On the front page of the Wall Street Journal is a picture of who I thought, at first glance, was Charles Stanley. Stanley passed on recently. The picture is not Stanley, according to the description it is, “…the world’s richest person,” Bernauld Arnault. His lofty office view looks out at the walls of other drab buildings in New York City, and the article’s author, and many others or it wouldn’t be the front-page article, are impressed by this view.

In comparison, Charles Stanley, his look-alike, had a very common ground-level view, but if Stanley could see the masses of individuals whose lives’ he impacted, the view would be vast and colorful. Maybe he sees that today in eternity. The reality is that Charles Stanley’s riches far surpass Bernauld Arnault’s because human life is the most valuable commodity on earth.

There are many noble traits that demonstrate the value of humans, love, comfort, compassion, altruism, beautiful art, babies, etc.  But even war and conflict prove the point that humans are the most valuable thing in the world. Next time you see people arguing or bombing each other, look at what the bottom line is, generally it will be for control of, or possession of, humans. At first look the conflict may appear to be land, wealth or power but remove humans from the picture completely and any of those goals now has little value.

Think about this…if you remove the humans from the planet…what do you have? Why is anything here? Trees, flowers, mountains, streams, animals and so on are here for the use of humans, not the other way around. We are not on this planet for the planet’s sake. The planet exists for our sake. Those humans who destroy nature do not change facts. The fact that the planet is here for us to enjoy and manage and not vice versa might be clouded by bad actors, but the fact remains.

Each human is an eternal being. The only thing that will follow you into eternity is other humans. U.S. currency, or any world currency, is useless in eternity, meaningless. As are buildings, precious metals, or any other item that we accumulate in a lifetime, except humans.

Charles Stanley is still one of the world’s richest men. He is alive, his eternal life goes on somewhere on the other side of mortal life, and he has immeasurable riches. The riches are other humans who entered and will enter eternal life with rewards, in part due to what he focused his life on, the life giving principles found in the Old & New Testaments. 

 

Creative Destruction

Author: Teresa Hatler Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2019 2:54:24 PM EDT Subject: Creative Destruction

When Joseph Schumpeter, born in 1883, coined the phrase, “creative destruction” the world was a much different place.  The newest innovations were electricity, automobiles, and telephones. Schumpeter found that “competition among entrepreneurs in the search for new ideas that will render their rivals ideas obsolete,” (Francois & Lloyd-Ellis, 2003) caused old ways of doing things to fall by the way for new and improved ways.

Perry Mark, 2018, gives a very interesting list of things that didn’t exist on Christmas fifteen years ago.  Check out some of the list:  iPhone, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Google Maps, Spotify, Uber, Airbnb, App Store, Google Chrome.  What is currently in the process of being “destroyed” through the creation of the things on the list? Slowly becoming unnecessary are the U.S. postal service, newspapers, magazines, taxi service, traditional hotels, folded maps, atlas books, radios all of which were crucial to society only a short 20 years ago.  

What this has meant for consumers hinges on the age group.  Children under the age of 18 do not know what the world was like when we waited for the newspaper or the mail to be delivered.  Adults over 55 have had a very hard time learning the new technology, and then having to keep up as it has morphed and been updated frequently.  Schumpeter would be amazed at the difference since his lifetime.   

More information

Francois, P., & Lloyd-Ellis, H. (2003, June). Animal spirits through creative destruction. The American Economic Review, 530-550. doi:https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.regent.edu/stable/3132105?pq-origsite=summon&seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

Perry, M. J. (2018). Creative destruction. Washington: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. Retrieved from http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.regent.edu/docview/2160647709?accountid=13479

Crypto-currency by Facebook

     In January 2018 Facebook banned crypto-currency ads.   “Facebook (FB) said that it will now block advertising promoting crypto-currency and other related products because they are frequently associated with "misleading" or "deceptive practices"  (LiveBriefs, 2018).  Interesting item to ban considering the plethora of choices of things that are deceptive or misleading on Facebook.  Even more interesting now that Facebook has unveiled it’s own form of crypto-currency set to launch in early 2020, (Pettit, 2019).  The crypto-currency, called Libra, could be used to buy and sell retail products, to send money to  friends or family worldwide, to pay Uber or Lyft drivers,  and to pay bills of any type.  It can also be used to store your money with no fees.  The idea is that it would provide access to financial resources to people world-wide who currently have little or no access to money.

     From a Biblical worldview there is the one most obvious hazard.  This is a one-world monetary system that could work, work well, and work quickly with a large percentage of the population already on-board with Facebook.  Once there is a one-world financial system in place, it will be a small step for mankind to have one item which carries all personal financial information, such as a miniscule chip for identity that is not cumbersome and has literally no physical ramifications when placed under the skin.    

