Christians need to remind themselves of the two worlds in which they live – one is of earth, earthly, and the other is of heaven, heavenly. Each is accessed through its own procedures. There is overlap, so the spiritual person is not bifurcated. One ought to live out a life that is holistic in all. Each touches the other and feeds on the other. Each is addressed differently depending upon maturation of the person. Maturation in love provides the input of knowledge; understanding up to the level of effort and talent for learning; and, all showing in conduct. This relates to the degree of wisdom for the individual. This seeking of knowledge and understanding to wisdom was the great goal of Solomon. He, like many prophets and philosophers, gained considerable knowledge, but applied it unevenly to his own conduct. The problem for mankind continues. We are nearly at our best when we become problem solvers. Too few persons see themselves as problem solvers, so multiply mistakes and poor choices. Failing achievement the person may become negatively critical. Society can be advanced, but will decline unless the following challenges are adequately addressed. There are others, but wisdom plays upon affirmations.
1. Persons ought to be able to find ways of functioning in society without commitment to competitive growth. While this is being written the world is in a severe economic decline. That decline has been strongly influenced by excessive capacity in production, brought on, in part, by fierce competition and uncertain or misdirected management. What if motivation were based on improving quality, on cooperation between entities so to preserve dynamic business, but be less prodigal to create waste through excess, an excess that misuses resources and labor?
2. Persons ought to find ways to elevate self in respect of God’s creative gestures. So they find ways to introduce better conduct. They can master language so to think more broadly and clearly in social context. They can rise above carnality and crudity with written and spoken language. There can cultivate humanity, precision, values and scope in the institutions of society.
3. Persons ought to address pressures that force conflict, conflict that destroys marriages, breaks down institutions, initiates bloody warfare. Jealousy of whole nations relative to other nations, and influences of greed, injustice, prejudice, and the like will mar future history. Popular society becomes carnal in some ways, and does not order itself to proper ends in context. If persons reject divine redemption, the need to find a way to live presumes that if there were a God, this is what he would expect of us. There is enough light within that would permit that perception. The feeling that there is a right and wrong inspires idealism. It is not God’s first choice, but it will make earthly life, noted above, more of what we think it ought to be. The God of order would assist it even without recognition of him. He needs nothing from mankind, but we need him.
4. Persons ought to find family solidarity. There are dreams of love, security, health, values, leading to achievement of personhood when the family is respected to the point of solidarity, in the members’ births, love/care, meaning, work, life and death. Community grows out of family and home. Here is fulfillment for natural life. Society’s debts are too high without family nurture. Substituting outside agencies for family duties makes living long unaffordable. We need to believe there may be several ways to meet social needs, ways not politicized, but designed to gain cooperation. Even when a solution is well formed, it will not succeed without the cooperation of the population it was designed to serve. Cooperation beats competition. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020