Common Sense

During one of the economic tumbles that have occurred over the past few decades, my brother-in-law, Homer, was temporarily laid off from his regular job. Homer was a shade tree mechanic by avocation so he readily found a job at a small garage near the local university. Homer was not well read but he could take a flat head Ford engine apart and put it back together in his sleep.

One day a sharply dressed student came in with his overheated car. The fellow was immediately recognizable as an engineering student because of the pocket protector in his white shirt pocket. He told Homer that he wanted a new voltage regulator installed because the car was overheating. Homer tried to explain that what he probably needed was a new thermostat since that was what controlled the temperature in his engine. The student then proceeded to lecture my brother-in-law, telling him that as an Electrical Engineer he knew what was wrong and that he wanted the voltage regulator replaced. Being the gentle, easy going person that he was; Homer replaced the voltage regulator. The next day the humbled Electrical Engineer returned and suggested that they try replacing the thermostat. If it had been me, I would have replaced the transistor in the carburetor and the muffler bearing while I was at it.

My father did a similar foolish thing when the hot water went out at our home on 22 Clover St. I hate to admit it, but one of the solutions he tried was to switch the handles on the faucets. He probably thought that somehow the lines to the sink had been reversed and by putting the cold knob on the left everyone would stop bugging him. Then again, he really did not have much experience with electrical, mechanical, or plumbing items. As a matter of fact, he and his dad, my grandfather, were much more comfortable on the farm than in the city or with the city conveniences.

There are some things that people do that are just plain dumb, like the kid we watched trying to fill up his gas tank at the Sohio station in Englewood. He was obviously a new driver out to perhaps fill the tank for the first time. The kid pulled to the right side of the island, stopped the car, walked back to the pump, and realized that his fill cap was on the right side of the car. He got back into the car, pulled out, circled and came back on the other side of the island headed in the opposite direction. He got out, looked at the pump, noted that his tank was on the opposite side, got back in, pulled out, circled, and came back to the pump – again on the left side of the car. He got out, red faced, looked at my wife and I, who were by this time holding our sides, laughing, and pulled the hose across the trunk to his tank. He put in just a couple of gallons and left thoroughly embarrassed – as well he should have been.

People always seem to see solutions to problems from their own vantage point. Preachers want to resolve conflicts by praying about them. Soldiers resolve conflicts by beating the tar out of their opponents. Politicians resolve conflicts by jawboning so much that you forget about them. Lawyers will sue to resolve the conflicts. You get the idea – people’s first inclination to solve a problem is to use the tools that they know. Sometimes the tools that you have at your disposal are not the best to solve the problem.

In recent years we have had a lot of solutions proposed by politicians. Our elected officials have listened to the lobbyists or to the loud voices that have more votes or contributions than they have facts. I cringe at the thought of our society moving forward with the knee jerk reactions coming from people who see solutions from their perspective. Unfortunately for us, many of our legislators are lawyers and see the solution to any problem is to pass another rule or regulation. When we allow laws to replace common sense then we are doomed for the simple reason that laws can be interpreted and manipulated, whereas common sense is pretty absolute.

The Demise of a Great Society

I admit that I have a low tolerance for buffoons, bimbos, and bureaucrats. Specifically, I dislike working with people who consciously choose not to use their God given ability to think. I do believe that there are people with beans for brains.

Most of the times people do not think because it is easier to just do what has been done, cite the precedent, and not think of possible consequences to their actions. We have come to the point now that we even applaud those who “think outside of the box;” with the emphasis being on “THINK”. Because ‘that is the way it is done’, or ‘we have always done it that way’, has become the mantra of an entire working generation. Oh how I long for the days when a manager would say, “This is what we’re going to do and I will bear the consequences of that decision.” I have always felt that an average manager would make 70% correct decisions, an above average manager would make at least 80% correct decisions, and executive material would be correct 90% of the time.

