember when we went from “Pro-choice/keep the government out of our bodies” to “You must receive this hastily designed and improperly vetted medical procedure if you want to be a part of society”? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Fear gene engaged.
In breaking news this week, the current administration pressured social media companies to censor American’s conversations and access to information about Covid. You must understand, it was to save lives. Fear gene engaged.
Someone once said, “Anyone sacrificing freedom for a little security deserves neither.” Are we entering an era of reimagining the classic observation from Descartes = “I think, therefore I am arrested”?
Make no mistake. I’m not advocating for any particular worldview outside that which is faithful to Biblical theology. We all know that fear is a powerful drug. We also know that there’s nothing wrong with free and open conversation. Even when information is wrong or makes us uncomfortable or is inconvenient. Let free people exchange, process, and think about information and ideas as they see fit. This freedom is the only antidote to statism.
The Bible says a lot about fear. Here are but a few examples:
Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 56:11 – “In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
Faith in Jesus Christ deactivates the fear gene. Also helpful is curating a sense of humanity and humor. As Viktor Frankl once observed:
“It is well known that humor, more than anything else in the
human make-up, can afford an aloofness and an ability to rise
above any situation, even if only for a few seconds.”
Finally, as we navigate our way through life, never forget:
FOR A CHRISTIAN, THIS WORLD IS THE ONLY HELL THEY WILL
KNOW. FOR THE UNBELIEVER, THIS WORLD IS THE ONLY
HEAVEN THEY WILL KNOW.
Always of Good Cheer,
Richard
P.S. Breaking news…Sloth Fever hits the U.S. {And we’re not talking the revival of the beloved character from the 80s classic film, “The Goonies.”}
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