Weekly Opinion Editorial
ADJUST
THE SAILS!
by
Steve Fair
Change is inevitable. Change is constant. Only those who embrace change will survive. Albert Einstein said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” President John F. Kennedy said, “Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past and present are certain to miss the future.” The gospel of ‘change’ is drilled into young impressable minds from an early age. Hundreds of books are written each year enumerating recipes for making oneself a ‘change agent.’ Three thoughts on change:
First, change is not always positive. America has changed- a bunch. A nation built on the fundamental tenet of
liberty and justice for all now limits liberty and rejects justice. Civility in the U.S. is dead. Showing respect for differing opinions is a
sign of weakness in modern day America. Humility
is for the feeble and puny. Compassion
is for the frail and decrepit. Character
traits that were once admired in the U.S. are now despised. Attributes that in the past were thought of
as unsavory are palatable.
Second, change for the sake of change is
not positive. Change for the wrong
reason results in confusion, disorganization and skepticism. An excellent example is the Affordable Care
Act. America’s health care system
changed radically under President Obama.
Despite the U.S. now spending far more per capita on healthcare than
other high-income nations, it still scores poorly on life expectancy, suicide
and maternal mortality. The change in
health care has resulted in poorer care at a higher cost. There are hundreds of examples of legislation(laws)
at the federal and state level either unnecessary or that resulted in ‘unintended
consequences.’ That is not positive change.
Third, there are some things that don’t
change. God doesn’t change. He is immutable, unchangeable, and unshakable. God doesn’t change in His essence,
attributes, plans, and promises, because He is perfect. God’s Word doesn’t
change. It is eternal, infinite, and
everlasting. It is solid, concrete and
grounded. Mankind should take great
comfort that in a world of change, the Creator of that world is unchangeable.
People can’t be immutable or unchangeable. Mankind should constantly strive to improve,
but what should not change? What is the
difference between timeless principles and ephemeral practices? First, a core value is one that we hold even
if it becomes a disadvantage to hold it.
Second, core values are based on more than just our opinion. In the case of a Christian believer, those
core values are based on the Bible- for American citizens, they are based on
the U.S. Constitution.
Russian writer Leo Tolstoy said, “Everyone
thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” Sausage king Jimmy Dean said it a little
different: “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my
sails to always reach my destination.”
America needs to
reverse the changes that have moved the country from it’s founding documents
and principles. In a self-governed
system, that responsibility rests squarely on the shoulders of individual citizens. It’s time to adjust the sails.
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