I have had several jobs involving International Business Development. In one of those jobs I was part of an industry that, like much of America, was eager to outsource their products to overseas developing countries. I was actually hired to bring down the unacceptably high rate of return of merchandise due to poor quality coming from those overseas sources. I readily solved the problem by visiting the factories and finding two of the highest quality vendors who understood statistical quality control. I would always ask the plant manager if they knew what Mil Spec 104D was and how it worked. Those that would tell me that every worker was responsible for quality would be immediately dismissed as a potential vendor. It was impossible for me to believe that a worker living in a house without electricity or running water could possibly know the level of quality that would be acceptable to an American consumer.

The sad part about this particular industry was that the operating overhead was absorbed over the cost of labor just as it had been done for years. That meant that the cost reflected on the books as MLB was much higher than the incremental cost of the product. Consequently, the importation of products always looked very attractive to the executive leadership of companies in the industry; and, since everybody else was doing it, they too went to outsourcing. The obvious problem with this action was that as the plant-wide total of labor diminished then the overhead would be absorbed over dwindling labor costs such that outsourced products became even more attractive. The end result was that the manufacturers in the industry became only distributors of products manufactured by others. It has been a death spiral for American manufacturing.

The inability to think is not limited to the manufacturing industry. It is rampant through the financial businesses that are regulated by the government. Finance greases the wheels of manufacturing, distribution, real estate, retail, and personal credit. When we cannot get money to the places where wheels need to turn then we will soon see the economy grind to a halt. That is precisely what is holding back the recovery from our current slump. In my opinion we are in a recession because government intervention and regulations have clogged the wheels of the individuals and small businesses that make, buy, and sell what is consumed. There is no incentive for financial institutions to operate efficiently or help others operate at all. They have been given money and, without having to think, can loan it back to the government and reap the profits. The old adage of banks handing out umbrellas when the sun shines and taking them back when it rains is nowhere more true than in today’s environment.

Buffoons, bimbos, and bureaucrats are ruining our nation. They are neither contributing productivity nor facilitating anyone else’s contribution. Ayn Rand called them moochers in her book Atlas Shrugged and she just might have a point. We should really sit up and take notice of what has happened to our Great Society.

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Volatility in Society, Politics, Business, and Our Lives

Worldwide trends increasingly concern me. Perhaps my observations are distorted by my own narrative, so I share them to elicit your perspective.

A God’s eye view of the battlefield is my favorite positioning for discernment. What I see concerns me. On a horizontal axis I see a great polarizing effect coming from two camps: on one side I see people who view individuals as being elements of society, persons being defined by the group to which they belong; on the other side are those who view society as an aggregation of individuals united for the common good. The tension that results is a threat to break apart the bonds that formed our governments. This tension is occurring all around the world, not just in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, or Syria but also here in America.

On the vertical axis I see the rise of social networking caused by the advent of the World Wide Web versus the resistance to modernity. Progress juxtaposed with intransience creates another threatening tension. Moving along this axis is disintermediation and its converse. The elimination of “middlemen” in distribution also applies to information. The demise of middlemen and middle ground means that grass roots information has become readily linked to what used to be the sources of information. What we now see is the ability to instantly react to information, e.g. flash mobs, and the ability to cleverly manipulate the recipients of information. We have effectively eliminated the filters that had previously protected the recipients, gatherers, and disseminators of information; we no longer have the Walter Cronkite’s of the world giving us the straight scoop.

The tensions inherent in this battlefield scenario are sufficient to draw and quarter our world in much the same way as those convicted of high treason in medieval England. It behooves us to consider the consequence of present trends lest we encounter the same fate.

Tension: Individual versus Society

It is easy to find those individuals who seek their identity by belonging to some group. This is perhaps the single greatest contributor to crime in our cities as more youth choose to become part of gangs. It is observable in athletics and school spirit. As many of us grew older we transitioned from high school to college to employment being defined along the way by our education / vocation. When asked who someone was, the response was likely to be, “He/she is a student at ____.” Or, “He/she works at ____.” Eventually, that individual may be defined by their title, e.g. “President of ___”, or, “Parent of  ___”.

