Why Gaining an Edge at Work Has Never Been More Important - 2
We've been talking about gaining an edge at work. The mess created
by COVID and the lockdowns imposed by governments motivated this. We're revisiting the areas we first focused on a few posts ago: Family, the Economy, Social Unrest, the Church. Last time we addressed Family and the Economy. Today we move on to Social Unrest and the Church.
As we go through these, just a reminder: You may have been, or maybe are now being distracted in the recent or even the distant past by these items. The social unrest we just experienced was only the latest manifestation in a stream of explosions in recent years. The problems with our beloved Church have been brewing for decades. So we're not necessarily saying something terrible and new has only just now descended on us. It's just that the lockdowns have amplified and intensified them in a very short span of time. At least that's how it's looks from my neck of the woods.
Social Unrest
We previously characterized the violent protests and vandalism as "not a temporary phenomenon, one that's not going to go away." I don't think we can emphasize this enough. Here in the New York Metro area, crime has spiked, including shootings and killings. Apparently this holds for many other cities. It sure looks like a return to the 1960s/1970s. If you're not familiar with what that time was like, you may want to bone up. Since the 1990s, we in the USA have lived in a time when crime - especially violent crime - steadily decreased. The streets of New York were considered among the safest in the country until the economy tanked and the riots commenced after the lockdowns. Those safe streets aren't so safe anymore.
What about where you live? Do you feel less safe? We've seen violent protests first in the cities; but they've been popping up in small towns across America. Violent social unrest has spread its dark wings. And - unless I'm completely mistaken - we're only seeing the first stages.
It's important to recall that unrest has been building for years now. We've all seen and heard about how income inequality has grown. The top 1% - 5% of the population makes a ton more than the rest of us. Add on wealth disparity. That same cream of the crop possesses most of the wealth of the country. And some folks apparently feel they've got the dregs, at best. Layer on the growing debt people take on just to stay economically even with where they were 1,3,5, 10 years ago. It's a toxic brew, and it's bubbling over.
A reckoning was coming before COVID and the government imposed lockdowns took over. As we saw when we looked at the Economy, things have unraveled quickly and unhappily.
The real piling on, though, came with the recent and ongoing violent protests. As we've noted emphatically, these have advanced the cause of Marxists who've been chomping at the bit to push out our current constitutional form of government and seize power. They've been at this game for decades. But now they smell blood. The terrible death of George Floyd gave them the edge they were looking for.
As we sink deeper into the morass of social unrest, we'll have to look over our shoulders as we plow through the work day. When the recent violence erupted uncomfortably near our neighborhood, our family took stock of our means of defense against the thugs and vandals stealing and destroying property, worse, injuring and killing some of our fellow citizens. Our family had already taken stock of our resources when the economy tanked, especially in those first few weeks when getting food (never mind toilet paper!) became an urgent matter. While we thought we passed the economic test, the riots were another matter. We've still not addressed this to our satisfaction, but we're working on it.
If you don't think any of this has distracted my mind during the work day, think again.
Gaining an Edge
First, don't minimize the threat that social unrest represents. While it has come and gone in the past, history teaches us that there are periods where it comes a lot more frequently - and dangerously. As we noted, the last time that happened in these United States was the 1960s and 1970s. A repeat of the chaos and mayhem of those days shouldn't be a surprise. Be prepared. Mental preparation will give you an edge such that anticipated future events don't distract, even shock you.
Once you've anticipated the possibilities, take time to consider what you may need to do to protect yourself against the mayhem. And don't think buying a gun is the answer (if you don't already own one). First of all, buying a firearm won't help you if you're not properly trained. So if you do run out to the gun store, make sure you follow through with proper training.
But even the best training won't protect you from mobs. And the recent unrest was about mob violence. You'll need allies - neighbors? - to really defend yourself. A few exceptional towns and neighborhoods managed this nicely in countering the thugs who threatened their homes and businesses. Most didn't. As for the governments sworn to protect their citizens in such situation, well, you saw how that went. Most governments turned their backs on the innocent and allowed the thugs free rein.
Contemplating worst case scenarios isn't pleasant. But don't let that stop you. Neglect the possibilities and this will weigh heavily on your mind when the next outbreak occurs. Business owners will certainly understand the importance of being prepared so you can keep your enterprise going under potentially adverse conditions. But employees should take responsibility for this as well. Yes, many employees will perversely consider the health and/or survival of the employer to be the business of the owner(s) or senior executives. You know better, don't you? We all need to pitch in.
Everyone's situation will be different. In urban areas, the pressure to anticipate and prepare may be higher . But, as we've already seen, these Marxist/Communist operatives have already spread their terror beyond the usual suspect cities. Don't be lax or naive and think your town or neighborhood will be safe.
So prepare, first mentally, then practically. The exodus from some cities tells us some of our neighbors have decided to get out of Dodge. Maybe that's your best recourse, depending on your location. But whatever you decide to do, get on it now.
One more thought: Being caught up in the whirlwind of social unrest must not minimize the time we devote to our spiritual life. To use what may (or maybe not) be an extreme example, just recall the saying: "There are no atheists in a fox hole." If you're spiritual life is robust, kick it up a notch. If it's weak, start a serious strengthening regimen.
Our relationship with God, and the love of our family and friends cannot - must not - be diminished one iota by what's been happening or what may happen. Social unrest isn't anything new. The Church has thrived in war and peace, good times and bad. It will continue to do so.
