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“You can be certain!” “Why, of course!” “It’s a sure thing!” “You can count on it!” are actually phrases of great comfort and reassurance. People long for certainty, for predictability, for confidence and not just in themselves but in those around them. They long for stability, for reliability, and for longevity. And yet, it seems that more than ever, certainty in almost ANYTHING is in short supply. You cannot count on ANYTHING anymore! Whether it’s your favorite restaurant surviving the next downturn, your job surviving the next reorganization, your kids making it to adulthood without a life-threatening chronic disease, your new refrigerator working when the warranty expires, etc. You would think you could at least count on the sun rising tomorrow, but the sun might be our very demise! Is this all an exaggeration? Am I reading too much into all this? What is Creator’s perspective?94 views0 answers0 votes
Years ago when Brian was doing some research through old newspapers of the 1960s, he was struck by how many businesses were celebrating “their 100th year” in business. It seemed like you couldn’t pick up a paper or magazine without some local establishment making this boast. Family businesses were truly FAMILY businesses. Children took over from their parents, grandchildren from their parents, and on and on. Businesses grew slowly, if at all, but what business they had was stable, predictable, and reliable. Their suppliers were often in business as long or longer than they were. Things changed slowly, if at all. And when they did change, it was considered progress with an expectation for improvement, otherwise WHY CHANGE? Store layouts often never changed for a century or more. For a place like a hardware store, this was important so things could be located quickly. But now frequent change is the norm. Was this movement away from this kind of stability inevitable with progress? What can Creator tell us?66 views0 answers0 votes
Continuing on this line of questioning, today “reinventing your image” is all the rage. Businesses, organizations, and even schools change their logos often—their mascots, color schemes, building designs, interior layouts, you name it, ALL of it undergoes FREQUENT transformation. It seems like the paint barely gets a chance to dry before the “pardon our dust” signs are out in force again. It always seemed wasteful to me, not to mention inconvenient and bothersome. If these businesses really wanted to please me, moving the mayonnaise from aisle 2 to aisle 5 is not a way to do that. I’m sure every college-level marketing course teaches that “studies say” this is all necessary and beneficial to the bottom line. But is it REALLY? I hate feeling like a stranger in my own town. Am I alone in that sentiment? What can Creator tell us?67 views0 answers0 votes
When someone thinks of culture and tradition, the things that come to mind are consistency, predictability, longevity, and expectation of continuance. Christmas decorations were something you bought ONCE and reused year after year. Only the tree changed every year, but it was always the same kind of tree, the same size, and was always in the same corner. But traditions of any kind seem to be an endangered species in the Modern Era, to the point where many are even derided. Thanksgiving is more about football than being thankful. Memorial Day is for barbeque and beer, not visiting the gravesides of the fallen. It’s “Happy Holidays!” not “Merry Christmas!” The home-cooked meal is now in a microwave package. There are young adults who have never boiled an egg or even made toast. And again, many just assume and will even argue that all this is normal and inevitable. Really? All of human history seems to suggest otherwise. What is Creator’s perspective?73 views0 answers0 votes
Nicola