People Know to Fight, But Do They Know What For?

This post is taken from CATRINA CALLAHAN’s blog. (All the things she wrote are in blue)

I wanted to share this blog post because it states well some ideas I struggle with it today’s society…..our education system is REALLY a mess and has created all kinds of lies – including the lies we all believe about work.

To me entrepreneurial thinking is beyond just business – it is first THINKING and ACTING with FREEDOM – something we no longer have because we have walked away from truth or even the pursuit of truth. And in my view – a honest pursuit of truth – whether it be in art, music, business, government, science, or philosophy – always leads to Christ.

In today’s university people learn all kinds of garbage – but what was the university like in the early days of this nation…..

1. They learned theology – the basis of life.
2. They learned about the constitution – the government of man by man – the basis of our freedom.
3. They learned true history.
4. They learned to think!!

Now we just teach people to follow directions and what they should believe. No wonder we are loosing our freedoms not only in the nation, but also our freedoms in the corporation. Most people do not even know they are really free to make a choice.

Catrina’s Words

“When I made up my mind
And my heart along with that
To live not for myself
But yet for God, somebody said
Do you know what you are getting yourself into…?”

A song by Relient K, but it makes an interesting point. Do we know what we are getting into? It is an easy thing to say that we will fight for our beliefs and stand up for God’s word…but do we? I find, in myself, that my fiery nature tends to answer that with a yes. And for the most part it is true. But do I really know what I am getting into? Because, as I am discovering, it is not simply a one time thing. Oh how lovely it would be if you could stand up once with a single grand speech to end all speeches and everyone would hear your magnanimous and oh so obviously correct words to immediately turn; joining you on the heavenly bound road you have found. But, sadly, that’s not the case.

You see I have found that in today’s society you are dealing with younglings that have been brought up to stand up and fight for whats right. To defend that which is most important and to never back down. Noble is it not? I would think so. Unless of course, no one really knows what it is they are fighting for. If you have people trained to fight and defend an idea; and then only give them one idea, what would you expect but that they will defend the only idea they have?

The trick lies more in the fact of diminishing the need to say “This is right.” Only feeding one idea through the system leaves out the need to say this phrase. But without this phrase what do we lack? We loose the ability to enter a new variable into the equation. The right to say “This is wrong.” By having one statement you must have the other, and this gives you two ideas. With more than one thing on the table you now have something you didn’t have before; a choice. Now, you must look on them both. As humans, we will automatically wonder why they are different and we will be forced to do what has been so discreetly erased from our society… we will be forced to think.

Why is one wrong? What makes it wrong? Who says this one is right? Why? Why? Why? Like the ever present mantra of a child we will ask this until we find an answer and in turn, choose a side.

On the other hand, this trick has been realized by enough people that it has become a problem to the tricksters. People are beginning to think, and pursue other ideas than the sole one given. So now a new strategy is needed in order to keep up the ploy. How best to do that? Why, play the game of course! They want more than one idea? Then let them think they are getting just that.

“Discussions” and ‘Debates” are organized where you are ‘allowed’ to disagree. This gives an illusion that an opposing side, and therefore a new idea may be brought to attention. But… who can give a new idea? No one knows anything but what was taught to them. And what was taught to them? The single idea society gave us as the currently accepted norm. Not to mention, even if someone has something new to put on the table, you can never be sure if they have the gall to lay it out. It takes a lot to keep up the march against the current. As I said before it is not a one time action. Once started you must constantly keep it up, get out of the water, or just turn and flow with it.

In my opinion humans are naturally lazy. And society counts on this. They know it is a rare someone indeed who will choose to constantly put up an effort to keep going against their flow and if they insist on not joining in, they will just jump out and not disturb the rest. A minor loss to them and no gain to the person who jumped out but the safety of themselves alone. And so they play the game of ‘allowing’ you to disagree knowing it is rare anyone will, and if they do they can be quickly snuffed out. Thus they win. Game over.

…or is it? What if we didn’t jump out? They will push against us till it is an unbelievable struggle just to stay standing. But if we walk on, through the exhaustion and seemingly purposeless torture, the ridicule, the unrewarded effort….what happens?

It is seen.

In a world that is geared to choose but given no choice, a world that has come to be far too used to the single minded idea given to them, someone who says no becomes an instant eye catcher. Perhaps that is all it will be for the time being, just an intriguing anomaly. But as long as we fight on, we will be watched. The second we step out or give in we will no longer be worthy of notice as we will have simply done what was expected. If however we don’t do the expected, and continue despite all odds to press on, eventually someone will stop and say…why?

And that, in it’s own way, is when society will loose the game for that person. Perhaps they shall continue to wonder and maybe one day shall join on the quest upstream rather than down, but that will just be a major bonus. But for me, I fight on just for that one time someone stops and says “Why?” For that time when their dreary eyes awaken if but a moment from the mind numbing slumber and see something new, something different, something worthy of notice. A new idea. A choice made and a choice lived.

If those of us that have chosen this radical idea of following God all stayed in the water and helped each other face the incoming brutal waves…would we not just create a little current of our own? Can we handle it?

I think I shall swim uphill and see. How about you? Do you know what you are getting into?

Thank you Catrina!