Da Word... 239! Point of no return

Ever come across someone doing or acting in a way that just straight got you dumbfounded?  You know, you stand there, jaw about dropped to the floor, thinking, "How did this person ever come to the idea that this was okay? I mean, seriously?  Am I witnessing this right now?"  You're basically shell shocked and without words!  Now what if that which you just witnessed started to become the norm?  What then?

Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

- Romans 1:32

Watch out there now!  Imagine getting to the point where people have not only lost touch with where the line is, but are now encouraging and approving of habitual line steppin'!  That... is a bad place to be.  It's a tipping point.  And if that scale is tipped, it may become a point of no return.  The repercussions?  I don't even want to imagine....

In the verses previous, a very dark and scary atmosphere is depicted.  Here is just a brief picture: "filled with evil and greed... full of envy, murder, deceit..... are gossips and slanderers, insolent, arrogant and boastful;  they INVENT ways of doing evil.... are faithless, heartless, ruthless."   Now let me ask you, would you want to live in a community that espoused and praised these attributes?!   That is a scary place kid!  You can forget about honor and loyalty.  Any supposed "friend" would in any instant betray you and stick a knife in your back... thrice!  All these attributes are reminiscent of people becoming selfish and self-absorbed.  

There is at least one community I know that started going down this path, and that was Enron.  I saw a documentary probably about 7 weeks ago.  The change was gradual but, in hindsight, you could see it coming.  It started out pure, people with passion, ambition, and a vision to change the world.  But somewhere along the way, the original reasons for heading in that direction were perverted.  The culture became extremely competitive; incentives were in place to push forward and bring results.  And every year, the bottom  5% or 10% of performers got cut!  The goal simply became about being the best... and by any means necessary.  You should hear the recordings of the energy traders on Enron's trading floor.  These guys were manipulating the power grid simply to whipsaw prices and make tons of money on trades!  Meanwhile, real people on the other end were being affected.  And these guys were joking about shutting the power off on some grandma!  Made me sick!  

You see, what had happened was the line kept getting pushed, the line steppin' wasn't curbed, and eventually those practices became approved and even encouraged.  As a result, you were left with a community of faithless, heartless, and ruthless people who were willing to do anything to get ahead.  It moved beyond a point of no return.  It is our duty to keep this from happening on a widespread scale.  The message is getting mixed and it's getting harder for people to separate the chaff from the wheat. So let's do our part.  And it starts within our circles, within the communities we participate, the groups we start, and the companies we run.  Curb the steppin' and be a light.  Champion integrity.

G-bless,

   - patrick