Moral Models In A Fragmented World

A society that gives little to the foundations of moral underpinnings is not far from becoming decadent and an immoral people.

I have been asked by several business owners, church & community leaders to write an article on societal change without God, which affects every strata of life. I have included some principles at the end for leaders to follow and a mock template of a business manifesto. I don’t claim to have exhausted truth on this topic, but I do believe from my training academically and being schooled by the top ethicists in America over ten years; I believe to have enough propositional truth to write on this topic. I might add, as we Americans have gotten away from God, Russia now is promoting the Bible in their schools and businesses to turn the tide against a system that is corrupt. A society that gives little to the foundations of moral underpinnings is not far from becoming decadent and an immoral people. We as a people need to reaffirm our dedication to this great God – Christ, if we are to save this generation.

Life in general is not that complicated as one might think. Really it isn’t. There is good and evil, there is right and wrong, there is truth and lies, there is honor and dishonor, there is a true God and false gods, there is rights of property and there is theft, there is right sex and there is wrong sex, there is respect and disrespect, there is generosity and there is greed, there are right models for life and there bad models, there are moral beliefs’ and bad beliefs, there are true absolutes and there are wrong absolutes, enough said, I think you get the point. In sociology this is called the law of opposites.

Without moral absolutes you can never have any reasonable conversation for finding out truth. That is why God gave us absolutes so we could reason together. In this fragmented world, what is needed are absolutes so that we don’t get hold of the wrong end of truth. We need moral models. Ethical models will assist us in being profitable and to develop good character. In this world of choice we might be well advised to cling to those principles that are benevolent so we can become a better people, not perfect, but certainly not deceived. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (Galatians 6:7) It is easy to be deceived if you feed your mind and spirit with things that are unwholesome or untruthful. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

It only becomes complicated when we have a weak paradigm or model to filter our thoughts. A paradigm is a model or grid that filters our thoughts to screen out the weeds and debris. What’s left is the inspirational to cling too. It fashions your belief system. Therefore, everybody has a paradigm. If your model for life is flawed, your worldview will be out of focus. We live in a fragmented world and to make sense out of it, we need to have the best possible model for life. This is the only way to be directed into truth that ultimately satisfies the soul and improves society. A profitable moral business for example helps the whole of the community. A moral family has the same result and more so. The beatitudes of Christ and the two great commandments that Christ gave us is the best paradigm for life. The teachings of Christ equip individuals with proper principles. Patterns of life start with our thinking or lack of it.

Also, many Businesses fall or rise on the model they use for business. My mentor and good friend the late Dr. Harry Conn took a Five Hundred Fortune company from the red into the black in one year. I asked him how he was able to accomplish this in such a short period of time? He replied, “I adopted the best model possible that represented ethics, customer satisfaction, treated people fairly and gave his sales force incentive – extra pay for their sales.” I asked, “Where did you learn these principles?” Without hesitation he said, “The Bible.” This model not only made the company whole, in so far, as a profit goes, but its principles work in every level of life. Goods and service is a moral vehicle that stabilizes a community or a nation when its actions are ethical. (For further reading on this topic see, “Morality in the Marketplace” by Gilbert Griffith.) A company, a nation, a people should look at the patterns of their life to adjust those characteristics that are mediocre in order to produce the highest good for everyone involved. Mediocrity is the slow poisoning of life and potency of any entity. Your belief system or lack of it for life is at the core of being successful or not. This is why we need to look at models that are morally successful. You can make a profit ethically.

For instance, should not the Golden Rule apply to customers who shop at your business? The same is true about a nation, about a family or community. The Golden Rule is not in Washington D.C. for as they pass laws for us, but they exempt themselves from them. The purpose in life is to reduce the amount of suffering in society. That is what Christ did for humanity; if we would only have enough intelligence to accept His philosophy for life we would do the same. This is the role of a nation, business, family and ad infinitum to serve by reducing friction in life.

The law of opposites, simply put, is one philosophy against another philosophy of life. One view of life is to love God and your fellow man and the other a life of selfishness. If Jesus is truly who He claims to be, then does it not make sense to study His life for a model for us?

