Our culture is our story. It's our family, neighborhood, and community interactions; it’s our religion, music, entertainment, art, business, politics, sports, and every other aspect of our lives and society.
Many of us feel helpless as we watch the vitriol between people on opposite ends of political, religious, and other beliefs. We stand by with heavy hearts when we hear about the senseless tragedies of 192 people dying every day from drug abuse, the soul-killing crime of human trafficking—especially child sex trafficking, and the 129 people who take their own lives every single day in the U.S.
The truth is that we do not have to stand by helpless as our culture deteriorates. We have the power and the authority—perhaps even a mandate—to create culture. We’re the only species on earth that can do so.
If you doubt our ability to influence culture, consider the fact that every new song released, every new play produced, every new book written, business founded, ministry launched, etc., starts a ripple effect that touches lives, and ultimately changes the culture.
But it’s not just artists, authors, and entrepreneurs who influence the culture. Every time someone decides to give their marriage another try rather than breaking up their family, the culture is positively influenced. Every time someone decides to go to an AA or Celebrate Recovery meeting rather than self-medicate their pain, the culture is positively influenced. Every time someone gets up and goes to work when they’d rather stay in bed, the culture is positively influenced.
Yes, we do have that much power. Our actions, for good or for bad, influence others. When we do something, we are effectively saying, “it’s ok to do this—in fact, I recommend it.” Everyone within our influence is watching and learning--particularly the children.
Too many people throughout human history have done wrong. We’re now living with the consequences of all the wrong choices ever made. Every generation doesn’t start fresh. It builds on the last. Let’s use the power and strength and talents that we have to do the good that we can do in our homes, our workplace, our neighborhoods and community, and in our world, and build on the best of our history, and thereby heal the culture.
I'd like to hear your thoughts about how to heal the culture. In fact, I hope you'll share this with your friends and join me on one of my social media platforms to collaborate on what we each can do to heal the culture. Every single one of us has a unique way to do our part. It's our mandate.