Or will it? We'll circle back to the issues that have grown in recent decades, springing from both the leaders and followers of our contemporary institutional Church. As we'll see next time, we're not only looking for an edge to keep our work up to snuff. Some of us may have some serious decisions to make.
As we go through these, just a reminder: You may have been, or maybe are now being distracted in the recent or even the distant past by these items. The social unrest we just experienced was only the latest manifestation in a stream of explosions in recent years. The problems with our beloved Church have been brewing for decades. So we're not necessarily saying something terrible and new has only just now descended on us. It's just that the lockdowns have amplified and intensified them in a very short span of time. At least that's how it's looks from my neck of the woods.
Social Unrest
We previously characterized the violent protests and vandalism as "not a temporary phenomenon, one that's not going to go away." I don't think we can emphasize this enough. Here in the New York Metro area, crime has spiked, including shootings and killings. Apparently this holds for many other cities. It sure looks like a return to the 1960s/1970s. If you're not familiar with what that time was like, you may want to bone up. Since the 1990s, we in the USA have lived in a time when crime - especially violent crime - steadily decreased. The streets of New York were considered among the safest in the country until the economy tanked and the riots commenced after the lockdowns. Those safe streets aren't so safe anymore.
What about where you live? Do you feel less safe? We've seen violent protests first in the cities; but they've been popping up in small towns across America. Violent social unrest has spread its dark wings. And - unless I'm completely mistaken - we're only seeing the first stages.
It's important to recall that unrest has been building for years now. We've all seen and heard about how income inequality has grown. The top 1% - 5% of the population makes a ton more than the rest of us. Add on wealth disparity. That same cream of the crop possesses most of the wealth of the country. And some folks apparently feel they've got the dregs, at best. Layer on the growing debt people take on just to stay economically even with where they were 1,3,5, 10 years ago. It's a toxic brew, and it's bubbling over.
A reckoning was coming before COVID and the government imposed lockdowns took over. As we saw when we looked at the Economy, things have unraveled quickly and unhappily.
The real piling on, though, came with the recent and ongoing violent protests. As we've noted emphatically, these have advanced the cause of Marxists who've been chomping at the bit to push out our current constitutional form of government and seize power. They've been at this game for decades. But now they smell blood. The terrible death of George Floyd gave them the edge they were looking for.
As we sink deeper into the morass of social unrest, we'll have to look over our shoulders as we plow through the work day. When the recent violence erupted uncomfortably near our neighborhood, our family took stock of our means of defense against the thugs and vandals stealing and destroying property, worse, injuring and killing some of our fellow citizens. Our family had already taken stock of our resources when the economy tanked, especially in those first few weeks when getting food (never mind toilet paper!) became an urgent matter. While we thought we passed the economic test, the riots were another matter. We've still not addressed this to our satisfaction, but we're working on it.
If you don't think any of this has distracted my mind during the work day, think again.
Gaining an Edge
First, don't minimize the threat that social unrest represents. While it has come and gone in the past, history teaches us that there are periods where it comes a lot more frequently - and dangerously. As we noted, the last time that happened in these United States was the 1960s and 1970s. A repeat of the chaos and mayhem of those days shouldn't be a surprise. Be prepared. Mental preparation will give you an edge such that anticipated future events don't distract, even shock you.
Once you've anticipated the possibilities, take time to consider what you may need to do to protect yourself against the mayhem. And don't think buying a gun is the answer (if you don't already own one). First of all, buying a firearm won't help you if you're not properly trained. So if you do run out to the gun store, make sure you follow through with proper training.
But even the best training won't protect you from mobs. And the recent unrest was about mob violence. You'll need allies - neighbors? - to really defend yourself. A few exceptional towns and neighborhoods managed this nicely in countering the thugs who threatened their homes and businesses. Most didn't. As for the governments sworn to protect their citizens in such situation, well, you saw how that went. Most governments turned their backs on the innocent and allowed the thugs free rein.
Contemplating worst case scenarios isn't pleasant. But don't let that stop you. Neglect the possibilities and this will weigh heavily on your mind when the next outbreak occurs. Business owners will certainly understand the importance of being prepared so you can keep your enterprise going under potentially adverse conditions. But employees should take responsibility for this as well. Yes, many employees will perversely consider the health and/or survival of the employer to be the business of the owner(s) or senior executives. You know better, don't you? We all need to pitch in.
Everyone's situation will be different. In urban areas, the pressure to anticipate and prepare may be higher . But, as we've already seen, these Marxist/Communist operatives have already spread their terror beyond the usual suspect cities. Don't be lax or naive and think your town or neighborhood will be safe.
So prepare, first mentally, then practically. The exodus from some cities tells us some of our neighbors have decided to get out of Dodge. Maybe that's your best recourse, depending on your location. But whatever you decide to do, get on it now.
One more thought: Being caught up in the whirlwind of social unrest must not minimize the time we devote to our spiritual life. To use what may (or maybe not) be an extreme example, just recall the saying: "There are no atheists in a fox hole." If you're spiritual life is robust, kick it up a notch. If it's weak, start a serious strengthening regimen.
Our relationship with God, and the love of our family and friends cannot - must not - be diminished one iota by what's been happening or what may happen. Social unrest isn't anything new. The Church has thrived in war and peace, good times and bad. It will continue to do so.
Or will it? We'll circle back to the issues that have grown in recent decades, springing from both the leaders and followers of our contemporary institutional Church. As we'll see next time, we're not only looking for an edge to keep our work up to snuff. Some of us may have some serious decisions to make.
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