During the first decade of the new century, the 21st, the world has gone from a high level of fiscal development to a fiscal recession that challenges the Great Depression of the 1930s for economic woes and imbalance. Daily we are informed about the possibility of nations (Greece, Ireland, Spain, Italy) becoming bankrupt. The markets of Wall Street, and those of nations around the world, fluctuate wildly from day to day. Advances and declines are numbered in the thousands of points (dollars) and reported daily. Uncertainty, with all its shadows, becomes the factor that spooks investors. We discover that the negatives are poor guides for persons or societies in action. Uncertainty is a serious irritant, which ought to call us to examine ourselves for values, directions, opportunity, work, and systems to show that we are not under the circumstances. Christians are carried with prayer and meaning for all things – even circumstances.
The problem needs to be addressed by leadership. Leadership is not found in wealth, in personality, in fame, in popular interests. It is not found in attractiveness, in great ability, or skill in language, although skill in spoken and written language is an important factor in effective leadership. Leadership is found in those persons who can mobilize other persons for purpose. The leader must touch the souls of followers to believe that whatever is to be faced can be faced, and success achieved. The stories of leadership are many, as are the books on the theme. Some of the stories seem breathless in their telling, as seen in the military, for example. David became the king of Israel, largely by his military leadership. Various ancients proved the point, and men like Napoleon inspired troops to the death – if need be. In America, Generals George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and many others carried their leadership over into peaceful contexts. There is no way that the American Confederacy could have survived four years of rebel warfare without the leadership of Robert E. Lee. He became president of a college after the war, and the name of the institution was changed to include his name after his death. He was highly regarded as a leader.
Any context (good or ill) of a people can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Belief that a family will fail, if the belief is nurtured by time and repetition, almost assures that the family will fail. The pattern applies to corporations (including churches), to governments, to markets, to whatever we may nominate that relates to human beings. In the current national fiscal context, the division between those labeled liberal and those labeled conservative is so great that the problems are muddled, and everyone seems to be unraveled. Solutions become elusive. Leadership that grips the public and the persons in power has not taken hold, perhaps has not appeared in a practical way. We ought to believe there are several ways to succeed or fail in the world. Strong bail-out programs were imposed during this economic downturn. They likely will work if an adequate percentage of the people believe they will, and fail if they do not believe. As the point appears often in these Pages, life is in context. If we admit this or that into the contexts, certain results will follow. If the solution is in truth and affirmation, it will likely work. The success of the program is in the will of the persons related to it to make it work. Success/failure is not on paper, or in the speeches of the movers and shakers of events. It is in the hearts of the people, pointed by leadership, in the context of the good for citizens. The solution is not in liberalism or conservatism, but in the contextual will of the people to be of concern for each other, to work for family and community, to believe that God will give courage in cooperation (fellowship), fairness (equity), and the factors that we summarize under dedication and right (righteousness). If prosperity and the good of society in any area are gambled away on competition and carnality that robs mankind of vision and direction, they will continue to elude us. It can’t be said enough that there are likely several solutions that might be legislated for the management of human affairs that can work if the leaders are genuine and the followers accepting. Even the best solution will not work if the persons involved will not participate in its processes. Here is an important concept to believe so to arrive at solutions that are workable in the operations of the centrist population. Here is learning about the art of the possible with some factors we prefer, and some factors we may dislike. It is the art of living, and was well formed to Christian readers in books like Augustine’s, City of God. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020