I was reading in Proverbs today, something I try to do everyday–you know there is a chapter of Proverbs for every day of the month–and I pray for wisdom. In chapter 18, verse 18 it says “Casting the lot settles disputes, and keeps strong opponents apart.”

Some observations:

1. It’s not about who is right or who is wrong, winning or losing, its about deciding. There may be a clear right or wrong. There may be many shades of gray. Or it may just be a mess that we can’t really untangle. Whichever the case, the “issue” has everybody frozen. All forward motion has ceased, and when the herd isn’t moving forward the individuals in it tend to stand around and pick on each other. The objective is to move forward, and the rendering of a decision—right, wrong, offensive to all or none—at least gets it over and allows everyone to move on. I’ve won cases and I’ve lost them. The important thing is they are in my past.
2. Casting the lot doesn’t really require much skill. You just have to roll the dice, or flip the coin. In ancient thought there was the idea that God controlled how the lot fell, and certainly I think He could, and sometimes does, but I also think that sometimes the lot just falls the way it falls. It is not ours to control how the lot falls, it’s ours to cast it—to make the decision—so that everyone can get unstuck and move forward.

Personally, I get stuck sometimes. I want to win. Particularly when I am sure I am right. And, I try not to get “at issue” with someone unless I think its a big deal and I am sure I am right. Sometimes I even want to punish someone, because frankly, I think they deserve punishment and I can even create a very valid Biblical argument that well justifies our meting out punishment to an erring brother.

My guess is that many people get sucked into this quagmire of right and wrong and punishment. And that’s rarely the point.

We’d all be better off if we could let go of winning and losing, of right and wrong, and focus instead on making the decision that allows everyone to move forward. Forward motion holds the reward. Whether they like it or not, Wisdom moves people forward.

Cast the lot. Settle the dispute. Make the decision. Say “Earl, you pay me to give you advice. Should I give you advice that will make you angry, or only advice that you want to hear?” If he says he doesn’t want advice that will anger him, that’s forward motion. You have now discovered someone who should not be your client. YOU can move on! But if Earl says he’s willing to hear, then tell him it’s time for him to move forward and not waste time and energy on what happened back there. “Settle the dispute” in his MIND. That may be the only place it exists. The opposing party may not even know there is an issue.

Ultimately, the best thing you can do for a client is provide them leadership that gets them unstuck and moving forward!

(Sorry guys, this article isn’t about what you thought it was about. But hey, the title worked—you’re here. So read on!)

An article in this morning’s New York Times laments “The Great American Cleavage,” the fact that—as indicated by recent elections—there is increasing political, religious and philosophical polarization in America these days and fewer of us in the center. My casual observations would support that notion.

My Republican friends are more overt in their strident Republicanism and anti-Democrat taunts while my Democrat friends……..oh wait, I don’t have any Democrat friends…….well, there is Kurt Wolfram, but I think he’s faking it just to keep everyone on edge….and then there is Jessica Spragg, but if we didn’t have her to rib who could I joke with…….well, at least the Democrats I see on TV, hear on the radio and read in the paper seem to be shrill-voiced, angry, even nasty in their demeanor. But then. my Republican friends are similar with perhaps only a touch more patriarchal gentility in their tone. One emailed me just this week after he’d seen us out on a carriage ride (see how genteel we Republicans can be—-carriage riding. How quaint!) during which he’d asked “Are these Republican horses?” and told me he knew they were Republican horses because they hadn’t left any crap on the streets. (Kinda funny. Worth a slight rim-shot on a snare drum and a minor harumph.)

That’s what its come down to, those with different philosophies have become caricatures instead of people.  The unthinking and vociferous manner in which we attack each other personally—because we don’t want to do the heavy intellectual lifting of thinking through what we believe, understanding what they believe, comparing, contrasting and then vigorously debating the philosophy with which we disagree—has created a national divide unlikely to be repaired. It’s simply easier to Jerry Springerize the conversation than it is to think and talk and challenge. Yet, Isaiah says the people of God are to be the restorers of the breach. So we who call ourselves His ought to at least be thinking about how to shift the tone so we can become thermostats that control the temperature of dialogue rather than thermometers that respond to it.

