If it is delaying it is not worth!- Do you think so?

We live in a fast-paced life where efficiency is marked by speed and quick turnaround time. Yes, I do agree there are certain systems, processes and goals that needs to be responded at the earliest, failing which it can cost life, distort judgement, cater to accidents lead to confusion and so on and so forth. But, what about moral values? Someone can want to walk over, take short-cuts to make quick money by cheating and breaking every other protocol.

We are accustomed to fast delivery. Let us find and understand few of them. Eg. Food revolution is one such thing that has become so competitive, you just need to order your favorite meal and it is there in a time that you want. What do you think about Mr Google? Information is just at your fingertips. This is how Google operates, ‘whatever question you raise it, google has an answer already and whatever question you are planning to, or going to ask in future, it has already been asked and answer is provided with multiple alternatives.’ It is overwhelming but is dangerous too.

The Bible warns us about taking shortcuts primarily because it tries to achieve at the cost of violating the rights of someone else. Jesus warns about greediness, sexual immoralities and so many social evils that forces us to be impatient. Consider the danger of porn industry which is rampant today and at the reach of our fingertips. Studies show that children today as young as seven are getting addicted to it and entirely becoming lonely and disorganized. How are we going to help them? Do we have the capacity to help them?

Testimonials of humankind’s accomplishment are both good and bad. We advance in knowledge but regress in morality. People can rationalize as to why one has to wait so long. God has spaced everything at a particular speed to make it safe and good for us. Eg. A baby in the belly takes 10 months to completely grow and be healthy before being delivered. We agree on the danger of fast pacing it. So are the phases of growth in human being spaced for our good. We are God’s children and His plans for us is to bless us and walk with us. He sequences events in our life in the appropriate time. Trust and accept His loving plan for your life.

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Anything popular is good!- How true?

We are all caught up in the world of fast progress, developments and changing trends. With the advance school of thoughts, anything not referred too much or spoken about, looks outdated. A decade ago the so called values, ethics, social norms were the binding agents in human lives and organizations but today there is a world of difference. Many other priorities and demands have taken front stage like adding financial value, status and popularity.

To what extent we know that the cultural assumptions undergirding our celebrity fetish are false and not everything popular is good (and may in fact, be profoundly bad). Yet we continue to elevate and adulate people based on the ability to make name for themselves.

Even to finalize a product from online web portal or to find out the current trends that are viral, we chose based on the number of people who have tried and provided a positive review followed by finding out the top celebrities in any field that are recommending the products and displaying a particular style. Malcom Muggeridge puts this beautifully, “Man is so avid for knowledge that everything he touches turns to facts; his faith becomes theology, his love becomes lechery, his wisdom becomes science. Pursuing meaning, he ignores truth.”.

What grid do we wish to follow that can suggest guidance to dignity and valuing God given life to us? God has set a parameter and moral framework of right and wrong. If you have to consider based on the values God has set, you would no longer settle for what is popular, but for what is right.  Bible says, “the fashion of this world passeth away.” Yesterday's fashion is an outdated style of today. Do you still have anything to hold on to? Going by popular opinion, and trend can lead to disaster if it is not carefully analysed because most of it comes with a cost and we are willing to pay heavily even forfeiting our soul. Think about it!

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My Bad is good because my bad is better than yours!

How do we estimate good and bad? We all like to justify our acts and emphasize that our values are worth talking about. Moreover, in today’s world this particular ideology, “My bad is not as bad as your bad therefore my bad must be good” is widely believed and spoken about.  Take for example the politicians, bureaucrats and government systems, how good one government is or how good one particular party is measured by the level of corruption compared to the ruling of the previous government or political system.

If you notice most of the time even people are biased in their opinions and shut to facts however accurate or appealing it may be. As long as people are part of a majority, it appeals them. How are we going to process it? I want to present to you the yin yang model of the Chinese philosophy, that says, in every good there is a bad present and similarly vice versa. We are not completely exempted from the overpowering evil of the world unless we have the assurance of our sins being forgiven (not by works but by faith) and attained salvation by the almighty God. God in the Bible says, "He who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved".  Only He can transform us and exhibit our goodness. Our best goodness can be selfish with concealed agenda. 

Today we live in an age where people have an audacity to use the name of God to oppress, humiliate, use slogans and violate the rights of others. Why don't people attempt to live in harmony? Could we consciously promote brotherhood, peace and harmony? It definitely will do much good than to fall prey to the motives of politicians and one's who want to divide us based on our creed, caste, race and status. We are children of God and may His peace surpass humanity. 

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How do you valuate?

For each person what impresses them are varied. We are so unique in our taste and preferences. Our basic need for survival does not vary based on the demographics of caste, creed, religion, people group, rich & poor, yet the disparity on how we manage our survival and what satisfies us or impresses us is uniquely different.  For people who manage with bare minimum, even the smallest privileges seem to be so satisfying but for people with high status and are extremely wealthy, the minimum requirements become frivolous, more so, undervalued.

 Femi Obedowala in his book ‘Understanding the What and Why of Life’ draws this lesson beautifully. “The value of an item is falsely determined by its price and rightly established by its essentiality. A diamond bracelet, for example, is highly valuable not because it is essential, so to say, but because of the financial implication it commands. On the other hand, potable water and table salt are life sustaining and essential commodities respectively yet both are relatively cheap compared to many other goods. In essence, the table salt is more valuable than a diamond bracelet. This statement infers that how essential your purpose is, has nothing to do with the financials in the final context, but it has everything to do with the positive impact it leaves after all is said and done.”.

Usually what we value more is what impresses us and most importantly the higher the value the greater we are impressed and looks like it is satisfying to a larger extent. It's the contrary is what we learn from the analogy provided by Femi Obedowala. When did you last stop and thanked God for the breath God has given you and the heartbeats you are still hearing? How are we going to valuate that? In return, how faithful are we to the beautiful life that we are enjoying. We are impressed by what we see not by what we cannot see. 

Millions of processes are happening in our bodies to keep us alive and man is not the result of the design made by some genius. We are God’s creation and are His children. In the Bible one psalmist acknowledges and puts it this way, “I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made. Your work is wondrous and I know this very well.”. Thank God and have the right estimation of things that you enjoying.

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Prejudice!

Do you ever realize we want people to assess us based on our content, I mean the final delivery but when it is our turn, we wish to measure others by their intent? Sometimes we all wish we can be god, to know what others have in their mind, how they are dealing with us and if the relationship is going to be beneficial in anyway or is it going to be a liability on our part?

I do agree with you that we need to be careful but definitely being too skeptical and agnostic isn't going to be helpful for either party in the long run nor will it enrich the relationship, but for sure if not sooner in the longer run will have a detrimental effect on any relationship. Steven Futrick in his book Unqualified remarks "We constantly analyze and summarize each other. We compare people to our standards— spoken or unspoken—to see how they measure up. Then we accept them or reject them; we praise them or criticize them; we revere them or ridicule them. We all secretly administer exams in the university of our own opinions.".

The Bible warns when Jesus remarked, "“Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. For you will be judged by the same standard with which you judge others, and you will be measured by the same measure you use.". Do you notice, many imperfections that we easily tolerate in ourselves are quite intolerable in others? But we are constantly judging others based on our assumptions and calculations. We manipulate and scheme because we think trickery is the only way to get what we want. 

Stop being prejudiced based on color, caste, creed, faith, status and start investing on trust, belief and truthfulness. And you can do this only with the help of a God who invested in you and willing to accept you and transform you forever.  Jesus did not discriminate anyone who followed him but promised abundant life and eternity  to all irrespective of any classes people have created for their own benefit and status. 

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