SUPPOSIN': A BIG CLUE TO OUR PROBLEM

by Dr. James W. Jackson

Founder, Project C.U.R.E.
Author, The Happiest Man in the World: Life Lessons from a Cultural Economist

It seems to me, as a cultural economist, that there is ample evidence in ancient manuscripts, contemporary writings, and anecdotal traditions, to make a strong case for an economic model based on abundance, choice, and accomplishment, rather than scarcity, choice, and cost. If that is a possibility, then why is it that we have a natural propensity to base our daily decisions on a fear-based model of insufficiency, lack, and shortage? Let’s do some exploring.

When you were born, you came equipped with an amygdala (a-mig’ dala) as standard equipment. Aren’t you happy for that? In fact, you came equipped with two amygdalae and didn’t have to pay extra for either one. As an owner, that should really make you twice as happy . . . or maybe not.

The amygdala is an almond-shaped mass of gray matter in the front part of the temporal lobe of your cerebrum that is part of the limbic system and is involved in the processing and expression of emotions, especially anger and fear. It has a lot to do with the flight-or-fight response. It also plays a pivotal role in triggering a state of fear based on the formation and storage of memories associated with emotional events. Because of that, there may also be a link between the amygdala and patterns of extreme anxiety.

I like to think of the amygdala as the Rottweiler of your brain. It was born and bred to be the ultimate watchdog, assigned to your personal survival. As standard equipment in your brain, it is your first line of defense and a warning system that is expected to always be hyper-alert and seek out any and all danger. It never sleeps and never slumbers and its growl and bark sends instant messages to the heart, the lungs, the nerves, the skin, the eyes, the ears, the memory chips, and even prepares the muscles for instant action.

This Rottweiler of the brain is always looking for something to fear . . . and will always find something to bark about. The more barking, the more he is considered successful. He is always looking for something that is negative and is never patted on the head for discovering something positive. And, as you might expect, if the watchdog ever gets hold of something that has agitated him, it is possible that he will never let it go.

Now, with the Rottweiler in mind, let’s ask the questions again: Why is it that we have a natural propensity to base our daily decisions on a fear-based model of insufficiency, lack, and shortage? Why is it easier to believe something negative than something positive? In order to get higher listener and viewer ratings, wouldn’t the newspaper, television, and computer outlets cram the airwaves with negative stories as opposed to any positive stories? Why would we always have the feeling that we are under siege? Why is it so lucrative to sell pessimism and fear? Why don’t potential dangers ever go away?

The simple answer is, because we have allowed the watchdog to run amuck and have rewarded him for his incessant behavior. We have developed and encouraged a messed up watchdog that possesses an insatiable appetite for the negative, the fearful, and the insufficient.

So, what are some methods to modify the out of balance behavior, other than selling the Rottweiler, buying a Golden Retriever, and moving out of the dangerous neighborhood? Realistically, how do you ratchet down the fear and insecurity mindset in order to make room for the alternative of hope and confidence? Let’s brainstorm:

• Limit the tsunami of negative media flow into your conscious and subconscious mind. Just say, “No thank you” to 90% of the news.
• Try to remember that the fear of scarcity can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
• Quit rewarding the watchdog when it barks at its own shadow.
• Train your watchdog to perceive that the person approaching may not be an intruder, but may be your best friend.
• Dare to investigate the idea of My God shall supply all your need . . . (Philippians 4:19).
• Try to remember that the attitude of shortage is bondage. The attitude of abundance is freedom.
• Begin to delete the information on the memory chips of your amygdala to replace it with new and positive information on sufficiency, abundance, and accomplishment.

It is true that your personal model came equipped with a left and right amygdala. They were designed and installed as a benefit to you. But, you are the one in charge of your current model and have the responsibility of overseeing the use and discipline of the function of the amygdalae. Your new automobile also came from the factory equipped with two windshield wipers for your benefit, but you are in charge of turning them off and on at the appropriate times. If you find yourself with a complicated problem regarding your factory supplied equipment, it would be recommended that you contact the manufacturer of your model.