Those persons choosing to be defined by a group, by necessity, subscribe to the philosophy, doctrine, and dictates of that group. When you listen to one of these individuals you hear repetition of phrases, talking points, and senseless prattle that shows their indoctrination. They behave as automatons clearly under the direction of a superior. I recently had a discussion with a labor union advocate who said that he was very comfortable following the party line since he had voted for his local representative, who had in turn elected a representative, all the way up the chain. He was content to follow the instructions from the top back down because they clearly had access to more information and made better decisions than he could with his limited exposure to issues.

Those who see the individuals as elements of society see the government’s role as one of assuring the individual’s conformation to the norms of society. Tolerance is obviously less for any deviation from the established norm. Some of the most visible examples come from governments derived from religious law, e.g. Taliban’s Sharia dominated Afghanistan. Our country has done similar things like establish blue laws to dictate the purchase of alcohol on Sunday. The difference between these two comes from the constitution and the protection it provides from the government being able to impose the will of the society upon the individual. In the case of blue laws the government breaks it down to the precinct level and empowers the majority in that limited area to decide what businesses, not individuals, may do. In America we would say that the business cannot sell alcohol but the Taliban would say that the individual could not drink.

Those who see society as an aggregation of individuals see government as providing for the common good. These are willing to pay their taxes, expect the government to provide the infrastructure for living, to protect its citizens, and establish the rules by which we get along with each other. As I like to put it – I expect to pay my taxes and I expect the government to build the roads, erect the guard rails, and even set the speed limits. But I want to drive my own car and go where I want to go. I do not want the government making me ride the bus and travel where they want to take me.

The philosophical differences along this horizontal axis have come to dominate the political scene, not just in America but around the world. The governments that are falling have not recognized that the individuals no longer want to be recognized as subjects of the king or subordinates of the state. Social networking has empowered and emboldened the individual.

Modernity versus Intransience 

The true enemy of radical Islamic fundamentalism is not the west as they would proclaim, but it is modernity. It is often said that people yearn for the days of yore, and nowhere is it truer than in fundamental religious groups around the world. We all know how rapidly the world has changed in just a fraction of a generation. In the past the stories told by our grandparents were relevant and relatable; but now the experiences of a generation just one removed is akin to fiction.

If an intransigent society wants to shield its members from exposure to the modern world then it generally isolates itself from the outside and fabricates the rationale to aid that separation. If that intransigent society is the recipient of large sums of money, then it can be emboldened to engage in acts designed to further isolate its people from a modern industrial world. That, I believe, is the mission of al-Qaeda. Unfortunately for al-Qaeda the World Wide Web has become double edged sword that is serving to enlighten the individuals suppressed by their society.

Hopele$$

My wife has a vanity license plate – MS HOPE. She has been called that for many years following her acceptance of the fact that toddlers in her pre-school program were going to call her Ms. Hope instead of Mrs. Vickers. After getting used to the moniker she thought it would be nice if she had it on her license plate. It would obviously make the plate easier to remember and her car easier to find in a parking lot.

After she got ordained as a Methodist Minister, I thought a better name might be POPE HOPE or VICAR VICKERS. However, in her better judgment she declined my suggestion and stuck with MS HOPE. As her ministry advanced and she was assigned new churches to serve, I found it convenient to introduce myself to new congregations as HOPELESS. I thought it better to set very low expectations that can be exceeded than it is to have people expect more and be disappointed. As we say in the business world, “It is always better to under promise and over deliver.”

My wife moved from churches in Fayetteville, to Garner, to Currituck, back to Fayetteville, to Wilson, and finally to Whiteville. My introduction as HOPELESS always served as an ice breaker with new congregations. I explain to people that I am required to sit at the front so that she can keep me under control. The real reason is that when she throws a hymnal at me she has a better chance of connecting. As I often explain she has a strong arm but poor aim. All the joking about HOPELESS made me decide to get a license plate to match MS HOPE.

