We live in a lonely world. Some people have even said that despite (and maybe even because of) our global and immediate connectivity online and on our smartphones and tablets, we are experiencing a "loneliness epidemic."
It's strange, but even as we live in a world where we are bombarded with people at work, in school, on the streets, at the movies, or on social media feeds with hundreds, or thousands, of friends, contacts, and followers ... we all know that modern life can get kind of lonely. We know that there is a deficit of true, fulfilling, and meaningful connection.
No matter how many likes we get on our photos online, no matter how many friends we think we have on Facebook, no matter how many people we text with on a daily basis ... we feel lonely. Deserted. Isolated.
Fortune Magazine published a study in June 2016 and reported that "The percentage of Americans who responded that they regularly or frequently felt lonely was between 11% and 20% in the 1970s and 1980s ...." Now, it's closer to 40% or 45%.
That means that nearly half of us regularly, or even frequently, feel lonely.
Maybe that's you. Perhaps you know what it is to feel alone. Perhaps you've felt lonely recently. Perhaps you feel isolated right now as you surf the web and seek out articles on what to do about your increasing despair about it.
Back in 2009, I volunteered with an organization called the Themba Trust in Mpumalanga, South Africa. When I was living there, I got really lonely.
Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful network of fellow volunteers, friends, and community members to connect to, plus Facebook and Skype to connect with friends and family back home. But I still couldn't shake my feeling of isolation.
About six months into my time there, I went to a conference called Amahoro, which means peace. Claude Nikondeah, from Burundi, kicked off the conference by introducing us to the concept of "ubuntu": the sub-Saharan philosophy that we are persons through other persons. Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, is how it is said in isiZulu.
Nikondeha explained it like this: "Our humanity is all bundled up together -- yours, mine, those outside this camp, even those across the world. We are interconnected, and we are affected by the well-being of one another."
He went on to talk about when someone else is hungry, we cannot feel full; that when someone else is thirsty, we cannot feel satiated; that when someone else is hurting, we cannot be at peace.
Suddenly, I had an entirely new perspective on my loneliness. Better yet, I had a whole new perspective on my place in the world.
No matter where I was, no matter who I was around, I was meant to be in community with the people in my life. In fact, I was meant to be in community with everyone.
I know that may sound really ridiculous and insanely idealistic, but walking away from that camp I had a new point of view.
When I was lonely, I knew someone else out there felt that pain, too. And so, automatically, I wasn't alone. Even more, when I thought about the other person feeling alone, I felt driven to connect -- maybe not to find that person, but to find somebody to talk to, relate with, and share life with.
Taking it one step further, when I felt fulfilled socially, I could not help but think of people out there who don't feel good enough or wanted enough. And so, I wanted to reach out to them, invite them into my home, share a meal with them, or connect in some other way.
I wanted to reach out because I sensed -- for perhaps the first time in my life -- that I was not truly alone.
And why? Because I was needed. Other people who were hungry, thirsty, or alone needed me to feed them, slake their thirst, or be with them for a while just to let them know they weren't alone ... and neither was I.
I suddenly understood what Archbishop Desmond Tutu meant when he said, "We are set in a delicate network of interdependence with our fellow human beings and all of creation."
My hope is that if you're reading this and feeling lonely, feeling isolated, feeling like you don't belong, like you aren't worth it, aren't pretty enough, aren't good enough, don't have enough "likes" on Instagram, or followers on Twitter, or friends on Facebook ... that you would know that you are not alone.
You are part of something bigger and greater and grander than you can possibly imagine -- a global, cosmopolitan, human community -- that needs you.
You are part of, and called to, a community.
To learn more about how you can be involved in your own local community in a positive way, check out LHM's brand new Hopeful Neighborhood Project. It's full of resources, activities, and inspiring real-life stories, so you can interface with your neighbors -- and neighborhood -- and imagine the possibilities right where you live!
You can dive into this fun and exciting way to get to know your neighbors and explore your neighborhood by clicking here.
Written by Ken Chitwood
You can share your thoughts on this blog by clicking here and leaving a comment.
You can let the folks at THRED know what you think by clicking here.
