Thinking About Fair

Here in America, and very likely in other places, there seems to be a really big push that all things be equal - everything should be fair.

This sounds good on the surface but there is an underlying problem... people are in constant disagreement as to what fair and equal mean. As a result, the attempts to make things fair and equal become hot moral and political topics.

Now, let me say that this post is not meant to share my side of a particular issue but to simply talk about the concepts of fair and equal.

What Does Equal Look Like?

Over time, I have seen a number of images that adress the ideas of fair and equal in some way or another. Here are a couple that I thought resonated with me.

So... same resources or same results? Which is fair?

At some point in recent history you may have seen the words equality and equity thrown around in the media. I like this graphic because I think it accurately depicts how both sides of our issues are thinking.

Both sides attempt to provide an aspect of "SAME" for the boys.

On one side it might be said that this is fair - all the boys have a box.
On the other side it might be said that this is fair - all the boys can see the game

Now - I have three boys myself and I am able to envision the complaints in either scenario.
On the left, my little guy is going to complain at the top of his lungs that he cannot see.
On the right, my big guy is going to complain at the top of his lungs that he doesn't have a box and he wants one too.

Some knowledge of the bigger picture can help to narrow down the idea of what is fair and equal.

Here is another graphic that I like.

How does context change the concept of fair?

I appreciate the humor of the cartoon but it highlights a very real situation in American culture. I believe this cartoon was originally pointed at education but I think it applies to other issues of equal and fair as well. How do we determine fair without knowledge of the bigger picture?

Some Reflection

I cannot help but think about how the ideas of same, fair, equal, equity, and equality all overlap and conflict at the same time depending on how you look at the issue.

Are these differences OK in some cases? What if the man in the second graphic was interviewing for a position that requires the hired animal to climb trees as a function of the job? At this point perhaps, it would seem a reasonable performance based request. In the end, the best animal for the job will win out. What I also recognize here is that the animals are not equal themselves - they are all very different and unique in their own way. They have different abilities.

Webster's Dictionary defines the words this way:

• Equality - the quality or state of being equal : the quality or state of having the same rights, social status, etc.
• Equity - fairness or justice in the way people are treated
• Fair - agreeing with what is thought to be right or acceptable - treating people in a way that does not favor some over others - not too harsh or critical

Starting with the idea of fair - by definition, fair is an agreement with what is thought to be right or acceptable. Oh dear! Can you see a problem here already? Thoughts are not always the same among groups of people. Fairness ties into the definition of equity and equality deals with things being the same in some way but we already have seen that arguments occur over what aspect of "same" in a given situation constitutes fair.

UGH - I think my head is spinning.

God's Word - Same For All

Enter the Bible. The Word applies to all people equally. We are told that all people have sinned (Romans 3:23) and the punishment is the same regardless of the sin and that punishment is death. (Romans 6:23)
For God, all sin is the same. The ranking of sin is a human construct. Stealing a candy bar vs the rape and murder of someone are both sin. 

I would guess that few would argue in favor of the death penalty for both the crimes - wouldn't be fair, right?

But wait! We have Jesus! He died for all sins. He paid the price for us. He paid the price for the thief and the killer. Same gift for everyone! We all have the same opportunity to accept that gift. 
Some would argue that this is not fair either. Why should the killer get the same gift as the candy bar thief? That's not fair! The killer's crime was worse! ARRRGH!

Seems like a vicious circle. This is a struggle because we apply our human knowledge and understanding to divine concepts. Good thing that God is able to see the bigger picture - nay - the WHOLE picture. 

Where do you draw the line between fair and equal then? 
My thought is that - you don't. God has already drawn that line. 
Humans should stop trying to redraw the lines and rewrite the definitions in ways that work for them.

God gives the same for all...

1. Same punishment
2. Same gift
3. Same choice

...even though everyone doesn't walk away with the same thing...

Looking for the Big Deal?

Which door will you pick?

I hope this helps you to think about fair and equal a little differently. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Have an awesome day!

One Thing Leads To Another

A Season of Thanks, Gifts, and Fresh Starts

In a time span of just a little over a month there are three well known holidays that get a great deal of attention. Between the last Thursday of November and the first day of January we consider all we have to be thankful for, spend time with family, and list aspirations of self-improvement for the upcoming year. I am thankful for the gift of Jesus which has allowed me to have a fresh start. That pretty much sums up three holidays in one sentence!

At any rate, after all the wonderful festivities of Christmas Day have passed, the next celebratory event comes in only one week on New Year's Eve. New Year's is often a time when resolutions are made. One of my resolutions, as I stated in the last blog post was to actually spend a little more time writing on this blog.

