Blogcast 1: Lack of Equity and Inclusion is A Root of all Evil.
The Apostle Paul said, the love of money is the root of all evil. Today we must recognize that love of money is A root of all evil. There is another root of all evil and that is discrimination. Discrimination is the actualization of the lack of Equity and Inclusion, and this deprives others of their ‘unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ (Declaration of Independence). It becomes A root of all evil.
Today we see that evil being disastrously displayed in the Israel-Hamas war, in the Ukraine war, and the war among Republican congress members who are sending threats to their own members because they chose not to support a particular candidate. In fact, this evil has become so pervasive and invasive that a recent Stanford study has identified instances where ChatGPT and Google’s Bard have answered medical questions with ‘debunked racist theories that harm Black patients.’ (the Associated Press, October 20, 2023).
When I was dealing with my personal issue of being discriminated against by a Swiss company, in 1991, I was cognizant of the fact that women, in the Swiss Canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, only got the right to vote in 1990.
What then is the solution for this evil among humanity?
I propose that a focus on Equity and Inclusion as the guiding principle will help us regain our lost humanity. It is one way to practice ‘and the second (commandment) is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ (Matthew 22:37). We should do it because it is the practical thing to do. It will deter congress people from sending threats to the families of their colleagues and will limit the outbreaks of disastrous wars.
Blogcast 2: Mindset Change
Ron Cooper, host of the Overcomers Overcoming Podcasts, says that the Reframing Process requires a change in mindset. (Podcast segment below). Often, we think that a mindset change occurs over a long time period. Today, we are witnessing how rapidly mindset changes can occur.
The Israel-Hamas war has undoubtedly changed and will continue to change minds as the children trapped in this conflict grow into teenage years and adulthood. This war has polarized and changed the mindset of students in universities, which we always considered safe havens for the passionately dispassionate discussions of very difficult social and political issues. Today, students are acting out the passion, and that with disastrous consequences. Similarly, leaders in the US Congress have had a profound mindset change in that they now threaten the families of their colleagues who choose not to support their views, actions that a few years ago we would have associated with third world countries.
We need a mindset change. We need to create safe places where we can walk in each other’s shoes, listen to each other, and reframe problems to create life-affirming solutions.