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Jesus Christ, Inc.
*Disclaimer: I currently do not identify with any specific religion. You could say I'm spiritual, but not religious. I'm a curious person. Especially when it comes to religion. When I think about Christianity, I tend to obsess over the same question: "If Jesus was alive today, how would He position Himself?"
This might seem like a weird question, until you get to know me.
I've been helping others brand and position their ideas, businesses, and themselves, for my entire professional career. I'm always dissecting the most effective way for someone to communicate their value to someone else who may want what they have.
When I think back to my childhood, I vaguely remember passages from my children's Bible (with pictures, of course) recounting Jesus as an outsider who wasn't necessarily understood until the end of His life.
This sounds like every misunderstood genius who was posthumously recognized for their contribution to humanity. Think Vincent Van Gogh or Emily Dickinson.
So, this is where my curiosity piques. "If Jesus were alive in today's world, how would He deliver His intended message to His followers?"
 Would He go the life/business coach route and create an online empire of endless e-books that share the "10 Steps to Success" using Christianity?
 Or, would He decide to be a lone wolf and freelance, converting followers one by one as He works remotely from coffee shops all over the world?
 How about going for broke, establishing Himself as Jesus Christ, Inc., and launching a franchise of McDonald's-esque pop-up churches that successfully systematize the Bible so He could pay anyone minimum wage to share it with others?
 Would He try and dazzle potential investors by pitching the next "Snapchat for miracles" claiming He was going to "disrupt the religious ecosystem by offering a more pleasant user experience for millennials who don't believe in God?"
Regardless of His chosen business entity, it's safe to say Jesus would inevitably have to face today's challenges head on while capturing the attention of His followers. Here are a few ways He could grow His community in today's world.
Music Festivals: Watch out, Bonnaroo! Jesus is coming, and He's bringing His posse. If you think Chance the Rapper puts on a good show, just wait until Jesus rolls up with His opening act, Kanye West! After all, anyone with a song called "Jesus Walks" has to be down for a Christ-like music collab.
Reality TV: Real Sinners of Orange County? Keeping Up with the Corinthians? Praying with the Stars? Pick your poison. You wouldn't be able to turn the channel without seeing a "real-life" depiction of what it's like being the Big Man Himself. What better way to amass an audience than to show what happens when Jesus stops being nice and starts being real?
Social Media: Snapchat would obviously have to be part of His social media strategy, especially among His younger potential customers. Imagine receiving a Snap-storm of Jesus performing miracles among His followers at the nearby Starbucks? You better believe that would go viral.
Sponsorships: Personally, I could see brand alignment with Jesus and Red Bull. Who wouldn't want to see Jesus parting the Indian Ocean while base jumping off Mount Kilimanjaro, all while chugging Red Bull?! Once again, another opportunity to reach the masses.
Vlogging: With daily vlogs becoming more popular on YouTube, would Jesus build a team around His daily exploits? His video crew would follow Him wherever He goes, from Nazareth to Narnia, capturing the daily grind.
Webinars: What better way to reach a large audience than to spam the internet with the next series of webinars that will change your life and help you reach your dreams (for the low price of $299)? Tony Robbins doesn't have anything on Mr. Christ.
These are just a few channels Jesus would have to conquer in order to compete for attention in today's hustle and bustle. How do you think Jesus would spread the good word today?
Written by William Frazier
You can share your thoughts on this blog by clicking here and leaving a comment.
You can let the folks at THRED know what you think by clicking here.
This might seem like a weird question, until you get to know me.
I've been helping others brand and position their ideas, businesses, and themselves, for my entire professional career. I'm always dissecting the most effective way for someone to communicate their value to someone else who may want what they have.
When I think back to my childhood, I vaguely remember passages from my children's Bible (with pictures, of course) recounting Jesus as an outsider who wasn't necessarily understood until the end of His life.
This sounds like every misunderstood genius who was posthumously recognized for their contribution to humanity. Think Vincent Van Gogh or Emily Dickinson.
So, this is where my curiosity piques. "If Jesus were alive in today's world, how would He deliver His intended message to His followers?"
