Harmony and Expectations

I learned of two concepts over a decade ago when I read the book For All Eternity.  Both ideas have stuck with me this long so I value them.  As I have moved professionally into a management role I have deliberately attempted to analyze my thought processes and how I come to solutions, that I may teach this to others.  While I have these two ideas in my mind I thought I would share them.

All frustration comes from unmet expectation

It is a simple sentence but it helps identify where frustration comes from.  Going in more depth it also enables you to control your frustration, or at least manage it to some extent.

If all frustration comes from unmet expectation.  When frustrated you can analyze which expectations were not met.  Once you identify the expectation you had you can then ask yourself if that expectation is reasonable or not.  If it is reasonable then your frustration is merited.  If it is not reasonable your frustration may be useless and hopefully you can laugh it off adjusting your expectation.

Harmony is the product of being different together

We each have different talents and gifts.  I believe this and think it is doctrinally sound.  Some management books encourage homogeneity and getting everyone able to do everything but I instead try to encourage those around me to lean into their talents. I think it important to facilitate this harmony then get out of the way of the talented people I work with.

In the home I find it very important to teach my kids to strive for a harmonious atmosphere.  I want each of them as individuals to shine in their own way, and not to overwhelm or crowed out each other.  My 3 oldest are all girls and they each have such different yet beautiful personalities.  If I as a father just view them all as a group of "my kids" I am missing the true individual beauty of each child.  When we have harmony in the home I find it literally a small slice of heaven.  Harmony is not always achieved obviously but it is also not a stranger.

Applying both principles

When I combine these two ideas I find a powerful tool.  One of the things that drives away the harmony is frustration.  As I teach my kids to better articulate the cause of their frustration, identifying their own expectation and determining/negotiating what is reasonable we find a way to get back to harmony.  The very harmony that lets each child seek what they desire and find what interests them while still articulating expectations.

In business it is a very similar process, finding what you expect and articulating that is a big step in being satisfied with your work and with others to be satisfied with you.  On a team you have the increased complexity of finding harmony in our efforts for the product.  When expectation is clearly set out for the team each individual starts to get a clear picture of what part they have in the success of the team.

For my friends who understand the SSH I add this:
I find this very useful in helping those undecided individuals with gamma leanings to naturally perform more as deltas.  It's not just posturing to get what you want from people but instead it's finding what secret frustration exists that push someone to the secret king attitude, but instead helping them resolve those frustration, then filling the frustration with purpose.

When to stand.

I am writing this post in response to 2 blog posts I read today that can be found here:

• https://blog.jeffersonkim.com/2020/01/virginia-gun-protests-dying-for-your.html
• https://blog.jeffersonkim.com/2020/01/larpers-want-you-your-family-to-die-for.html

I do not know the author and these posts are the first time I have frequented his blog.

In the first blog post he stated clearly that standing up for his rights (specifically gun rights) is not important enough to die for.  He rationalized his position with the idea that his wealth is not tied to the land (his wealth is mobile) so if threatened he would just leave.  He gave further importance of not throwing your life away when you are a father.

In his second blog post he illustrates his lack of understanding of community and how the US is clearly being invaded by immigrants.  He went as far as to claim he is one of them due to his parents immigrating from Korea.  He states:

"The precious 2nd Amendment won't save you against the demographic shift. The greatest invasion in human history has already occurred and you are living in occupied territory.

Tyranny of the masses trumps your gun rights. Tyranny of the masses already has brought you and your children to their knees. (When I say, "you," I'm referring only to the white, male land owners who would have had voting rights prior to the 1850s.)

I am part of the invasion. I took one of your white-women to bear my children. My parents invaded your lands from Korea. The Koreans price you out of the neighborhoods with the best school districts. They take your placement in high-end Universities (or they would if the Jews didn't push them out). They take your high-tech STEM jobs."

It has been interesting to see his perspective, and I pity him.  He is a man without a home or family.  From what I have gleaned through his blog (which I have not read all) it sounds like he was divorced not long ago.  To me it sounds like he is living in a form of Hell but he has also turned to/found Jesus Christ and is finding comfort in Christ's healing balm.

"I would run away"

Would you die for the right to bear arms?  It's a simple binary answer yes or no.  The question however is not exclusively binary.  It is situationally dependent.  For example if police enter your home to remove your arms, you can fight yes, possibly killing or being killed.  If you have faith in the judicial system you may choose to submit to the local authorities and then resolve the problem through the legal system.  There are a lot of scenarios that could play out.  Stating "I don't think most people in the rally would actually be willing to die for their gun rights" (in reference to the Virginia rally) Mr. Kim has imposed the extreme example to each of the people who were in attendance.  To what gain has he made this cowardly assertion?