I believe the reason we’re divided is that we don’t know who we are. WE don’t have a culture anymore. Every individual has become a culture unto himself. We’ve heightened individualism, dummed-down morality, and reduced the teaching of who we are and where we came from. It’s no wonder we are confused as a people.

Let’s be honest, it’s gotten to where the Jaywalking segment on the Tonight Show has gone way beyond being funny that people don’t know basic things about America’s history, geography and politics and has instead become a sad indictment of our country. I propose a few ideas that might turn the tide.

#1. Let’s teach history & geography in school. Students should learn how civilization spread from it’s Middle-Eastern and North African cradle across the European continent to become what America is today. Students should learn about the oppression of autocratic government that led pilgrims to risk everything for the simple opportunity to be free. The should learn that freedom is an implicit gift from God and with it comes immense responsibility. They should be taught, challenged, and expected to step-up and embrace their responsibility to God, to humanity, and to the country. They should learn the unpopular lesson that WE is more important than ME, and be tested, drilled, challenged, and coerced to prioritize the good of the group over the good of the individual.

#2. We’ve got to require intellectual heavy-lifting. Our population has been over-run with intellectual midgets, not because they don’t have capacity, but because learning and thinking is hard-work. I’m no intellectual heavyweight. I’m kind of a middle-weight. I’ve met some heavy-weight thinkers and wow! They were impressive in their ability to bring together world history, cultural philosophy, economic reality and cultural plurality into cohesive thoughts about where we are and where we needed to go. We need to turn off the damned TV (curse highly intentional), pick up a book, learn, think, and converse. We need to challenge each other and learn the skill of argument. Puny intellects who refuse to attempt meager progress in their ability to think will necessarily be relegated to a position of inconsequence.

#3. English. That’s where we came from. Not everyone who settled America or has immigrated here came from English speaking countries but they all came in pursuit of freedom and opportunity that America provides. That opportunity rests on a foundation of rebellion, yearning, and risk taking that our forefathers embraced in order to create what is America. English is our language. In order for a team to win they have to establish a common lexicon of words that have meaning so that when the someone says “x” all the things that “x” means come to mind. It happens that in America we express “x’ in utterance that is labeled English. Embracing English is part of the package of embracing America.

Lest you think I am being inappropriately English-centric, you should know I am learning Spanish because I’m involved in missions projects in a Spanish speaking country and when I go there I know that I’ll be more effective if I learn to speak their language. The fact that people argue against this is beyond absurd, it is idiotic. In America English is the language, moreover it is the language of commerce in the world. Speak it.

#4. Pull your pants up, learn to say “yes, Sir; yes, Ma’am; please; and thank you.”

Those are a few of my starting thoughts. What are yours?

Is there anything you believe, that is worth putting your life and reputation in jeopardy for?

At what point will you object to moral corruption being forced upon your children?

Will you object if babies are killed in hospitals AFTER they are born, like they are now in the weeks prior to their birth?

Will you object to cultural indoctrination of overt homosexual ideology?

Will you object when clear teaching from the scriptures you hold sacred is classified as hate speech?

Will you risk being labeled as politically incorrect?

At what point will you risk to speak?

Will you defend what you believe with your life? Your sacred honor? Your reputation?

At what point will you stand and speak up?

Wrong thinking reared its ugly head on the front page of the Springfield Business Journal recently. An article in the September 13, edition entitled Diversity in Development and subtitled A 92-percent-white Springfield poses problems for economic development demonstrates just how weak-minded even strong and well-respected leaders can be. The article posits that Springfield is the second least diverse metropolitan area exceeding 400,000 in population (in the nation, presumably) and that companies that have diversity as a corporate value see Springfield as a “non-competitor.”