A couple of things came togehter in my mind the last few days which I felt were coming together for this post. A chain of events - if you would...


1. A Book I Read

     A while back I read a book called Soul Detox: Clean Living in a Contaminated World by Craig Groeschel. I found it to be a very easy read that spoke to me on many different levels. This is not meant to be a book review but the gist of the book helps to provide some inspiration for dealing with all the toxic things in life and keeping yourself healthy on the inside.

In the book there is a quote on page 198 (*I have the Kindle version so I am not 100% sure if that matches the print copy. It also indicates location 2168 on the Kindle)

The Bible says clearly and directly, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character'" (1Cor. 15:33). I'm guessing Paul began with "do not be misled" because when it comes to hanging out with the wrong kind of people, so many of us can become misled, then tolerant, then corrupted by those around us.

The passage goes on to give some examples of folks who meant to do well by perhaps witnessing to them about Christ but in the end fell away themselves. The message here is to know when to get out of certain situations. The book later points us to genesis 39:12 which gives the example of Joseph running away from Potiphar's wife when she made a move on him. Joseph knew when to get away.


2. A Commercial I Watched

I later thought of a commercial where one thing leads to something else in a crazy and humorous chain of events. The message is to basically not allow the first thing to happen by having cable. Instead, get DirectTV and these things won't happen to you. Ha Ha

Here is the video for you.

Certainly, I think the events portrayed in this commercial are a bit extreme but nonetheless, they do have their foundation in a very real cause and effect relationship that every one of us has experienced. The things we say and do have consequences and we need to know when to step away.


3.  A Resolution I Made

Yay! So another year has gone by. The idea of having a fresh start is one that I like to have and starting a new year seems like a good time to do that, right? I resolved to spend more time blogging on this particular blog. I have been more active on my other blog and even started a third one but this one has been neglected for five years. This post is part of my attempt to follow through.

As I thought of resolutions for the new year - thoughts of the often portrayed method of celebration at this time of year also came to mind. I really hate to generalize because I know that not everyone celebrates the same way but it is also very difficult to escape the way media portrays American culture. Even in our celebration of things it is important to know when to step away.

Some Thoughts

So I am thinking of these things as it relates to making good choices or to making some aspect of my life better - and I figure that is what I should make my post on. I would love for people to think of ways they can make improvements in their lives or to make better choices going forward. There is still time. Start by making some good choices today!

Some Questions

• Can you think of a time when one thing led to another for you that ended up badly?
• Do you know when to step away?
• Are you able to identify those things that are toxic in your life?

That third one is so tough, isn't it? Sometimes we don't know what is toxic unless we have experienced a little bit of cleanliness first. It is so much like the saying "You don't know what you don't know".

• What steps are you taking to reduce the levels of toxicity in your life?
• What are your resolutions?
• Can you think of a time when one thing led to another for you that ended up for the better?

It gets better

Over time, I hope to share with you how one thing led to another in my life for the better.

Have an awesome day!

I Just Gotta Write

Well, apparently it has been FIVE YEARS since I last posted to this blog.

Ouch

Odd thing is, I actually have three blogs if you count this one in the mix. The other two blogs are

K12 Tech Guy - computer tips and tutorials basically - hopefully some useful stuff for someone
D3 Instruction - Just started this one a few months ago and is geared toward instructional design which means the tutorials and such will be tailored to that audience

The more I thought about it, the more I figured I should keep this one going and try to add more to it. I went ahead and redid the look of the blog and probably need to work on that a little more but thought it might help with my writer's block.
OK - so that is what I am calling it - truth is, I probably have lots to write about and I simply argue with myself as to whether or not it is even important enough to share. So the idea is that it is important to me and maybe if I am lucky it will be important to someone else someday. Maybe what I write here could be useful to someone.

So - my resolution for 2014 is to contribute more to this blog along with the others.

I've tried this before but I need... to... persist...

I think I can - I think I can!

Santa Feels Economic Hardship Too

I remember the days when I had lots of presents under the tree and a stocking that overflowed with goodies. I even remember that one time when all I had was a lump of coal in my stocking...

Yes, it is true. I once got a lump of coal.

Of course, we all know that getting coal in your stocking is the undisputable sign that you have been a bad kid that year. I can honestly say that I do not remember what was so bad about that year compared to any other but the fact remains that Santa Claus thought I was bad that year.

It has been roughly 25 years since that lump of coal was in my stocking. Times have changed and so have I. Today, I have a wife and five children of my own whom I have had to remind that if they are bad they might receive a lump of coal in their stocking instead of fun goodies.