Many people talk about wanting to know truth, but few have the hunger to satisfy that appetite. “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) In the Greek language the word for sin is Harmatia, which means, to “miss the mark” in life from ignorant thinking. A moral model for business should reduce the amount suffering for a customer, which in turn, increases goodwill for the company in the community, which increases profit. How does a business contribute to reducing the amount of suffering in the community? Just think of a customer who is treated respectfully and they receive a good price with good products with no broken promises, have they not been made whole. Suffering implies a wrong that has been committed directly or indirectly. Your word is your bond. I can think of no other institution that can prepare leaders improvement than the church of Christ that teaches the word faithfully. If you are going to lead you must read. I have read hundreds of books on many topics that have helped me throughout life’s predicaments, but no book has serve me grander than the Holy Bible for it is the fountain of life. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (John 6:68)

Some core beliefs to build a Moral Model for business leaders:

1. Honor the Creator. By honoring the Creator you honor His creation i.e., the environment and people.
2. Honor the Lord’s Day. As a people we need moral teaching and to rest to reflect on Him, which helps us in our endeavors. We also need the exchange of ideas with other people in order to refine our thoughts on moral absolutes. Most intelligent people know this to be true.
3. Honor your family. The family unit is the backbone of any entity. Unity stems from honor and goodwill. It gives our children the best footing possible for their future. Families should worship together as it gives a family strength from a focused purpose that has its origins in the Divine.
4. Respect property. Time is property, but many people in the work force cheat their employer by slothful work, thus the need for moral teachings. It is estimated that 25% loss of companies’ profits is directly related to employee theft. In 1990, I wrote an article that was published revealing the theft in “Boeing Air Craft” assembly plant. It was calculated that employees were stealing tools in the tens of thousands every month from the work place. Boeing was shocked that their employees were responsible for that amount of loss.
5. Respect your competitor. It does no earthly good to malign the reputation of your competitor, let them do that on their own. Enhance yourself with knowledge and marketing strategies to beat them fairly at their game. It is good to have competition as it evens the scales of economies.
6. Don’t talk about others. Gossip is a form of insecurity. A good leader is firm and stalwart in their convictions. Stay above the fray as you can see clearly from that advantage point.
7. Be loyal. All good leaders have this in common: they are dependable, trustworthy and dedicated.
8. See the future. You need to define what victory looks like before you can get there or to know that you have arrived. Set goals for yourself for self-development and increase your knowledge in the industry you are in.
9. Seek out mentors. All leaders that have gone above and beyond what they imagined have this one thread in common – they sought out a mentor. Without mentors, the bench mark in you being raised is probably slow at best. Mentors help you to redeem the time to get where you are going faster.

A Mock Business Manifesto

Preamble

At ABC Company we will esteem people and promote the environment as respectable conservationists. We encourage our employees to attain comprehensive moral teachings for character development to make our business solid. Participate in your community i.e., church, civil organizations and city entities to have an exchange of ideas with other leaders for refinement of ideas. ABC Company encourages its employees to be joining with family in activities that include church, school, sports, neighborhood and other such like entities for improvement and strength for families. ABC Company employees will be rewarded for their due diligence of hard work with bonuses and pay raises immediately and company recognition. ABC company employees will be rewarded financially for any ideas that will give us the cutting-edge against our competitors. ABC Company strongly inspires its employees to not spread rumors that are unfounded. ABC Company employees are to be loyal and faithful at their positions. We at ABC Company strongly promote you going to classes given by our company for personal development and to increase your knowledge for promotions. ABC employees should know the goals and what victory means to ABC Company and its shareholders. We at ABC Company strongly suggest seeking out a mentor to accelerate your promotions within ABC Company through church or business organizations that offer this type of mentoring service.

This type of mock Manifesto as its preamble for a company was not unheard of just as little as fifty years ago. A moral people will make any environment or entity shine as a benevolent people and increase its profits.

For those who want more info on this topic I am recommending the following books: Even these moderate authors in these books know something is terribly wrong in our society. Though they are moderate thinkers they themselves realize the need for God and transcendent principles if we are to become whole.

“Our Culture, What’s Left Of IT” by Theodore Dalrymple
“Anything Goes” by Theodore Dalrymple
“Dismantling America: and other controversial Essays”, Thomas Sowell
“Intellectuals” by Paul Johnson
“A Point In Time: The Search for Redemption in This Life and The Next” by David Horowitz

Dr. Ronald Rhea, Bishop