When we moved to Fayetteville the second time, I tried to get the plate name HOPELESS. That name was not available but one of my alternatives was and I was soon attaching the tag HOPELE$$ to my car. I got quite a few comments about its appropriateness and a few laughs. Larry Cheek, a writer for the local paper, even mentioned it in one of his columns about unusual plates he had seen driving around town. He speculated as to what kind of person would have a plate called HOPELESS.

I was on my way to work one morning and was stopped at the intersection of Cumberland Rd. and Southern Blvd. in Massey Hill when suddenly I felt an impact and a loud ka-bam. I got out of my car and was met by a Nun in her habit with both hands clasped over her cheeks. She said, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I saw your license plate and thought to myself, ‘No one can be hopeless.’   So I looked to my left, and I looked to my right, and I stepped on the gas.”

The damage was minor and I never had the nerve to file a claim. Actually I figured it was partially my fault for having a license plate that proclaimed my hopelessness. I sold the car shortly thereafter and resolved to just have standard issue license plates from then on.

Now if I can just get my wife to let me sit in the back of the church.

Cottonwoods

Some of the things you learn in school will never be used. Other facts and figures are recalled as needed. ‘Modulus of Elasticity’ is one of those terms used in Physics that few people have ever heard of and even fewer know its meaning. It is actually a very simple term that describes coefficients which measure how much something will stretch when a force is applied. I found out the hard way that nylon has a modulus of elasticity that is rather high, in layman terms it means that nylon rope will stretch about 30% when a strong force is applied.

Many of us also skated through other sciences such as biology. I always thought botany was interesting and wish that I had studied plants and trees more. The one thing that I had learned about trees was that I had a great dislike for certain species. I have always hated gum trees, even though I had grown up hearing stories of my father always finding bee hives in gum trees. I also hated sycamore trees even though Zacchaeus sat in one. But the tree that I hated most was the cottonwood. The trees which we had around our house in Dayton every spring would literally cover the roof, gutters, and yard with a fluffy, white bloom that looked like cotton and clogged up everything.

In Dayton we lived on the corner of a road which led to the Salem Mall, which at the time was the largest shopping center of the area. Wanting to be rid of the pesky cottonwoods that annually caused so much frustration, I asked my brother-in-law if he’d help me top off one of the trees that was over the driveway and caused the cars to be covered every spring. During the summer when the Dayton Power and Light crews had come through trimming the trees along the back of our lot we had asked them to trim the trees under the high voltage lines that went to the Mall. The trimmers said that their contract was only to trim the distribution lines and not to trim the 13,300 Volt lines.

Cottonwood, in addition to having the annoying spring blooms, is an extremely brittle wood. Unlike nylon rope, it snaps very easily. I could just imagine the tree snapping its branches in one of the ice storms which we would surely have during the upcoming winter. With that solid reasoning as a rationale, but without thinking about the “Modulus of Elasticity” of nylon, my brother-in-law and I set out to top the cottonwood.

I extended a twenty foot aluminum ladder into the upper reaches of the tree and tied off the top of the main limbs with a 100’ nylon rope. My brother-in-law pulled it tight and secured it to a sycamore tree. I hauled up my trusty 18” McCullough and easily cut through the 4” main limb about 5 feet below the nylon rope. I killed the McCullough and lowered it on the safety line that I had used to hoist it up, and then watched in utter horror as the top of the cottonwood slowly fell across all three phases of the 13,300 volt lines.

The sky immediately lit up with the most amazing reds and oranges. I did not stay at the top of the ladder to enjoy the display, instead I put both feet on the outside of the ladder and, using my arms to hold onto the rungs, I descended in less than the blink of an eye. I was running backwards when the breaker kicked in the second time and again lit up the sky and shook the house. By the time the circuit kicked in the third time, my wife, our oldest daughter and our baby daughter were out of the house screaming. My brother-in-law walked over and said simply, “The rope stretched.”