 Would He go the life/business coach route and create an online empire of endless e-books that share the "10 Steps to Success" using Christianity?
 Or, would He decide to be a lone wolf and freelance, converting followers one by one as He works remotely from coffee shops all over the world?
 How about going for broke, establishing Himself as Jesus Christ, Inc., and launching a franchise of McDonald's-esque pop-up churches that successfully systematize the Bible so He could pay anyone minimum wage to share it with others?
 Would He try and dazzle potential investors by pitching the next "Snapchat for miracles" claiming He was going to "disrupt the religious ecosystem by offering a more pleasant user experience for millennials who don't believe in God?"
Regardless of His chosen business entity, it's safe to say Jesus would inevitably have to face today's challenges head on while capturing the attention of His followers. Here are a few ways He could grow His community in today's world.
Music Festivals: Watch out, Bonnaroo! Jesus is coming, and He's bringing His posse. If you think Chance the Rapper puts on a good show, just wait until Jesus rolls up with His opening act, Kanye West! After all, anyone with a song called "Jesus Walks" has to be down for a Christ-like music collab.
Reality TV: Real Sinners of Orange County? Keeping Up with the Corinthians? Praying with the Stars? Pick your poison. You wouldn't be able to turn the channel without seeing a "real-life" depiction of what it's like being the Big Man Himself. What better way to amass an audience than to show what happens when Jesus stops being nice and starts being real?
Social Media: Snapchat would obviously have to be part of His social media strategy, especially among His younger potential customers. Imagine receiving a Snap-storm of Jesus performing miracles among His followers at the nearby Starbucks? You better believe that would go viral.
Sponsorships: Personally, I could see brand alignment with Jesus and Red Bull. Who wouldn't want to see Jesus parting the Indian Ocean while base jumping off Mount Kilimanjaro, all while chugging Red Bull?! Once again, another opportunity to reach the masses.
Vlogging: With daily vlogs becoming more popular on YouTube, would Jesus build a team around His daily exploits? His video crew would follow Him wherever He goes, from Nazareth to Narnia, capturing the daily grind.
Webinars: What better way to reach a large audience than to spam the internet with the next series of webinars that will change your life and help you reach your dreams (for the low price of $299)? Tony Robbins doesn't have anything on Mr. Christ.
These are just a few channels Jesus would have to conquer in order to compete for attention in today's hustle and bustle. How do you think Jesus would spread the good word today?
Written by William Frazier
You can share your thoughts on this blog by clicking here and leaving a comment.
You can let the folks at THRED know what you think by clicking here.
Tuesday, March 2, 2021
When It Comes to Religion, We'd Better Get an Education
The famous American playwright Wilson Mizner is attributed with saying, "I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education." Given America's current lack of "religious literacy" -- the knowledge of, and ability to understand, both your own religion and that of others -- Mizner may be correct.
Several years ago, the Pew Research Center put out its Religious Knowledge Survey. They found that America is one of the most religious countries in the developed world. However, the report also reveals those declaredly without religion in America scored highest on the religious knowledge quiz. Atheists and agnostics, not people of faith, recorded the best scores on a test that examined individual knowledge of various religions. Questions ranged from the Hindu pantheon to who sparked the Protestant Reformation.
It seems that white evangelical Protestants had some of the lowest knowledge concerning other religions, averaging only 16 correct answers out of 32 questions on the quiz. On the other hand, atheists and agnostics "excelled" with an average of almost 21, just beating out Mormons and Jews who averaged closer to 20.
Although most Christians missed questions about other religions, even questions from an individual's own religious tradition proved stumpers as Catholics failed to identify transubstantiation as their own belief, and Protestants did not note that Martin Luther kickstarted their own church movement. That said, Mormons and Protestant evangelicals scored the highest on questions of a biblical nature.
Rather than making atheists and agnostics look like religious gurus and white evangelical Protestants look like stereotypical uneducated bigots, the survey points out an altogether more depressing fact: America is fundamentally, and woefully, religiously illiterate.