The question "would you die" is incomplete.  It jumps to the end without context or understanding.  It's as if you want to read the final chapter of a book without know what else is going on in the story.  You can do it, but you are lost.  You get the same question from churchians in the form of "Would die for your faith", "Would you die for Christ", "Would you take a bullet for Jesus" and what not.  When put to the test the answer should be yes, but the question is very rarely relevant.  A more relevant question is, "are you living for Him?"  The people in the Virginia rally are living for their rights, which is currently what actually matters.

When you take the question from a different view point such as "Would I be willing to die to make sure my kids can defend themselves?"  it gives a different perspective.

There are two virtues that are put into what appears to be conflict.  One of bravery, and one of preservation.  Bravery requires you face danger for what is morally right. Preservation requires that you keep yourself and your family safe.  They are both virtues but the question is to which do you yield?  When given no context but imposing an answer ("would you die for__") you get LARPing.  To state categorically that you would not die to protect the right of your family to protect themselves solidifies the fact you are a coward because you can't envision a scenario in which bravery is more important than self preservation.

The ironic thing is, bravery sometimes is the only way to self preservation.  You dying for your children's rights to defend themselves is one such case.  Simply running away not only shows your cowardice, but it puts your children in worse danger eventually.

Question: Why is me leaving a place that is mistreating me bad for my kids?

It should be self evident but this is completely dependent on the situation.  In the general case of gun control here in the United States the purpose of our second amendment is to limit the government not give rights to the people.  The only way to limit government is for people to have leverage over the government and being armed is very effective at this providing leverage.  Simply running away not only shows your kids it's not worth fighting for (and if your kids are intelligent/mature enough they will despise you for this similar to how Mr. Kim despises his parents) it also prevents them from being able to defend themselves from tyranny when they have to.  Bravery provides the means to preservation.

This being said, if your kids have not been raised and instilled with these values they may erroneously despise your bravery, but that is that again is likely the fault of the parents not raising instilling bravery as a virtue.

"Fancy Pants and Lollipops"

The idea that wealth (mobile or not) makes it so you can leave when there is trouble sounds appealing.  When wrapped with protecting your kids you can almost make it sound noble, almost.  Instead what it is doing is using your kids as a shield for your own cowardice.  "I can't stay and fight for what is right cause I got my kids."  The problem is you leaving also hurts your kids.  Again this is situationally dependent, but to make the blanket statement that most people would do what you do is just a little boy looking for justification in his way of thinking and finding excuses for cowardice.

Question: How can my wealth being mobile be bad for my kids? 

This depends on many things, but wealth (especially in reference to the fiat currency we use today) is only as valuable as people think it is.  I am not exactly trusting of the public education I was given but one thing I remember was the difference between a depression and hyper inflation.  In a depression the poor gets poorer and the rich get richer.  In hyper inflation everyone gets "rich" resulting in everyone being poor, save those with actual capital.  Is capital mobile? Not usually.  You may be wealthy now, but if that doesn't translate into value it does you no good.  Even if you have capital now, it is very hard to predict what will be of value.

The value from mobile wealth does not stand on its own, but is still dependent on the land.  In the simplest and most basic sense to eat you have to buy food.  Food is grown/raised from the land.  The same can be applied to many "mobile" industries.  Tech especially is a perfect example.  I would suggest reading the book Anti-Fragile to get a better understanding of what I am saying.  Mobile wealth traveling from place to place is still dependent on someone who has created value from the land.  If they are not willing to sell you what you want what will you do next?

Question: How can you ensure the cooperation of those around you?

No man is an island, we want to stand on our own and be self sufficient but it's very unlikely that we will do so.  To handle this we build a community.  When someone needs help, we pitch in and help them, and when we need a hand they do the same.  Building a community is more than just living in a neighborhood or a specific suburb.

My wife is from a city of millions.  She lived years without knowing or ever meeting all the people in her own building (a 10 story block).  Her first reaction after we were married and moved to where I am from (a town with 2 stop lights) was pretty funny.  Her only experience with small towns was from scary movies where people got cut up and hidden in the woodshed.  After a few years of living in a much smaller area we went out for a walk one night in a field and she told me she had never experienced silence.  She loved it.