It is our choice whether we allow the information we receive into our human beings to affect and influence us negatively or positively. That call is ours. It is not the set of circumstances in which we find ourselves, but how we respond to those circumstances that makes all the difference in the world.

Next Week: Naughty Doggie

        (Research ideas from Dr. Jackson’s new writing project on Cultural Economics)

© Dr. James W. Jackson  

Permissions granted by Winston-Crown Publishing House

Dr. James W. Jackson often describes himself as "The Happiest Man in the World." A successful businessman, award-winning author and humanitarian, Jackson is also a renowned Cultural Economist and international consultant, helping organizations and governments to apply sound economic principals to the transformation of culture so that everyone is "better off."

As the founder of Project C.U.R.E., Dr. Jackson traveled to more than one hundred fifty countries assessing healthcare facilities, meeting with government leaders and "delivering health and hope" in the form of medical supplies and equipment to the world's most needy people. Literally thousands of people are alive today as a direct result of the tireless efforts of Project C.U.R.E.'s staff, volunteers and Dr. Jackson. 

To contact Dr. Jackson, or to book him for an interview or speaking engagement: press@winstoncrown.com

SUPPOSIN': ABUNDANCE, CHOICE, and ACCOMPLISHMENT

by Dr. James W. Jackson

Founder, Project C.U.R.E.
Author, The Happiest Man in the World: Life Lessons from a Cultural Economist

Supposin’ that we developed an economic model and instead of using the standard economic trilogy of scarcity, choice, and cost, we used abundance, choice, and accomplishment. What if we actually worked into our model the possibility that the cost factor could be shifted because the consequence of our choice function did not necessarily eliminate the utilization of the next highest two or three other alternatives?

In our traditional economic model we presume that everything is scarce because it has at least two alternative uses for the resource. We then presume that the cost of our having chosen one of the alternative uses is the lost opportunity of utilizing one of the other next highest alternatives. What if . . . the abundance of the resource eliminated, or at least minimized the consequence of the choice to such a degree, that a positive accomplishment, or multiple accomplishments, could be realized rather than a negative cost? The whole paradigm would change!

The example of George Washington Carver comes to my mind. Born into slavery in 1864, he became an inventor, scientist, botanist, and professor at Tuskegee University for 47 years. The South had become a one-crop cotton culture. The soil had become depleted and the boll weevil was spoiling any cotton that could be grown. Carver creatively took up the challenge to introduce alternative crops to the land to pump needed nutrition into the ground as well as into the farm families’ tummies

Mr. Carver started with the lowly peanut. He invented 145 different uses for the peanut, including cosmetics, dyes, paints, plastics, gasoline, and nitroglycerin. He also came up with 105 food recipes using peanuts. Sweet potatoes and soybeans then caught his attention. Products from just the sweet potato included: wood fillers, dyes, breakfast foods, molasses, glue for library books, vinegars, coffee, after-dinner mints, lemon drops, and orange drops.

George Washington Carver told Raleigh Merritt, one of his biographers, that he was merely scratching the surface of scientific investigations of the possibilities of the peanut and other Southern products. (1) Fortunate for Mr. Carver, there was no one from our generation present to persuade him that there was such a thing as insufficiency, lack, or scarcity. He really believed that the economic trilogy should be abundance, choice and accomplishment. It makes me not only wonder how many more items would be on our local grocer’s shelves had Mr. Carver lived another fifty years, but also, can you imagine what he could have accomplished with the new technology just from the gleanings of the NASA discoveries? You would have had a difficult time convincing him that we live in a culture of shortage and zero sum economics!

There was another historical character that comes to my mind who tried to convince his culture that abundance should be at the very heart of their economic thinking. He found out, however, that folks that make up cultures don’t necessarily respond positively to the good news of abundance. He experienced that there are a lot of people on this earth who are pretty much stuck somewhere between ignorant and stupid and would rather resort to coveting, lusting after, and stealing what someone else has in their possession than to personally experience the concept of abundance, choice, and fulfillment.

