The GOWIYM Initiative
The acronym GOWIYM is from the phrase Getting Old Wisdom Into Young Minds. Virtually everyone when introduced to the idea has, to sum it up said, ‘Man that’s a great idea. Good luck with it.’ No, ‘How can I help?’. No ‘How might I do that in my family?’ No, ‘I’ll bring it up at my church.’
It seems we’ve hit the side of Sir Alexander Fraser Tytler, a Scottish jurist and historian’s Cycle of Nations characterized by selfishness, complacency, apathy and dependency, all leading into bondage.
Creating unnecessary dependencies is to fasten the chains on efforts to prevent bondage. If you want to eat, have a roof over your heads you’ll do as I say. To create self-sufficient individuals, to promote individual talents, strengthens. But this also means sharing the wealth, avoiding greed.
It’s interesting how priorities shift when we become comfortable. It’s as if all the work and sacrifices that made us prosperous are no longer needed. And some are not. However, what is needed is the foundation on which the prosperity was obtained, spiritual faith. The spiritual faith that prospered in bondage, the spiritual faith that gives birth to the courage that unites diversity, provides the strength to obtain freedom. The best definition of freedom is being able to do what’s right. Doing what’s 'just' always yields order without which there can be no lasting prosperity.
Why do we abandon spiritual faith during prosperous, comfortable times? The answer lies on the side of the cycle revealing what leads into bondage. Greed is the culprit. We’re no longer united in strength but divided by selfishness. Complacency, not willing to get out of our comfort zone leads to apathy, not caring. To ease the conscience, we compromise and give a little, just enough to create dependencies. All kinds of slavery become necessary for the already wealthy to get more. Injustices accumulate increasing disorder and there can be no self-perpetuating prosperity where disorder accumulates, only decline. We decline during prosperity because greed is a self-inflicted injustice that brings about catastrophe not only on individuals, but the culture. That which is lost and of the greatest value is the next generation. We’re all connected.
“Good luck with Getting Old Wisdom Into Young Minds.” Many who say they’ve great spiritual faith have concluded that what brought them to have spiritual faith isn’t working now. They’re right. A lady in a recent conversation said, “What is needed is a logical approach.” We’ve a generation that needs to know the Practicality of Truth. Why it’s logical to practice truth in order to have a prosperous life and not just exist. Virtually all talked with have concluded that because what worked for them isn’t working now to open up hearts and minds to spiritual faith, nothing will. This complacency that abounds in those claiming great spiritual faith is worse than a contradiction. It’s hypocrisy.
Can there be a logical approach to bringing those whose education has been saturated with science and its emphasis on logic to spiritual faith, to the Practicality of Truth? Absolutely! We’ve saturated generations with the teaching that science in its purest form is logical, revealing truth(s) only through proof. In reality much of science is polluted with claims based on speculation or interpretations. Some claims are based on mathematics that may or may not accurately predict. The immense statistical improbability of some claims is being ignored revealing contradictions in what is supposed to be a body of truth(s). For a scientist to claim objectivity while ignoring contradictions is no less a hypocrisy than those of faith who say a generation is lost to truth.
Though science, the new state priesthood (Science Set Free by Rupert Shaledrake) is riddled with contradictions, ironically it hasn’t given up on the next generation. It still promises solutions to all our problems, even death. Ignored contradictions regardless of what area of our society whether it be science, politics, religion or economics permit false beliefs. By definition false beliefs are lies. Lies aren’t practical for the simple reason they’re an illusion. All lies regardless of size are a violence to reality.
When we don’t ignore or limit truths, mysteries are revealed, logic isn’t flawed and contradictions cease to exist. (See The Value of Contradictions on Randy H. Martin's Facebook author's page.)
And what of mysteries? We pursue them! So many! Only, the path of truth(s) can lead to unraveling them. So often when in pursuit of mysteries we stumble over a lie or lies and find ourselves captured by a deception. Those totally honest with themselves and objective will find the spiritual faith that gives courage that unites diversity. Prosperity pollutes self-honesty by persuading us that material gain is the ultimate end, the top priority of our efforts. Science pollutes self-honesty and objectivity with its total dependency on our our intellect.
When the top priority is material wealth all other priorities are diminished. When our dependency is on our on intellect our arrogance blinds us to wisdom. That institution most efficient in getting wisdom into young minds, the Family becomes at best, secondary in a prosperous culture. We’ve turned our children over to others to raise just as the Romans did.
Wisdom, the practical application of truth comes only to those with great spiritual faith, that understand all things are possible with God. It’s interesting that intelligent design has been associated with religion thus making it unlawful to offer it as a possibility on which to interpret scientific findings. Is there not an unintended, inherent insinuation that God is intelligent? The argument is likely that you can’t associate intelligence with what doesn’t exist. But can the atheistic claim there is not God, be proven logically?
Have we forgotten, are we not aware of, or are we ignoring Tytler’s Cycle of Nations because we’re complacent or apathetic? What has it proven time and time again? History testifies to the fact we learn the value of spiritual faith, that all things are possible only when all freedom has been lost. Why do we not fight for freedom as it’s being taken away? Only when we’re united by spiritual faith, only when we’re totally committed to serving each other for the benefit of all according to the single moral foundation of what God requires of man; to live justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Him do we stay free.
To believe in God requires we walk in spiritual faith. And herein lies the ultimate wisdom, what Tytler’s cycle illustrates; to escape bondage, even when our faith is threatened to be taken captive by prosperity, we must walk in Peace with God, whether the wars we fight are against selfishness, complacency, apathy, the perpetrating of dependencies or those fought with guns. Victories as is illustrated perfectly by Tytler’s cycle is obtained only by great spiritual faith. We need not allow the next generation to go into bondage.
The ultimate rhetorical question may be; How practical is truth? Truth is not only ultimately practical it yields a peaceful walk with God. And as the Cycle of Nations illustrates when the majority are united in truth that nation prosperous from one generation to the next. Nothing is lost and everything is gained.