Must we disgrace the professional because of the criminal?

Must we disgrace the professional because of the criminal?  We don’t need police reform.  We need a culture of continuous improvement.  Everyone is so busy fixing blame that nobody wants to fix the problems. 

Why do you buy a new phone every two or three years?  The old one probably works, but the new one is better.  Kaizen—continuous improvement—has been at work in the commercial sector for decades.  Which companies don’t have it?  Not many because most that didn’t improve disappeared. 

We don’t need to defund, dismiss, disband, or disrespect the police.  We need to reinforce the most professional practices and procedures every day and every year.  We can do this without hate and without disrespecting the many who are now receiving the scorn of the few.

We need to practice law and order.  Do you want Derek Chauvin prosecuted and convicted?  If you defund the police, do we just let him go? 

There are people doing evil things in this world.  The police are often the first or second line of defense for many.  When police break the law, the offenders must be prosecuted swiftly, but must we throw the baby out with the bathwater?

The disrespect for the many honorable men and women in today’s law enforcement agencies has gone too far.  This reeks of the days of people spitting on Vietnam Veterans when they returned home.

This is hate arising from the human heart.  It has no place in America.  That last statement purposely has no qualifiers.

It’s not,  hate has no place in America, but…

It has no place.  Hate has no place.

Do we want to be better or do we want to satisfy the hate and anger that can only be reconciled through Christ Jesus?

Neither human law nor practice, protest or pontification, or any other proposed remedy of human design will get to the heart of the problem. 

Do we want to fix the problem or live in ongoing hate and disrespect? 

What is your goal?

Here is a term that we all need to know.  The word is efficacy.  It means the power to effect the desired change.  It is a word that I insist people know if they are committing to counseling or any sort.

It is a rudder and an anchor simultaneously.  It is a filter and a paradigm meter.  It challenges us to ask the question:  Is what I propose going to get me any closer to my objective?

Protests and posts and other peaceful forms of redress get some attention.

Riots and lawlessness get more, but do they move you closer to your objective or put more obstacles in the way?

How do you make it harder to get what you want?  Loot a Target or Walmart or your neighbor’s store that was barely making it as it was.  These make big statements but generate more resistance than support.

Do we want to accomplish what we set out to do or must we satisfy the hate in our hearts?

But… There’s that word that keeps us from reaching our goals and objectives.  But, peaceful protests are slow to make a difference.  But, replacing elected officials takes time.  But…

We must ask if the change we desire is worth our continued effort over whatever period of time it takes, or do we give in to our hate and hope for the best as we alienate more and more people who were once with us?

Efficacy asks us:  Do we want allies or enemies?  If we are willing to disrespect honorable men and women, we are creating more enemies than you realize and you will not reach your objective.

This is called selfishness.  This is self-gratification.  This is I must satisfy my hate even at the expense of the cause I claim. 

If you are loyal to your cause, this is called treason. 

How did we get from disrespecting police officers to treason?  It’s a journey of very few steps.  I do not recommend it.

Let’s keep our heads, our sound minds if you will.

Let’s agree to seek solutions not barter a tenuous peace treaty.

Let’s kick fear to the curb (it’s not from God) and courageously make our nation better than it was yesterday.

Our history is a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, selfishness and sacrifice, abundance and scarcity, but our future must be one that values and respects each other and desires a better America for our children’s children.