There was a certain rabbi in the area of Palestine who traveled teaching and explaining the old Jewish scriptures. With his very presence, he reminded the common people and leaders of their historical inheritance and traditions. At the time they lived in a land occupied by conquerors and controlled by financial restraints and taxation. In fact, the rabbi had been born on a trip where his parents were registering for a census and a new tax that would become more tribute to the conquerors.

The people who heard the rabbi were already familiar with the past heroes of their culture. They were aware of the abundance of creation. They knew the story of how wealthy God had made their early patriarch, Abraham (Gen. 13:2), and how God had promised Moses: the Lord will grant you abundant prosperity (Deut. 28:11). God had promised them through their hero Isaiah: Instead of shame and dishonor, you shall have a double portion of prosperity and everlasting joy (Isa. 61:7). The sometimes wealthy old guy Job had reminded them, this is the way he (God) governs the nations and provides food in abundance (Job 36:31) and Haggai had cleared up the question as to who really owned all the earth’s wealth, the silver is mine and the gold is mine declares the Lord Almighty (Haggai 2:8).

The people along the routes of the itinerate rabbi from Bethlehem north to the Sea of Galilee knew about the writings of their beloved psalmist and former patriarch, King David. But they needed to be reminded of his words regarding provisions, sufficiency and abundance. It had been the psalmist who had written:

• The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Ps. 34:10).
• . . . but you brought us to a place of abundance.(Ps. 66:12)
• He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (Ps. 1:3)
• In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. (Ps. 37:19)
• Our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace. Our barns will be filled with every kind of provision. Our sheep will increase by thousands, by ten thousands in our fields; our oxen will draw heavy loads. (Ps. 144: 12-14)

Their history included stories about when their leader, Moses, had led them out of Egypt’s captivity and they had no food. Their God had supplied manna, a food that fell on the ground like morning dew. When they had no water, springs of fresh water came gushing out of the solid rocks to quench the thirst of over a half million people. For the next 40 years their shoes never even needed repair, because they simply never wore out!

But that was in the past. That was just history. Now they got up each morning to encounter occupying troops in the intersections of their towns. They were in need of a refresher course and new proof of the old but enduring economic laws of an eternal economy. The weariness of the day had beaten them down until they were beginning to believe again in the old rumors of scarcity, insufficiency and lack. Even some of their own people, like Zacchaeus, had begun to believe in scarcity and zero sum economics and had joined the occupying troops of the conquerors and were actually cheating their own people by collecting more taxes than were due and stealing the difference for themselves. Something new needed to happen.

Next Week: Potential Resource

(Research ideas from Dr. Jackson’s new writing project on Cultural Economics) 

Dr. James W. Jackson often describes himself as "The Happiest Man in the World." A successful businessman, award-winning author and humanitarian, Jackson is also a renowned Cultural Economist and international consultant, helping organizations and governments to apply sound economic principals to the transformation of culture so that everyone is "better off."

As the founder of Project C.U.R.E., Dr. Jackson traveled to more than one hundred fifty countries assessing healthcare facilities, meeting with government leaders and "delivering health and hope" in the form of medical supplies and equipment to the world's most needy people. Literally thousands of people are alive today as a direct result of the tireless efforts of Project C.U.R.E.'s staff, volunteers and Dr. Jackson. 

To contact Dr. Jackson, or to book him for an interview or speaking engagement: press@winstoncrown.com

ASTOUNDING CAPABILITIES

by Dr. James W. Jackson

Founder, Project C.U.R.E.
Author, The Happiest Man in the World: Life Lessons from a Cultural Economist

I had a friend tell me once that he estimated that over eighty-five percent of the world’s populations spent their lives as underachievers. I joked with him and asked him to please help me find the other fifteen percent. I don’t think our conversation was very scientific. But, I have observed that nothing noble and splendid is achieved without someone deciding that deep within him was the possibility of passionately overcoming the impossible circumstances and breaking the inertia of nothingness. That dream, plus passionate diligence, translates into higher levels of achievement.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said “Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.” The person who is afflicted with poor motivational health spreads the contagious affliction to others, and bears within him the symptoms of discouragement and poor self-esteem. But nothing can ultimately conquer the person who desires to achieve. Every obstacle works as a weight-machine in the gymnasium of life that develops the achievement muscle. The workout proves to strengthen the powers of accomplishment.

