And keep the charge of the Lord your God to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn;
Kings 2:3
are we in a culture war or a culture competition?
communication and information are some of the tools in this competition.
culture is displayed in many ways including relationships, food, clothing, construction and commerce.
culture is communicated in words, social media, research studies, plays, movies, novels, and non-fiction books.
while technology has changed, the communication hasn’t. there is the message and the messaging. the technology perhaps started with language and the campfire. it eventually moved to cuneiform tablets and then to scrolls. it moved from books to audio and to visual. it presently moved to digital.
today, we are still at the campfire. there is the messenger. the messenger can be dynamic. often, the messenger is there with their guitar.
messengers can be problematic. their talent may not be easily replicated. i would liken it to the pop star michael jackson. his songs are not really sung too much by the masses. they are not really sing-a-long songs. the beatles, however, have songs that are truly simple and can be sung with little musical talent. michael jackson perhaps understood this as he purchased the beatles music catalog.
then, we have the message. can the message be passed along to others? will those at the campfire be able to communicate the message? with that, the message must be simple, easy to understand, and easy to be repeated.
thus, culture needs a messenger who can attractively communicate a simple solid message to the audience. the message needs to be one that those in the audience can easily transmit to others and that it will be well received.
when king david handed the keys to the kingdom to solomon, he delivered the message: “and keep the charge of the lord your god to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn.” in other words, following god’s path and directions will lead you to a prosperous life.
the message is simple. we are promoting one to have a good life.
the current culture of “inclusivity,” however, is one of bewilderment. does “inclusivity” mean that everyone is to be included? as such, are those who harm others to be included? does “inclusivity” have any limits as to who is to be included? once one is part of this “inclusivity,” what is the payoff? what is the reward? what does one get from being in this culture? i am curious as to what this leads to for both society and to the individual.
for this culture, perhaps, the message is not so simple.
in sum, with this assessment, with all messaging, it is incumbent that those who believe in a ten commandments’ culture make sure that all information platforms contain both the message and the substance. the late rabbi lord sacks is an inspiration source as to one who believed in reaching out to new technologies. if you are fortunate to go to a campfire this summer, what songs will you sing? what stories will you tell? what thanks will you give that you can have a communal moment in nature? most importantly, what messages will be passed?
be well!!
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