     This product will impact Western Union, Wal-Mart money, Paypal, and numerous other companies that currently provide money wiring service.  It will remove the necessity for bank accounts. The entire banking system in the western world could very possibly crumble within a very short time if this crypto currency is adapted as fast as Facebook itself was.  The Facebook.com launched in February 2004, according to Facebook's corporate page, 15 years later there are “1.56 billion daily active users on Facebook on average for March 2019… 2.38 billion monthly active users on Facebook as of March 31, 2019”  (Newsroom, 2019).    The 28 companies on-board complete the picture of how widespread the new crypto-currency will be. Visa, Lyft, Uber, Paypal, Ebay, Mastercard and Spotify are only a few.  The goal is to have 100 companies supporting this crypto-currency by 2020. 

     This is important enough that one should take notice and be sure that you have an alternative plan for the day that all systems fail.  There are definite threats to financial systems and electric grids. If it all went down tonight, indefinitely, how would you provide food and water for your family? Alternatively, if this is highly successful and the progression is to a monetary system that quickly implements a requirement of allegiance to something other than your God, how will you disengage?  There is a day fast approaching where you are either all-in, or all-out.  The wise will have already taken notice and not based their entire source of food, shelter and protection on the world’s system.    

For more details see

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Facebook

https://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/

Facebook bans crypto-currency ads. (2018, Jan 31). Live Briefs US Retrieved from http://eres.regent.edu:2048/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.regent.edu/docview/1992583944?accountid=13479

 Pettit, H. (2019, June 18). tech. Retrieved from https://www.thesun.co.uk: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/9319668/facebook-launch-libra-cryptocurrency/

Nuclear Bombs

      Nuclear development has the power to change our world.  The first atomic bomb (atom or A-bomb) devastated Hiroshima in an instant, with fall out continuing for years. A reporter named Yamamoto was a few miles away when the bomb dropped.  His son was closer, in Hiroshima and suffered extreme facial damage.  He brought him home, and the young man passed away after a few hours. 

 “Mr. Yamamoto later described one of the last conversations he had with his son. "It was around 11 that night. 'Is there really a Pure Land?' My son asked this strange question, breathing faintly ... 'Is there jellied bean paste there?' My wife finally choked out an answer. 'Yes, there's jellied bean paste and everything there.' Then he said, 'Then I think I'll die.'” (Miyazaki, 2015)    

One can only imagine the internal damage that his son was suffering through during those few hours.  

     The atom bomb was developed in 1945. Immediately after seeing the test explosion J. Robert Oppenheimer said he “remembered the line from the Hindu scripture the Bhagavad-Gita,” he said. “‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.’” (Little, 2017)  Oppenheimer, called the father of the A-bomb, later opposed the H-bomb and worked to prevent further chance of nuclear war.  He lost his job and professional respect for his resistance to nuclear bombs. (Little, 2017) 

    Today, nuclear energy is promoted as a clean energy resource.  (U. S. Energy Information Administration, 2019)  Yet, people who live near nuclear power plants have psychological effects due to awareness of possibility of radiation exposure in the event of leaks, melt down or compromise of the facility.  I remember when I first saw a nuclear power plant, and didn't know what it was. Once I discovered what it was, I purposely avoided that highway for many years.  

     In the early 2000’s Iran was found to have concealed and lied about nuclear development.  Today, Iran continues to practice Uranium conversion with barely even half-hearted claims that they are using it to develop energy.  North Korea has, as of 2017, a nuclear bomb that dwarfs what was dropped on Hiroshima.  (History Channel, 2018)  Both North Korea and Iran have demonstrated that they have little inclination to work with world leaders to reduce the chance of nuclear war. In fact, they have made the opposite statement through their behavior.  (History Channel, 2018)

     Any technology can be used to harm.  Cell phones, guns, knives and cars all have good uses, but in the hands of people bent on destruction and violence will be used for those purposes. Nuclear weapons, though, have potentially devastating consequences for humanity.  Is there anyway to turn around now?   As Billy Graham stated in a 1998 Ted Talk, “The problem is not technology, but it is the person or persons using it.” (Graham, 1998)  We cannot be simplistic and believe what Iran, North Korea, or even Russia tell us they are doing, or not doing.  We need to act responsibly and expect verifiable proof.  When certain politicians tell you that we need to avert conflict primarily through conversation, it is a very naive thing to say.  Of course we want to keep lines of communication open, and we also need to confirm that all parties are doing as they say.  This is a reasonable expectation.   

For more information: 

History Channel. (2018). North Korea: Dark Secrets [Motion Picture].

Little, B. (2017, August 10). “Father of the Atomic Bomb” Was Blacklisted for Opposing H-Bomb. Retrieved from https://www.history.com: https://www.history.com/news/father-of-the-atomic-bomb-was-blacklisted-for-opposing-h-bomb

Miyazaki, T. (2015, September). The view from under the mushroom cloud: The Chugoku Shimbun newspaper and the Hiroshima Peace Media Center. International Review of the Red Cross, 97(899).

Graham, Billy. (1998). Ted Talks.  Retrieved from  https://www.ted.com/talks/billy_graham_on_technology_faith_and_suffering [Motion Picture].

U. S. Energy Information Administration. (2019, June 29). Energy explained. Retrieved from https://www.eia.gov: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=nuclear_environment