Don't Find Yourself On The Wrong Side Of History!

      Isaiah 43:18-19 "Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."   So, this passage was written in a time when the first temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonian military.  During this period, the southern tribes had been confident that as long as they had the temple God was on their side. However, God had other plans.  In Acts 17:24 The Apostle Paul proclaimed that "God does not dwell in temples made of human hands."  So then why were the southern tribes so hell bent in rebuilding a second temple when God's plan was to incarnate himself in a human body?  Why are so many people still obsessed with buildings and institutions as being "symbols" of stability?   This passage from Isaiah 43 explains to us that people have difficulty forgetting the past and have hard times embracing cultural shifts.  

     In our most recent presidential discussions the focus has been on Jobs.  Most of the time, the republican side has been emphasizing that we need to reclaim "Manufacturing" from China and India.  Unfortunately, because America has been an industrial country in the past it has not fully grasped the idea that the new technologies of the future are not going to sustain a industrial base.  We are now moving to a "knowledge based economy."  A Knowledge based economy is a kind of economy based solely on the production, distribution and the use of knowledge. In short, it means that the most important thing in the coming economy model will be knowledge and skills, not the material products.  So why then is there so much emphasis on going backward to an economy based on the industrial revolution?  In short, it's because with changes as drastic as this thousands of workers are no longer needed to build products of the past.  The democratic emphasis has focused on the new economy and the jobs associated with it.  Did you know With a nationwide unemployment rate of 8.1%, many Americans are having a hard time finding work. Despite this, 3.8 million jobs in the U.S. remain unfilled?  Why? Because there is no one qualified or skilled enough with the tools necessary for these new economy jobs.  Job training is necessary.  But there are those who want to return to the age before the Internet.  They want their printing press jobs, their real estate jobs, their car salesman jobs back. But, what do I need a middle man for anymore when I can go online and purchase the items from anywhere in the world without their help.  These jobs are obsolete.  In the future, teaching jobs will shift because of holograms.  Pastoral care will be more about facilitation rather being mediators and gatekeepers of truth.  There are no gatekeepers.  Anyone can be a photographer.  Anyone can start their on newsblog.  Anyone can produce programming, create their own stories and post them on YouTube at low-costs.  What do I need all those former reporters of news for when i can catch a news-worthy story on my IPhone for?  So what are we going back to?  Why are we wanting to return to the former days?  You can't take  it back and move the culture to the golden age of the 1950's.  So what does this all mean?

        There is no economic fix.  The economy is obsolete as we've known it.  Their are new rules, new jobs, new leadership models, new structures to be built based on flat-lateral team driven organizations.  Telephone poles must be removed.  Cell phone towers will be replaced by telstar and new infrastructures will become important to build and sustain our new economy in the global market place.  Modernism demands conformity. Post-modernism demands diversity.  The 20th century led to world wars and the building of the modern industrial complex. However, the 21st century will force nation-states to break up and interdependent regional areas to produce products together.  As the scriptures say, "weapons will be beaten into plow-shares" maybe in our time, in our generation.  So when we want to cling to the "Good old days" - may I ask when were those good ole days in America?  When slavery was recognized?  When race riots took place in Chicago?  When thousands of Native Americans were dispossed and displaced?  There were no good old days!   Our best days are ahead.  So you need to be concerned... wherever you live and in whatever cultural background your from... to make sure your life is focused on the future- not the past.  You need to choose leaders who are moving us forward not backwards and serve organizations which assist in bringing understanding, tolerance, civility, and transformation toward the future in education, business, church-life, arts, media, government, and life-care. And if you sense you are called to be in anyone of these areas of work you need to get the education.  But make sure your educators have an eye on the future and not the past.  Otherwise, you may find yourself on the wrong side of history!