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.
Tuesday, December 4, 2018
Saturday, December 1, 2018
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.
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.
Monday, April 23, 2018
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:
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.
- The words they say
- The way they say them
- The actions they take
- Their body language while taking those actions
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:
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.
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
- 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.
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.
"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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)