Recently I heard an economist saying that conviction requires foundation. He was talking about the economy, but the same is true of our lives. We must find a foundation upon which to build the convictions that define our character and motivate our influence of others.
Building upon a foundation requires commitment to a location, a space, a community. This permanence allows one to develop consistent, community-tested convictions.
Some find a foundation too constraining: "Look at this small space upon which I must build my home. I would prefer to wander the world and pitch my tent wherever it suits me." The freedom to wander results in a freedom from conviction OR in convictions lacking solidity.
What dangers are faced when addressing this foundation-conviction link?
- You mimic the convictions of others but lack their foundation. Children often discover this when they leave home and must select their own foundations. Their convictions don't travel well because they are no longer grounded.
- You don't allow yourself to experience the corrective influence of living in community, allowing others to help shape the convictions to which your foundation gives rise. You narrowly define your beliefs, refusing to grow or change while your foundation slowly crumbles into an ever smaller island.
- Your convictions lack consistency because they are based on the ethereal voices of those that surround you. This is mimicry of those who themselves are lacking foundation.
An ESPN commentator bemoaned the cultural insensitivity of referring to the professional football team in DC as the "Redskins." He said he would give up any term that offended a group of people - even ten people.
Then he went on to demonstrate his cultural sensitivity by saying that when he listens to rap music he tries never to sing along with the "n-word," instead substituting another, less offensive term like "brother."
So, he economically supports and is entertained by lyrics that offend far more than ten people because - because why? Because he likes rap music?
Welcome to a world of ethereal convictions strongly expressed that lack both foundation and consistency.
Some of you have already thought of a biblical parable associated with this tension. Jesus talked about a home built on a rock that withstood any weather and compared it with a home built on sand that collapsed when beat upon by heavy rains.
Let's encourage our children to lay foundations upon which they can build convictions that are able to withstand life's inevitable stormy weather.
Of course, one of the challenges we face as parents is that our children may build on a lot in our community, but in a subdivision that encourages convictions differing in significant ways from that those we have followed. To my way of thinking this is preferable to them living in an entirely different community or spending their lives as nomads. The convictions you've developed, arising from your foundation, may lead you to disagree. |
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Thanks for reading and thanks for your comments!
You can understand each other - really!
Dr. Stephen Julian
Copyright © 2013 by Dr. Stephen Julian. All rights reserved. |