If the best average of any demographic is a barely passing 21 out of 32 (65 percent), Americans fail in making the grade on religious literacy. In one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, it should not be acceptable that our religious knowledge is somewhere between failing and barely passing.
As the Pew Research Center explained, educational attainment was the single greatest determining factor in religious knowledge. This being the case, it is much more poignant to point the finger at the leaders of our educational system, churches, synagogues, and other centers of education for our lack of religious knowledge rather than shaking the finger at any particular religious adherents or non-adherents.
Those with more education on religion, particularly those who took a course on the subject, did much better on the quiz than the average American. Although there are those who rightly point out that religion is more than head knowledge -- that faith involves experiential knowledge as well -- a basic education covering other religions (whether experiential or book-based) goes a long way in building bridges.
As an educator, I am personally concerned with the evident poverty of religious education that the average American receives. Over the last seven years since the Religious Knowledge Quiz was released, things have not improved. They may have even become worse.
If we do not get an education on religion, it is to the nation's, and the world's, detriment. Teaching world religions over the last few years in a variety of settings, I frequently observe that those who take the time to learn about another religion come away a lot more compassionate and understanding and much less cold and condemning towards those of another faith.
What America needs is a movement of those with faith, and those without, to learn more about world religions both in theory and in practice. It is time that we the people of either faith or doubt, get an education when it comes to religion.
Written by Ken Chitwood
You can share your thoughts on this blog by clicking here and leaving a comment.
You can let the folks at THRED know what you think by clicking here.
Several years ago, the Pew Research Center put out its Religious Knowledge Survey. They found that America is one of the most religious countries in the developed world. However, the report also reveals those declaredly without religion in America scored highest on the religious knowledge quiz. Atheists and agnostics, not people of faith, recorded the best scores on a test that examined individual knowledge of various religions. Questions ranged from the Hindu pantheon to who sparked the Protestant Reformation.
It seems that white evangelical Protestants had some of the lowest knowledge concerning other religions, averaging only 16 correct answers out of 32 questions on the quiz. On the other hand, atheists and agnostics "excelled" with an average of almost 21, just beating out Mormons and Jews who averaged closer to 20.
Although most Christians missed questions about other religions, even questions from an individual's own religious tradition proved stumpers as Catholics failed to identify transubstantiation as their own belief, and Protestants did not note that Martin Luther kickstarted their own church movement. That said, Mormons and Protestant evangelicals scored the highest on questions of a biblical nature.
Rather than making atheists and agnostics look like religious gurus and white evangelical Protestants look like stereotypical uneducated bigots, the survey points out an altogether more depressing fact: America is fundamentally, and woefully, religiously illiterate.
If the best average of any demographic is a barely passing 21 out of 32 (65 percent), Americans fail in making the grade on religious literacy. In one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, it should not be acceptable that our religious knowledge is somewhere between failing and barely passing.
As the Pew Research Center explained, educational attainment was the single greatest determining factor in religious knowledge. This being the case, it is much more poignant to point the finger at the leaders of our educational system, churches, synagogues, and other centers of education for our lack of religious knowledge rather than shaking the finger at any particular religious adherents or non-adherents.
Those with more education on religion, particularly those who took a course on the subject, did much better on the quiz than the average American. Although there are those who rightly point out that religion is more than head knowledge -- that faith involves experiential knowledge as well -- a basic education covering other religions (whether experiential or book-based) goes a long way in building bridges.
As an educator, I am personally concerned with the evident poverty of religious education that the average American receives. Over the last seven years since the Religious Knowledge Quiz was released, things have not improved. They may have even become worse.
If we do not get an education on religion, it is to the nation's, and the world's, detriment. Teaching world religions over the last few years in a variety of settings, I frequently observe that those who take the time to learn about another religion come away a lot more compassionate and understanding and much less cold and condemning towards those of another faith.
What America needs is a movement of those with faith, and those without, to learn more about world religions both in theory and in practice. It is time that we the people of either faith or doubt, get an education when it comes to religion.
Written by Ken Chitwood
You can share your thoughts on this blog by clicking here and leaving a comment.
You can let the folks at THRED know what you think by clicking here.
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