I have been critiqued (rightly so) for often taking a neutral position on controversial subjects. I ask questions and point out flaws in bad policy or ideas, but would rarely ‘give my own opinion’. In this entry, I picked a controversial subject: low income employment. And I have picked my position: socialist attitudes damage employment opportunities for low income earners.
-socialism: “a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
-I make no claims to knowing a man’s heart and pronounce judgement over any person, however, I do have eyes and a brain and therefore desire to make observations to help people.
-Over 12 years I have spent countless hours studying challenges facing people; how to solve problems and advance people in the area of their job. I try to bridge the gap between abstract theory (free market, socialist leanings etc.) and practical application of said theories. Helping people getting paid more is my passion.
-The purpose of this entry is to take a controversial subject and think on it…NOT declare truth.
-sorry if spelling issues J
Here we go…
One of the saddest observations that my 12 years of business ownership has imposed on me is seeing a low income earner fail to keep a job. My heart wrenches when I see a grown man with a family try their hardest but then lose their job due to self-imploding; especially when they have the skills. My observation as to ‘why’ an individual self-implodes is often rooted in an inability to live out of a truth that our value is fixed and high. If our value is fixed and high and we know it, then slitting our writs seems absurd. If we think our value is fixed and high, yet believe is not, then slitting our wrists may seem like ‘the only way out’. I have watched countless men fail to apply the simple truth that our value is fixed and high in real time. This has resulted in an inability to function in some very basic ways. Drugs, sex, alcohol and many other terrible addictions often become an escape to the pain of circumstances that overwhelm an individual. I have yet to hear a story of a man addicted to hard drugs who did not have deep pain that has attacked their view of their worth and value. When our value is undermined, we sometimes respond out of hurt and pain. Our responses to the hurt and pain often become habitual patterns. These ‘habitual responses’ are often things we think allows us to cope with the pain (I have shared how a few beers have taken the ‘edge’ off of my day) only to later expose nothing is solved.
Often times our responses to pain and hurt further try to undermine our value.
Failing to work with a stable mind is damaging to a company and the employee.
Failing to do our job as a result of an unstable mind undermines authority.
Boss to employee: “Do you agree to pick apples for $12/hour?”
Employee: “Yes.”
Boss: “Do you agree 9-5, Monday to Friday?”.
Employee: “Yes”
Boss: “Do you agree to call if you are ever late or absent?”
Employee: “Yes”
Boss: “Unless extreme circumstances occur, do you agree to these terms as conditions of employment?”
Employee: “Yes.”
Boss to himself (Monday at 10am) “Where the heck is our employee? He promised to be here and he did not call.”
Employee: “Shoot, I knew I had one too many last night…”
The employee placed himself under authority of the boss (subject to fair treatment under the law). The employee violated that agreement by not showing up/calling. Dishonoring the agreement with the employer undermined the authority that the employee willingly and freely placed themselves under.
I observe a direct correlation between individuals who have significant struggles with their value and unintentionally seeming unable to honor authority for a sustained period of time. This places a clear onus on the employee to make a change.
Rarely have I observed an individual bound by work inhibiting dysfunction’s take responsibility for their violation of an agreement.
Blaming, deflecting, self-justification and denial are often the responses when an employee with significant struggles is confronted with their violation to their job description. Not always, but often.
It seems self-evident that all people have struggles. I believe it is safe to say that major work inhibiting dysfunctions are dramatically more prevalent with low income earners then high income earners **being a low income earner does not mean you have work inhibiting dysfunctions**. **being a high income earner does in no way suggest are free from work inhibiting dysfunctions**
Socialist strategies try to value people. They simply do a brutal job expressing value.
The socialist mindset:“I just told my boss where to go, and how to get there…now, what ‘taxpayer support system can help me find my new job?”
The ‘free-market mindset’:
"I just told my boss where to go and how to get there…now, what is inside of me that seems to have a pattern of struggling to honor authority? Perhaps once I fix this, I can find my job.”
Both approaches may land the person another job. Which one do you suspect is cheaper and better values the individual? I submit the free market mindset.
Socialist mindset:
“The employer is finding success off of your hard work despite your ‘disease’ causing ‘issues’. We are trying to tax him more to ‘share the wealth”.
Free-market mindset:
“You are failing to advance because you do not come into work sober. Can I help you sober up? Once we work on this, we can begin investing in you for new skills that will pay you more and earn the company more!
Same question: which approach values the person and develops the economy?
Valuing people is not found in helping others abdicate responsibility, it is found in helping others take responsibility.
In what context do you want to help others take responsibility?
Please consider:
Please consider:
-Governments are not designed to create wealth. The private sector creates wealth.
-Governments are not designed to ‘help people’ with significant challenges to working. Charity groups, faith groups, private citizens ought to fulfil that role. Least we ‘teach’ people with significant challenges, “your government is your source to solving your problems”. What an unfortunate position to relegate others to.
-Friends, family and loved ones are prime candidates to help heal broken hearts, not expensive government programs. Compassion has the potential to break through a seemingly impossible situation. Relationships with people ought to be the source for this breakthrough, not a government programs.
Do we not all desire to see people who have significant struggles find meaningful employment? Is meaningful employment not serving others? Is it not creating new things? Do we not get paid to solve problems?
To the degree you believe we were built to serve, solve and create (and enjoy our successes and learn from our harsh failures) within the honorable field of work, you should equally consider the free market is the optimal place to do that (almost true by definition). Plucking a struggling person out of the free market, and dragging them into a socialistic program undermines the very nature as to how a person was designed. In order to serve, solve and create (and enjoy benefits) within a free market, we must learn from failure by confronting the root cause (not withdrawing and getting our answers in life paid for by others taxes). Often times we need to develop the skill of leaning in others to learn the lesson. Do not ruin the opportunity found within failure for anybody by sending them off to a government paid program. You are telling that person, “You cannot gain meaningful lessons from the harsh free market to the degree of overcoming your challenges. We are going to get others to pay for you to take a ‘time out’ from the cruel free market. The government will now help you.” This devaluing statement is often subconsciously felt by others when they receive help. Most of the people I talked to wish they did not have to receive help from the government.
Compassion cries out: love the person who is struggling to hold a job. YOU be the answer to their issues hindering them from work. You be the teacher. You be the comforter. You be available to know the shoes they are walking in, the pain that caused them such distress. You are not government paid, you are free of charge! Also, you are speaking from success found within the free market (so you are practising what you preach…where the socialist cannot, as they are not creating wealth, only spending other people’s).
In my life, compassion from others loving on me in my greatest times of need was the solution that allowed me to take several drubbings from the harsh free market and still stand. My lessons have been painful, but rewarding. I have seen a number of people leap miles ahead by taking the hit from the free market then ask, “what do I need to change in me to advance in my work?”. Meaningful action from this question could shrink our program expenses drastically and inspire many to progress by targeting and conquering their greatest challenges. Sometimes there is too much pain and hurt to ask this question. All is not lost. There is hope! Being loved by family and friends (faith groups if no family or friends) is a powerful answer to building a stable attendance and mind for the job you are targeting.
All the pluralism in the world will not trump the reality that your value is fixed and high. Overcoming the challenges to keep a job in the free market requires you to learn the lessons the free market teaches you. Socialist attitudes hurt struggling people with lower-income away from free market opportunities of meaningful employment.
