Faith Venture

A trade magazine trying to drum up subscribers at low cost ran an ad on Facebook. The magazine covers the automation market and featured some sort of robotic agriculture application. I noticed it because I was a co-founder of that magazine although I’ve been gone for 11 years.

A few people commented. I was shocked. Comment on an ad?

The comments immediately took off on “illegal” farm workers losing their jobs and sopping up free unemployment compensation.

We as humans really like to metaphorically take the ball and run with it, don’t we? We assume so many things about other people.

I’ve done that. Still do, in fact. See someone. Make an assumption about them. Then I meet them. Talk with them. Listen.

I’ve met the most interesting people that way. Sometimes opened my eyes to a whole new world.

Want to bet the first Jesus-followers met some of the same attitudes? First, suspicion from those around them. Then, a conversation, perhaps. Then, it was “I want what they’ve got.”

I am old enough now to reflect on successes and shortcomings. Of all the things I should have done was to learn to ask questions. Especially of others. I look back at a bad decision and think that I should have asked my professor for advice on where to go and what to do. I never thought to seek advice. People probably thought it was arrogance, but it was really out of debilitating shyness.

There are further reflections. How about the times where I feel the need to have the right answer. I bet most of you suffer from the same trait. Saying, “I don’t know” is akin to admitting defeat.

But saying “I don’t know, but let’s find out” is liberating. That is asking the right question.

The beginner chases the right answers. The master chases the right questions.

It’s all about data.

I’ve written that on my technology blog. Maybe half of my topics have involved data—finding, gathering, storing, analyzing, visualizing, using to make decisions.

We may see data in our favorite news source. The trouble with that lies in the choices of which data to show and which interpretation to emphasize. Often that flows from the point of view of the writer/broadcaster. The same data will have different emphases on Fox or on MSNBC. (I assume; I watch neither.)

For example, many years ago there was much data about how emissions in the US going into the atmosphere returned to earth in the form of acid rain. Dire predictions ensued. Those events never happened.

Why?

First came the cynics. The world is ending.

Then came the people who saw opportunity. I was involved in more than one project to scrub carbon from refinery emissions. That happened all over the country. Many technologies were developed to clean emissions.

We have much current data on changing weather patterns dubbed Climate Change. It’s real, but it does not have to be the end.

All over the globe engineers and entrepreneurs are working to find solutions to the causes. 

We can choose how to react. We can choose to be cynical, dystopian, and fearful. We can choose to find solutions. 

This works for climate problems. It works for problems in your organization or family. Which attitude sounds better to you?

It’s not our disagreements that cause division. It’s contempt that causes division.

So often our attitudes define our relationships and actions. 

Can we have honest discussions with others about religion, faith, politics, or our community? Can we listen with holding someone who disagrees in contempt assuming lack of intelligence? Can we speak civilly without condescension in our tone of voice?

I come back to listening. Can we even listen? What are they really saying? What is the emotion they are holding? What needs do they feel that we should be hearing? Maybe not with agreement, but with empathy.

We have all known people who seem to look upon others with contempt. They assume such superiority.

We don’t want to be one of those people.