Everything is personal.

It has been a while since my last post but things always get hectic at this time of year. I was recently invited to give a lecture/workshop at the Hallmark, which by the way was a phenomenal experience. Between the crunch times at work I have been writing this years church play, which I am directing and acting in. So, you can see how I have not had the time to post lately. I have been thinking about this post for awhile regardless of my work load. 

 For the longest time I have had a problem with the idea (the philosophy) that our work life, is and should be, kept separate from our personal lives. When I was a young man and I didn't have a lot of responsibility and a poor relationship with God it was easy to be fooled into believing this philosophy. I was admittedly selfish, still I had trouble with it, it was just a little easier to swallow this ridiculous idea. As I have matured I learned that it is impossible to keep the two separate and furthermore if you try to one of the two will suffer. First, you should know that I loathe the statement "don't take it personal". Everything that happens to me wether it's at work, or at home I consider personal. If it affects me in anyway (my person),  it is personal, so when someone makes that stupid proclamation I immediately get irritated with them. I find that statement impersonal and offensive. It's a coward's defense, they know in their heart they are doing something to another person that isn't so good and to try and make themselves feel better about what they just did they toss out that stupid remark.  

 Another statement I find completely despicable is " it's just business" and that is usually preceded by or followed by the other statement of "Don't take it personal". Most people spend at least 8  hours of their day at work sometimes more, 40 hours a week or more at their work place with  coworkers. Most of the time it is more than they will spend with their families.  I get 3 to 5 hours a day with my family and about 30 to 35 hours a week with them, this includes time spent cutting the lawn or  shopping , etc, all the things that need to get done in the house hold. So, you can see that work is a huge part of everyone's lives and it has an affect on everyone's personal lives as well. Sometimes directly and other times indirectly. All things at work reach into our personal lives, bad things, good things they all have an effect. At the same time our personal lives have an effect on us in the work place, we can't help it. We are human with human emotions. I find it ridiculous for an employer to take on the attitude that their employees are at work because they just couldn't live without the job or career, they act as though employees should be more dedicated to their work than their own well being or families. Those people do exist but I positive that they go to their graves with huge regrets. Most people try to get work in a field they would enjoy doing  but in truth it is an avenue for people to achieve a better life or lifestyle. People want nicer homes, cars, better food and so on. 

  Employers should understand that their is an unwritten agreement between their employees and them, I do right by you and you do right by me, unfortunately all too often the employers take on the persona of a dictatorship, (they are royalty and the workers are their slaves). They do this using excuses or under the guise of a business trying to grow, this is what it takes expand, or we have to cut back to stay a float, or we are just responding to the the bad economy, bla....bla...bla... it's all bull$#@!. If the higher ups truly believed this nonsense they feed us they too would cut back or give back, but they don't, they have multiple houses, there wives are getting face lifts, they are taking home unruly amounts of money, mean while their employees are losing their houses and they are dealing with inadequate health care. Don't get me wrong, I think that the people who started the business and the people running them are entitled to more than the their employees, but how much is enough, because it seems as though they never get enough. I know that I would feel terrible (a convicting guilt) if I herd that people under me ( people that trust me to take care of them) were living in sub-par conditions. I would make sure to take appropriate actions to rectify my negligence or my companies negligence.  I only know of just a few business that try their best to be fair to their employees, and most of them are ran by or owned by God fearing individuals.  Most  businesses today have no conscience or conviction about anything they do, it's all  about the dollar, maximize the monetary  intake and it doesn't matter who they hurt in the process. Are the higher ups so detached, so removed, that they can't even see the wrong they do anymore or is it that they don't care? 

  Let me ask you this simple question, why is it that businesses think they have to make record breaking profits every year? Isn't it a little unrealistic to have that as a goal. Everyone of us normal citizens understand that you have good years financially and bad, and we are okay with that. When things aren't so good we adjust and cut back, we don't get rid of our family members, we pull together as a family and make it through the bad times. When times are good we share and prosper together. Businesses use to understand how important employee loyalty was, but they have sacrificed that loyalty for a dollar and now the average employee doesn't trust his or her employer one iota.  Why should they, there is little to believe in or trust anymore now that God has been removed from the work place. Without God man creates his own moral guideline and worse yet his own justifications for his actions and they are usually based on what is good for his own gain not for the good of everyone. These are the things that make it really hard to deal with businesses in America today. Why do powerful people, the people running things have such a hard time doing the right thing? Why can't they embrace the idea of loving your neighbor as you love yourself? Come on, unless you hate yourself this is a pretty simple concept, ask yourself, "do I want what I am doing to someone else done to me", if the answer is yes then okay but the answer is no then don't do it. I know that life is complicated and it isn't always black and white with clarity, but this doesn't mean an individuals principals or morals have to be in the grey zone as well? 

  One last thing, if you have compromised your principals and or morals it doesn't mean you have to remain that way, the devil's trick is to make you believe it's okay, normal, everyone is doing it, and you are not worthy of making a change. It will, no doubt be difficult,  but every great achievement always is. Life is very short and when the end comes how do you want to be remembered, and more importantly how will God think of you?  The thing  to remember is that people are understanding and respect anyone who decides to do the right thing and usually they will lend a hand and help. I could go on and on, but I think you understand where I'm coming from. Live in God's will, walk in the right direction.  If we can't get things fixed in our country from the top down then we will have to do it from the bottom up and that starts with us.