Let’s stop and think about “diversity” as a corporate value. Hmmm. What economic value is there in diversity? How does diversity result in the creation of more or better widgets or whatever your company produces? How does diversity increase the level of service your company provides to customers? How does diversity make you a better corporate citizen? How does diversity increase your company’s return to shareholders? How does being more diverse make you better?

If diversity is better, shouldn’t the NBA diversify and sign some short guys, and shouldn’t the NFL sign some skinny guys, and shouldn’t the football team have more girls and shouldn’t the volleyball team have more boys?

This notion that diversity is a value to be cherished or pursued is weak-minded. It comes from the elite who relish lecturing us on what’s wrong with us, but who really have no idea what our significant issues are and have even less notion about how to solve problems. In most all areas of human endeavor, diversity simply isn’t a problem—except in the minds of those who want to remake everywhere into their superior notion of what utopia should look like.

Springfield is mostly white. The 2008 census says its 92.4% white. That’s just a fact. The corporate elitists and Chamber of Commerce members who want to make it a problem are engaging in anti-white prejudice. They are saying “too much white” and “too little color.” They’ll be the first to tell you that we shouldn’t judge a man by the color of his skin but by the content of his character. Why then does the fact that Springfield is 92.4% white matter?

It doesn’t.

Can you imagine the Chamber of Commerce in Detroit saying “The problem in Detroit is that our population is 87.7% black—-we need more white folks to increase our diversity.” Can you imagine going to Laredo, Texas and saying “The fact that Laredo is 94% Hispanic poses problems.” The uproar would be instantaneous and vociferous! And you’d be called a “racist” for your suggestion. But when the shoe is on the other foot and a similar thing is said about our Springfield, we yawn and look the other way. Why? That’s the genius of freedom that makes Springfield work! You can say whatever you want here, and many lunatics do. Its a freedom that should be replicated, not denigrated.

I don’t know why Springfield is so WASPy. Other parts of Missouri aren’t. The Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas have significant non-white populations. Many parts of North Missouri have black residents. I’d venture to guess that the southern part of Missouri is white because our ancestors were independent minded rebels, loners, hunters, fishermen, and trappers. In the Mississippi and Missouri River watersheds the soil is better for farming and thus entrepreneurial-minded agriculturalists established large farms and plantations empowered—at one point in our history—by slave labor. The ease of river travel brought racial and cultural diversity to the state’s two major cities that didn’t happen in the isolated and rugged terrain that is the Missouri Ozarks. Instead, much of the lower half of the state was wooded frontier land. It was settled by folks who just wanted to be left alone, and to subsist. They didn’t settle large parcels, but small tracts of land. They ate off the land. For the most part they didn’t have jobs, they had lives—meager ones at that—supported by what they could scrape together. It made for a hard, rugged, life of individualism and freedom. There was virtually no economy. No employment. Not much for anyone to do except get by. The people were called hillbilly. They didn’t have slaves. Who’d have wanted another mouth to feed? (If they could have figured out why their women kept turning up pregnant and creating all those additional mouths to feed on such meager rations, they might have even stopped having sex.)

Though improvements in transportation and technology have opened the doors of our parochial enclave to the rest of the world, the belligerently independent mindset of this region remains ingrained in our politics. Taxes are fiercely low. Most of us who live here are suspect of those who don’t, particularly those who work in Washington, D.C.

Missouri’s 7th congressional district (bordering Arkansas, Oklahoma & Kansas) hasn’t sent a Democrat to congress in over 50 years, and the 8th district which extends across the south-central and south-eastern parts of the state has a similarly Republican tendency. For better or worse, this is Bush-McCain country. Clinton, Kerry & Obama aren’t at home here. Sarah Palin is a heroine and some think Hillary Clinton is the devil. That’s not a political statement. It’s a fact. Just like its a fact that 92% of the population of Springfield is white. It’s not something to be cured. It’s not a disease. It’s not a problem. Its an “is.”