It was Thomas A. Edison who reminded us, “If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.” Having laid hold of the possibility of the dream, we should mark out a direct pathway to achievement. We dare not look to the left or to the right or embrace doubts and fears that would cause us to veer from the course and become ineffectual.

On one of my early trips to Ethiopia, I was introduced to one of the grandest stories and one of the most intriguing venues I had ever encountered. We left the old capital city of Axum, the ancient home and palatial ruins of the Queen of Sheba, and where I had also helped rename the main street of the city to “Denver Street” in honor of Axum’s new Colorado Sister City. We flew in a small aircraft almost directly south to the very center of the country of Ethiopia. Our destination was the ancient city of Lalibela, often referred to as the “New Jerusalem” of Africa.

In the early 12th century, a baby boy was born to the royal family of Zagwe in the province of Wollo. At the time of his birth there was a dense cloud of bees that completely surrounded the baby and mother and brought honey for him to eat. The mother announced the bees to be soldiers who would one day serve her son just as they were now bringing protection and sweet sustenance to him. The mother named him Lalibela: "the bees recognize his sovereignty."

But Lalibela had an older brother, Ile, who was threatened by all the adulation, and decided to poison Lalibela. But instead of killing Lalibela, the poison put him into a type of coma for a period of time. Later, Lalibela revealed that during his sleep the angels had taken him to heaven where Jesus Christ had given him instruction to build duplicates of the eleven early churches on either side of the Jordan River. Churches on one side of the Jordan represented the earthly Jerusalem, while those on the other side represented the heavenly Jerusalem. He was to build the churches far up on the stone hillside in the province of Wollo.

In a matter of time Lalibela became king, and with the authority of the office set out to accomplish his mission. Within an unbelievably short period of twenty-three years, King Lalibela, with the help of his royal masons, chipped away and carved out eleven monolithic structures completely free-standing. To the very day of my visit nearly one-thousand years later, those hand hewn stone churches were still being used for worship.

By definition, monolithic simply means there were no cut stones stacked one upon another. The workers dug around the sides of the church, starting from the surface of the stone mountain that would ultimately become the roof. Once the entire outside of the church was carved out of the solid mountain, they chiseled doors and windows into the stone walls, entered inside and carved out the entire interior: arches, domed ceilings, altar areas, side rooms, and three dimensional carvings of the saints on the walls . . . all out of one solid mountain of stone. And, he did it eleven times!

The design and sheer magnitude of the task baffles all those who view the project even today. His contemporaries could not believe how fast he was able to not only carve out the churches, but also the stone stairways, tunnels, winding stone pathways connecting the churches, and even hidden monasteries and catacombs. Legend holds that Lalibela had the help of the angels working for him in order for such a task to be completed. King Lalibela worked by day; the angels worked by night.

Lalibela was driven by zeal and compassion. He accomplished an impossible task that still stands today and rebukes the scoffers and naysayers of this world.

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves as well as the world around us.

Dr. James W. Jackson often describes himself as "The Happiest Man in the World." A successful businessman, award-winning author and humanitarian, Jackson is also a renowned Cultural Economist and international consultant, helping organizations and governments to apply sound economic principals to the transformation of culture so that everyone is "better off."

As the founder of Project C.U.R.E., Dr. Jackson traveled to more than one hundred fifty countries assessing healthcare facilities, meeting with government leaders and "delivering health and hope" in the form of medical supplies and equipment to the world's most needy people. Literally thousands of people are alive today as a direct result of the tireless efforts of Project C.U.R.E.'s staff, volunteers and Dr. Jackson. 

To contact Dr. Jackson, or to book him for an interview or speaking engagement: press@winstoncrown.com