Early in our marriage in this town I was going to school, working full time and we had 2 babies at home things were tight.  That Christmas we were struggling financially.  We looked at our situation and realized we couldn't purchase anything for Christmas for our kids.  They were 2 and 1 and wouldn't remember so we accepted it.  One night when we got home there was a box on our door step where our neighbors had put gifts for not just our kids but for all of us, clothes food, more than we would have envisioned for ourselves for Christmas.  We didn't ask or even tell anyone that we weren't planning on Christmas, but a community sees what people go through and it pitches in where it can.  That Christmas changed me in ways I can't describe to you.  It made me a better person.  It made me a better Christian.

When times get tough we see both the best and the worst in people.  If you always pack up and leave you will miss this, you will be blind to it and not value it.  I suspect no amount of explaining can substitute the experience itself.

My experiences are my own I only share them with Mr. Kim to help illustrate the importance of taking part in a community and not being as a leaf blown around by the winds of chance.  To be fair I don't know his situation but he clearly doesn't seem to value community enough to be willing to fight for it.

A Nation

If anything the second blog post has fortified in my mind the need for true nationalism.  I do not hold to any idea of racial superiority but every people deserve their own home.  Mr. Kim's parents may have improved the economical setting of his upbringing but they have also taken him from his home.  Worse he does not understand the giants who's shoulders he stands on.  My nation developed as a high trust Christian (not Judeo-Christian) society but that society has been invaded and a general trust in others is often taken advantage of and used against you.

Christ taught his 12 to be "wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." (Matt 10:16).  My nation has rejected this in their fear of being called "racist", "bigot", "homophobe", "xenophobe", and other words designed to prevent men to discern evil that they may stand against it.  Many in my nation have turned their backs on God, they have lost faith and despair.  They turn to the prince of this world through addictions of drugs, pornography, lust, and fear.  They watch media that is misinforming and manipulating them.  But they are not the majority, they are simply a part.

My nation is as strong as their faith in God.  Churches that teach doctrines of man, mingled with scripture draw close to God with their lips but their hearts do not approach him. Even so when heard they listen to the Gospel.  You have seen how silly things like "no nut November" start satirically yet resonate with the youth of my nation.  The very light of Christ what I consider Logos is rising.  You say I live in occupied territory and there is truth to this, but I look at you as a tool for God to remind my nation for what they stand.  I stand strong, my children know who they are and my family, my community and my nation will bend the knee to Christ and none other.

Escalation

I made a video about the power of escalation.

Hope you enjoy.

Not Even People

I use to wonder how people in America accepted the practice of slavery.  These people had left for religious freedom hadn't they?  They were "Good Christians" weren't they?  They were willing to fight the strongest army in the world to ensure freedom to the common man.  How does this love for freedom justify enslaving an entire group of people based on the color of their skin.

I'll tell you how.  They let slavery slip through their moral code because it was convenient.  They lied to themselves by creating a blind spot claiming the curse of Ham taught that the negro were not "real people."  If the negro is a sub-human, then it is the "real human's" job to take care of them.  They needed to feed and shelter them.  They needed to train and discipline them.  To breed and cull them.  Just as a sheep farmer culls the sick from their flocks, or the dog trainer house breaks the dog? Who would get mad at this?

The best lies help us feel better about the worst in us.  Those slave owners could go to church and listen to Christ's teachings "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me" and not feel guilty about the slaves they had, because those slaves weren't "real people."  As a country we wised up.  We stopped lying to ourselves.

Today it's common to think we can resolve our differences if we are just tolerant enough with each other.  If the north and south tried that slavery would never have been abolished.  Instead we had a civil war because some things are worth fighting for.

At least we don't have anything as obviously evil anymore.  We are much more enlightened and civilized in today's society.

I have a sister who is 7 years younger than me.  We were close growing up.  I had the front row seat to see her touch on the world.  As she grew and began interacting with those around her she had a special way of making everyone feel welcome and happy.  She sometimes had kids her age make fun of her, but her charm and compassion usually won them over.  Her smile with a simple hand placed on your arm or nod with that twinkle in her eyes seemed to melt even the coldest hearts.