I probably should have chosen a day other than the day after Thanksgiving. That was the busiest shopping day of the year and the Mall was forced to close early. I did get my 15 seconds of fame – actually I made the 6 o’clock news on all three channels as well as the 11 o’clock news.

Good things often come out of bad events. Before the weekend was over, Dayton Power and Light had not just topped the tree, they cut that thing off at the base and hauled it away. But you know, I still hate sycamore, gum, and cottonwood trees.

Questions for God

Humankind has always been plagued with questions that we cannot answer. Some of them we might figure out if we think long and hard, like, “Does the light remain on after we close the refrigerator door?” That question has stumped many people since the invention of the refrigerator.

Other questions are equally as difficult but have been resolved, e.g. “Is the world flat?” or, “Who shot J.R.?” or, “Was the JFK assassination a conspiracy?” Okay, I take it back; some questions haven’t been answered to everyone’s satisfaction. Other questions are philosophical and not supposed to be answered, like, “If a tree falls in the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, does it make a noise?”

On a more serious note, I have been confounded by 3 questions that I would like to put to the Creator. The first question is simply, “What is life?” I recently read about an archeological excavation that uncovered some date palm seeds that were over 2,300 years old. They planted some of them and guess what – they sprouted and grew. So imagine this, you have two seeds that are each 2,300 years old and you examine them exhaustively but cannot, with any scientific measurement, determine which will grow and which is dormant. Even more dramatic is unthawing a mouse that had been frozen solid in liquid nitrogen. There is no measurement that you can make to determine whether the frozen creature is dead or alive until you thaw it out and watch it run off. So God, tell me what is life?

The second question I would ask the Creator is, “How does force propagate?” We’ve all played with magnets and seen how they can act on other magnetized material from a distance. The interesting thing is that there can be absolutely nothing, nada, null, zilch, naught between two magnets and they will act upon each other. The same is true of gravitational forces – nothing between – no protons, no electrons, no pi mesons, no quarks, no nothing; and the two masses will still exert gravitational pull on each other. Scientists are prone to theorize when they don’t know how something works so they have come up with theories about curved space time continuums and strings; all of which is to say that they don’t know but because they think that they’re smarter than God then they feel obligated to provide an answer. I’m not too proud to say that the Creator is smarter than the creature. Therefore, when I am able, I will ask God, “How does force propagate?”

Einstein struggled with this question, but try as hard as he could he was never able to come up with a “Unified Field Theory”. If Einstein had been a Theist instead of a Deist then he might have been able to better decipher the mysteries of the universe. Francis Collins, in his book The Language of God, describes the decoding of human DNA in the Genome Project. He made a comment that Einstein believed that God created the Universe and formulated all of the physical, chemical, and mathematical rules that govern existence. It was then left to humankind to decipher them. On the other hand, Francis Collins, who is a theist, believes that our Creator is alive, well, and actively involved in His creation. The success that Collins achieved in unraveling the human genome is attributable, in part, to his strong belief in God, and the guidance which he received from prayer. As an interesting side note, Collins maintains that most evolutionists believe in the “Big Bang Theory” but cannot provide the cause of the “Big Bang”; ergo, they are by default Creationists.

The third question causing me consternation is this, “Why does water reach its most dense state at 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Centigrade)?” The ramifications of this phenomenon would prohibit life if it were not true. If water behaved according to the rules of other liquids it would continue to increase in density until it changed phases from liquid to solid. If water were to behave this way then ice would not float and would form from the bottom up. If ice were denser than water then the bottom of the Arctic Sea would be frozen and all aquatic life in these regions would be eliminated. We would have a perpetual ice age. In addition ice would not be able to break down rocks and soils by its freezing and thawing action. This very simple phenomenon appears to be deliberate by Intelligent Design and I would like to know why.

As Yoda might say, “The questions are many. The answers are few. The Force be with you.”