What in the World?
What does all this look like?
If the events we are currently seeing do portend drastic changes, maybe better termed, substantial changes that could alter the course of human civilization, what would it look like? Furthermore, if this is the case, could we identify where the changes are taking us? And finally, are we able to understand what on earth is going on in the world?
Let me suggest a simple illustration. Suppose we visited a ship yard. While in the ship yard we see the basic structure of a ship in the process of being built. When we see the incomplete structure we rightly conclude the builders’ intention is to build a ship because of the obvious shape of the construction. The same could be said for a house. When we pass a house that is being framed and we see the unfinished structure we rightly conclude a house is being built. We do not look at a house being framed and conclude the builders are intending to build a ship. Nor do we look at the basic structure of a ship and conclude the builders are intending to build a house. The basic structure and framework of what builders are building provides ample information to conclude what is being constructed.
In the same manner, what we see happening in the world is the framing of a structure that is on its path to completion. The builders have made significant construction progress. But what are they building?
Can conclusions be drawn?
Should we be able to draw conclusions concerning the structure we clearly see being built? The answer is yes, but there is a caveat. How we view the structure depends, at lease in part, on the lens through which we choose to view the structure.
If, for example, we choose to view what is transpiring through the lens of human secularism, we might conclude the world is experiencing a transition and evolutionary process which is caused by humanity alone and will end with a cataclysmic event, the inevitable conclusion of mankind’s wasteful interaction with his environment. On the other side of the coin, we might conclude that humanity’s ingenuity will prevail and the evolutionary process will propel humanity to greater heights of progress and human self-actualization. (This view is becoming more and more difficult to cling to as the building structure becomes more recognizable to us onlookers). If on the other hand we choose to look at the structure through the lens of postmodernism, we might interpret the structure as having no meaning, no purpose, and no reliable story line to describe and understand the structure we are viewing. The point here is that the lens through which we view what is being built will dictate how we understand what we are seeing. To read further on how the lens we choose affects how we view our world, I invite you to read the section titled, Source of Authority.
Expectation of Recognition
That may sound like a strange subheading title but I use it to make a point. Should the framework—the indicators and the signs in front of us be sufficient to recognize and come to a conclusion about what is being built and where the world appears to be headed?
After all, people expect others to be capable of coming to a conclusion based upon the facts and situation in front of them. This is an important aspect of maturity and cognitive thinking. Even teachers of first graders have a rather high expectation for students to draw conclusions based upon the evidence in front of them. The cognitive development of individuals can be gauged to some degree by an individual’s ability to draw conclusions based upon evidence and inference. Of course, I do not want to make too much of this, nevertheless, drawing conclusions based upon the evidence presented is an expectation for all of us.
That sounds a bit simplistic when applied to the direction the world is headed—and it is. The differences of opinion people have and the conclusions they draw about practically everything are real and varied. In fact, those differences result in various schools of thought, debate, and often establish divisions and lines between groups that partly make the world what it is. With that said, the critical point is that each of us should view the evidence (the structure being built) and come to a conclusion about what is transpiring in the world.
The conclusions each of us draw will have profound implications for our life—in this life, and in the life to come.
So—with all this said—what is the purpose of this discussion? Good question! Let’s continue on and answer that question.
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