She was mischievous.  From a young age she would try and sneak out usually take our little brother with her.  He was 3 years younger and always up for the adventure, even while still in diapers.  Our neighbors got to know very well when Emily was up to no good,

Before Emily was born my mom had troubles with her doctor.  Being so young I didn't pay much attention to the emotions, but I do remember a few events.  I remember seeing my mother crying and asking her why.  My mom tried to explain to me what it meant when the doctor suggested she abort her unborn fetus.  I was puzzled because the idea of abortion had never entered my mind.  How can you just take the baby out isn't that what you want to do anyways?  What do you mean you cut the baby up first wouldn't that kill it?  I remember thinking it was some sort of joke and no one would actually do that.  I think it was my father who told me later that the doctor actually told my mom "If you don't abort that baby you are a bad and irresponsible parent."  You see, my little sister Emily has  Down Syndrome.

I don't think my parents considered the doctors advice for a second.  There was no way they were going to kill their baby girl.  As a 7 year old I thought it was just a dumb doctor and couldn't really imagine someone doing that to a little baby.

Growing up I didn't think of that doctor much.  I now have my own kids.  The thought of that doctor infuriates and disgusts me.  I am grateful that my parents were fixed in their commitment to their children, and to my little sister Emily.

My heart breaks for those girls who aren't married and weren't expecting a baby, scared and looking at the life that grows inside of them as a "problem."  The thought of them being talked into abortion by a doctor, boyfriend or someone claiming to have their "best interest" in mind breaks my heart.

In that doctor's defense a fetus is not a "real person" until the fetus is viable right?  At that point it's just a clump of cells right?  After all it was my mom's body right?  If it's not planned for, then that baby could ruin the life of that girl right?

The best lies help us feel better about the worst in us.  The main argument for abortion "a fetus is not a real person" is the same argument used for slavery "A black person is not a real person."  Abortion is the slavery of our day.

I will fight those who promote abortion.  If you encourage and support abortion out of convenience, you are the slave holder of today, and you disgust me.  Some things are worth fighting for.

The Written Word

Lately I have been going through the book "A Patriot's History of the United States" by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen and they mentioned something interesting.

The government started incentivizing news papers.  They made it so cheap to transport newspapers that people could get ahold of a newspaper much easier than they could books.  This may seem like a little thing but the effect was much larger then you would think.

Historically the people who could read learned to read from great text.  They read The Bible.  They read Aristotle, Plato, and Shakespeare.  Anything that was read, had to be good quality otherwise no one would take the time to record, pass along and pay for it.

Newspapers were so cheap that for the first time people were learning to read without any sort of deeper foundation.  This gave incredible power to the news outlets who were heavily dependent on the US government for the provided incentives.

As I was thinking about this I thought of how twitter, though it is valid for any form of social media, is the natural evolution of this problem.  There are other steps between, but look at the state of our public discourse.  There are conversations where both parties are saying what they view as self evident truths but there is no common foundation to build from.

A common foundation of enlightenment principles built our society.  If we are unwilling to invest in learning about them through the bible, through great literature and philosophy then you are unequipped to propagating our culture and society to future generations.

If you don't know where to start, go to church.  Find a church who teaches from the bible directly.  Find a church that teaches you how to be a solid individual first, becoming better for yourself before you try to solve other's problems, or societies problems.  Faith in God is the first step in building a better society.  In the absence of faith hedonism rules.  Where hedonism rules, society crumbles.

God bless

Fred.

Classifying the Classifieds

Imagine you are standing on the top of a ladder installing a ceiling fan.  You finished the wiring and start to mount the fan.  When you go to screw it in you find you have the Phillips screwdriver instead of the flathead screwdriver you thought you had.  Now you have to unwire everything and undo your last 20 minutes of work.  You had a screwdriver but the mistake in getting the right type of screwdriver was a pain, wasted time and made you feel dumb.

A Person is much more complex then a screwdriver.  Attitudes, goals and opinions all change constantly.  Over time some traits or attitudes are cultivated while others are culled.  The only indicators we have to help us understand the people around us are:

• The words they say
• The way they say them
• The actions they take
• Their body language while taking those actions

Trying to understand each other is difficult.  Communication, though imperfect, gives us a small glimpse into the intent of others.  Even trivial interactions are daunting when we don't understand each other.  Life would be so much simpler with a guide book or instruction manual.

Many books on sales, leadership, self help and parenting provide a solution to imperfect communication.  They often hinge on the idea of classifying people into a set category, then treating them in a designated manner.  Motives can be sincere or manipulative in these classifications.  Many classifying systems have been inspired in one way or another by the work of Carl Jung, one of the fathers of modern psychology.