I grew up in a very backwoods part of the world in Stone County, Missouri in the 1960’s and 70’s. There were no Jews in our county. Our neighbor, also the local Sheriff, made sure black folks knew to be across the county line before dark. There was only one Catholic family in our town and we were all suspect of them. So I come by my rednecked-ness honestly. Lest you think that prejudices me today read my blog post of June 9, 2010 entitled London: Thoughts on Race and Prejudice. And, you need to know that just this morning my pew at church was “taken” by a group of Chinese students (how dare they…everybody knows I sit on the middle aisle, row 2, stage right) and that one young Chinese woman shared a wonderful testimony of what God was doing in her life after which I thanked her in my very limited Chinese “Xie Xie” (SHAY SHAY—-for you hillbillies). She laughed and replied in Chinese and I quickly had to tell her in English that I was “out of words.” But I did appreciate her story and wanted to greet her in a way that was human, loving, and emotionally engaging. What better for her 10,000 miles from home to hear a big, white, hillbilly speaking to her in her native tongue?

You should know that the company I own has employed minorities. I can only think of three that ever applied, and two were hired. One still works for us today. That’s 66% of minorities who applied that got hired. White folks don’t have nearly that good a record with our company, so maybe I am prejudiced against them. Who knew?

My next door neighbor is from Korea. I can’t understand much he says, but he’s a good guy and we share a bit together. He asks me what treatment to give his livestock when they have “juicy poop.” (I wish you could hear him say that with an Asian accent. It’s a riot!)

I’m not all lathered up about protecting the white man’s spot. I am all lathered up about people missing the point and failing to understand what does and doesn’t matter, what should and shouldn’t be our priorities.

My point in all of this my friends, is to say that Martin Luther King was RIGHT! It’s NOT about the color of your skin. It IS about the content of your character. It’s NOT about the accent with which you speak. It IS about the values you affirm including individual freedom and self-determination in an atmosphere of right behavior and right thinking. Where we disagree on the definitions of “right” in terms of behavior and thinking it is about persuasive reasoning and passionate logic articulated amid respectable dialogue.

If diversity means welcoming, then I’m for diversity. If diversity means recruiting and posturing to assuage our guilt for the great life with which we’ve been blessed, if diversity means being different for different’s sake, then I think we leave well enough alone.

Does Springfield need to be better. Undoubtedly. Everyone can improve, and so can everywhere. But does Springfield need to be “less white”? Not necessarily. Those who think so have been sucked in by wrong thinking, and they’ve all together missed the point.

When I was growing up, I was always admonished to “use good judgment.” But it seems like judgment has fallen on hard times. More and more I’m hearing people speak of “not being judgmental.” It sounds good at first, but if you think it through it doesn’t ring true. Growing in knowledge and wisdom should result in the development of one’s judgment, and once developed it ought to be used.

In recent decades our culture has grown soft. I wonder if avoiding judgment isn’t just a way to sidestep uncomfortable truth. It’s become fashionable to “suspend judgment,” especially if using your judgment might be deemed to hurt the feelings of another. And, in the softening culture, anytime we express our disagreement its seen as an opportunity to exhibit hurt feelings. Maybe we should toughen-up a bit.

I advocate “hardening” of our feelings—-not to the point of insensitive oblivion, but to the point that we can navigate through daily life without our emotions being hurt by the littlest slight. Get the chip off your shoulder. Life is tough. People say things. Not everybody agrees with you. But that’s doesn’t necessarily mean you should change your opinion. Maybe you are right and should stand on your conviction. However, if unchecked the  softening culture will tempt you to give in so you don’t hurt anyone’s feelings. That’s weak-mindedness. Don’t let it overtake you.

You can be judgmental without being ugly. In fact, you can be overtly gracious and kind, and still be judgmental. But even then, you’ll offend because weak people don’t like truth accompanied by strength. Don’t let that dissuade you. There is life in truth.

Think deeply. Train yourself to think soundly. Develop your judgment. Then don’t be afraid to use it! The world needs your sound-minded judgment.