I guess I was wrong...apparently with the economy in such bad shape and with all the push to switch to renewable energy sources and conserve fossil fuels, Santa has had to make some adjustments as well. I wonder how much coal Santa normally uses each year? How big of an impact will that have if all Santa's coal stash could go toward heating homes instead?

Unfortunately, all seven of us must have been bad this year because we were able to find out first-hand how Santa has adapted to the economic crisis among us.

No coal from ol' Mr. Claus this year, Santa brought us vomit instead. Maybe it was a sick joke or maybe Santa had a few too many egg nogs before he hopped in the sleigh or maybe the elves screwed up something in the orders. Maybe Santa didn't like the cookies we left and he tossed them for us. I am not sure what all of us did that was so bad but the kids were blowing chunks all over the place, mom spewed a couple times, and I felt queasy but only had some diarrhea. Weird, but maybe there is some truth to all the people telling me to get my head out of there...

For the most part, everything came and went over the holiday. Thanks a lot, Santa! I didn't even get any Christmas ham thanks to you, and I love ham.

Oh well, I am not a kid anymore Santa, I am a comabt veteran now. You can't mess with me and expect to get away so easily. You know what they say about paybacks...

(now where is that recipe for ex-lax chip cookies that uses syrup of ipecac...)

New Inspiration

WOW!

I actually received my first comment today on one of my blog entries. I never really thought that I would have many visitors or comments so now I feel inspired to make some more entries.

Thanks ledell!!

Veteran's Day

Another Veteran's Day has come to pass.

I am proud to be a veteran of this country.

As I put on my desert camo uniform this morning in preparation for the Veteran's Day program that was being held at the school district where I work, many fond memories of my time in the military passed through my mind. I find that I truly do miss being a part of the military environment. I have not seen any of the men with whom I served in Iraq since returning home in April 2004. I think about how fun it would be to head out for a couple cold ones and reminisce about some of the experiences we shared while deployed.

I consulted my journal to see what I did on Veteran's Day 2003.

-No, I did not get the day off.

We had another security mission near Ad Diwaniyah. This one was at the Ministry of Roads. The Major had a pretty long meeting there and we were the escort and protection. My love of learning language had me chit chatting with many of the locals and trying to improve my Arabic. A couple of rascally kids continuosly tried to get me to give them some money. I wrote that I wish France had some troops in Iraq so that I might have an opportunity to practice my French with them.

Turns out that this was the day before the Italian compund in An Nasiriyah was lit up by a car bomb. It was only about 5 miles from where we were at the time. We were on our way to An Nasiriyah when we heard the blast and figured it was just EOD taking care of some more ordinance but it was not long after that we got a call to return to camp... but that is another story.

So this morning I stopped at the Holiday Station to get some cappuccino and an apple fritter and I was greeted right away at the door by a gentleman who proceeded to thank me for my service and shared that he, too, had been overseas to Iraq with the first wave. We did not have time to exchange stories but it goes to show that there are a lot of us out there. It was very nice to spend the day knowing that people were thinking of the sacrifices that we made and appreciating that which we have given.

I sat and enjoyed some coffee and cookies with an elderly gentleman that had served in WWII after the program at the school. It is so interesting to learn of the stories that others have about the time they spent. In many ways, the experiences we each had were not that different. While there may have easily been 40 years between us we were connected in spirit as veterans who both fought for our country and were willing to die for that friend whose back we leaned on so many times for support.

You don't have to wait for Veteran's Day to thank a veteran for all they have been willing to do, their sacrifice, their heart.

Treasure Hunting

Ahhhh, has it been a busy last few weeks with my coursework!

I finally managed a little free time and went treasure hunting (geocaching) with the family. We drove about 45 minutes away to a town with about a dozen caches in it. We managed to collect 6 of them so we will make another trip out there on another day to get the rest.

It was a really good day, actually. My three year old even found one of the caches and was so excited about it. It was the first one that he actually found. Usually I find them first but my three oldest kids each found one and I found the other three. It was a really good day for them. After a while it started pouring so we called it quits and stopped at the McDonald's in town which had a playland. It was nice to let all the kids run around in the tubes like gerbils for a while.

I should tell you about one particular cache that we found. It was a long walk - about a half mile or so one way - which is a lot for the kids really but it was a great adventure. We got to follow the abandoned train tracks and cross the river on the train bridge. The old tracks were overrun by wild raspberries which did not have many ready to pick but there were a few and we ate them. It was a first for the girls to do that and it was like finding two treasures on this run. By the time we got back to the van, it had been over an hour and Mom was really mad. Sorry, Mom. She was freaking because the other one we stopped there initially to get was only 500 feet from where we parked.

Overall, though, a good day.