100 years ago Jung worked on Personality Types calling it The Model of Typology.  He developed the idea of introversion and extroversion though he defined it differently then people use it today.  Jung used it to represent our focus.  Introverts focus on the "inner world" and extroverts focus on the "outer world."  Introversion and extroversion were coupled with personal interaction and could not be experienced in isolation. A simple example of how I understand this introversion/extroversion paradigm could be this:

• Your neighbor says to you "Nice hair cut."
• An introverted focus might begin to think of the things that make the haircut nice.
• An extroverted focus might begin to think of what things the neighbor notices.  

Along with an introverted or extroverted focus Jung identified four orientations of how take in the world: thinking, sensation, intuition and feeling which he referred to as function.

It was an attempt to make a system that helped understand where and how people focus their attention.  According to Jung a person can focus towards any orientation, but each person typically has a primary and an adjacent secondary orientation or lens through which they see the world.  I found  this a good overview of his theory.

In the 60's Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Myers were seeking a way to group individuals into a set of classifications when they found Jung's theory.  Realizing it was much more developed then their current system they utilized it to develop a test to assist in classifying people.  The Myers-Briggs test attempts to classify people into 16 distinct personality types based on preference.  In essence it creates a grid then places each person within a given box on that grid.  There is also the caveat that each person contains a little of each box, though that is difficult to retain while focusing on classification.

Businesses especially gravitate to the Myers-Briggs classification methods when seeking ways improve employee interaction.  Having this classification system lets you get to know someone well enough to place them in a box, then you know exactly how to interact with them, without investing the significant time it takes to get to know the individual.  If both parties are playing the same game, they can interact very well very quickly.  It is also not offensive because all boxes are portrayed equally important.  If all are important there isn't a "best" or "right" personality trait,  just different traits.

It may be attractive to order the world into classifications making sense of the vast variety of individuals without the need to personally know them. We won't be able to personally know everyone, however strict classification has side effects and pitfalls.

• Classification ignores the life experiences and personal choices of the individual.
• You may never actually get to know the individuals because you assume you already understand them and stop putting forth the effort to understand.
• Treating someone as a type of person instead of an individual may:
•  Provoke them to act unnaturally or insincerely preventing you from getting to know them.
• Cause the cultivation of traits unnatural to that person.  To a child this could have life long effects.
• Acting as a type of person will cultivate in you the attitudes and characteristics of that type.
• Classification has a diluting effect on the value of natural traits.  In specific situations one trait will be preferential to others.  Under the assumption that all traits are equal but different a trait's value for the given situations is discarded.

Jung never intended for his work to be a classification system saying "...the opinion has got about that my method of treatment consists of fitting patients into this system and giving them corresponding 'advice.'"  His typology is "...not in any sense to stick labels on people." His typology is for "...the organization and delimiting of psychic processes that can be shown to be typical."  He clearly took steps to prevent the oversimplifications of individuals within classifications even going as far as to say:

"Although there are doubtless individuals whose type can be recognized at first glance, this is by no means always the case.  As a rule, only careful observation and weighing of the evidence permit a sure classification.  However simple and clear the fundamental principle of the [opposing attitudes and functions] may be, in actual reality they are complicated and hard to make out, because every individual is an exception to the rule."  (quotes can be found in the above link on Jung's theory)

Loose classifications may be a good crutch while getting to know someone, but to have a personal relationship more depth is required.  It requires deliberate active listening to that person.  I do not think I can overemphasize this.  As you listen you learn the values that others hold.  Instead of figuring out how they tick, you begin to understand what moves them.  As you see the world through their eyes it will help you identify and celebrate the differences you have or make clear when and why you want to distance yourself from that person.

The world is full of people who have their own perspective and experience.  Perspective led them to think and see the world the way they do.  If we put forth the effort to listen we may learn from others.  If we open up and share something we know we might teach them something that can better their life.  Try to act as though everyone is your superior in at least one way then try and figure out how.  On the flip side be confident regardless of who you are around because you probably know something they haven't yet learned.

Fred Christensen

Additional references I enjoyed while writing this.:

http://www.petergeyer.com.au/library/CG_Jung_MBTI.pdf
https://www.psychologistworld.com/cognitive/carl-jung-analytical-psychology
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers%E2%80%93Briggs_Type_Indicator
https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-jung.html

At What Cost?

America, 

  

Filial Cannibalism, the act of eating one's young.  This tendency has been observed in many species, such as Wolf Spiders, Polar Bears, Hamsters, cats, and many fish, insects and birds.  The practice is hard to justify from an evolutionary standpoint and harder comprehending from a social or moral standpoint?  Would you try it on your kids? 

  

In America we make choices that, though aren't as forward as filial cannibalism, might lead to a similar outcome.   Before I get started let me tell you a little of my situation,  I am a 26 year old college student, with a wife and two beautiful girls (ages 1 and 2).  I go to school full time, and work full time.  I am blessed with a job that allows me to support my family's basic needs.  I have had friends and peers try to talk my wife and me in to getting on programs such as CHIP, WIC, and Food Stamps.  These programs would make my life much easier and even give me more time to see my kids, however at what cost?  From what I understand, I qualify for each of these programs, however as long as I can avoid them I will.  For me the cost is too great. 

  

I do not believe these programs are bad, nor do I attempt to judge or classify the people who take part in them.  My goal in writing this article is to share my perspective.  These programs offer aid to those who are classified by the government as needing it.  The cost of the aid given is a debt our government incurs.  The way I view it, this debt will not be paid by me, but by my daughters, when they are young mothers and in a similar situations as me.  How would I be able to handle an extra weight right now that represents the cost of my parents feeding me 20 years ago?  I as do all Americans bare some of the weights of the past.  Am I willing to give my girls a greater burden?  Am I that self-preserving, like the animal that eats its own offspring due to low food?   

  

To be clear I am not saying "Those who are on food stamps are cannibals" or something ridicules like that, if you want to be offended by my words, that's your choice, but please listen to my words.  These programs from the government perform a good deed regardless of how efficient or inefficient.  Those in need can benefit from these programs.  Unfortunately that good deed is slowly becoming in the minds of us as Americans, a "free right" with no thought of the cost. 

  

If you are a mother or father who is benefiting from CHIP, WIC or Food Stamps, please ask yourself this question EVERY time you receive these benefits.  "Is this worth making my child pay for it when he or she is in my positions?"  Sometimes the answer will be yes, and that's OK, however you need to always realize at what cost that benefit is coming.  It is irresponsible and incorrect to think that someone else who "can afford" it is paying for it.  The burden will ultimately end up on your children and my children.  Understand the cost and remember, just because you qualify for these programs, doesn't mean they are worth that cost.  No one will tell you where you fall, but you can figure it out if you care enough to put forth the effort.   

  

To those of you living pay check to paycheck, where are you headed?  I know, and am reminded each week of how tight it can get.  Don't lose hope.  Look at where your current path is taking you and if you don't like the destination change it.  It is your God given right to pursue happiness and no one can take that away from you.  This land still is the land of opportunity.  The burden of debt will keep you down; get rid of it as soon as possible.  Avoid it whenever possible.  It is not a way to run a household or a country.  Live within your means and always avoid debt for it is the enemy that never rests.  It is up to you to better yourself through education.  That doesn't only come through a school or organizations.  Read books that make you better or teach you skills.  Do something that gives you control over the direction your life is going.  If you need extra help, turn to your family, local churches and local charities before you turn to the government.  The government will give you with "no strings attached" however you will feel better if the support that comes to you has a face and name behind it.  When you pay it forward to someone else or pay it back to those who helped you, your character and self-respect are lifted. 

  

For those of you prominent members of your community, why is the federal government feeding those in need in your community?  If you allow the federal government to run its current course your children will be buried by the weights we are giving them.  Realize that for each of your taxpayer dollars allocated to the welfare system about 30 cents arrives in the hands of a worthy recipient, however for each dollar given to a charity about 70 cents arrives in the hands of a worthy recipient.  Do you see the value of being a part of your community’s needs?  I don't think there is one right way to fix each community, but I believe the people in each community as Americans can innovate and find ways to satisfy the majority of the needs in their respective community.  It may be through food banks, local Churches or Charities.  It may just be taking some frozen meat to a neighbor who might need it.  Unity is one of the things that make our country strong, and that starts in the community and grows from there.  Have faith that people are generally good and will try and make good choices if given the chance.  Remember this isn't a problem we can leave alone until it goes away.  If you don't help the people in this country stop relying on the government than the country your children and grandchildren grow up in will not be the America you know.  Help your community be self-sufficient. 

  

I want you to know that I am not on a soap box and I do not believe myself to be above this task.  I see that this country will not be fixed until we the people fix it, regardless of who is in D.C.  I love this country.  I have seen its goodness and I have seen its strength.  I have the hope that my children will grow old seeing that same thing.  Not only do I have the hope, but I am willing to work to make it so.  This is My country and in so being it is My responsibility.  God bless you, God Bless America. 

  

Fredrick Christensen