Long ago and far away, a much younger me was teaching an adult Bible class to a wonderful group of people mostly much older and most definitely in higher income brackets than the junior staff church member teaching the class.  I don’t remember the text we were dealing with; maybe it was Proverbs 22:7: “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.”  In any event it seemed pertinent to mention something I had recently read about consumer debt. People were swimming in it. Fortunately, the junior staff member in the lower income bracket had avoided debt, and so, when I spoke of those about to be swept under by a riptide of debt, I spoke with some disdain, shaming those who would allow themselves to be enslaved to a lender.

I would later discover that more than one member of the Bible class was one of those whose weight of debt was pulling him down like a swimmer being pulled to the depth of the sea by a concrete block tied around his ankles.

My disdain and shame had only added guilt to the fear of pending financial ruin.

Lord Polonius is wise in the counsel he gives his son Laertes in Hamlet:

Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry
Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3

While the borrower is, indeed, slave to the lender, and while it is probably best to neither borrower or lender be, the borrower sinking in debt does not need the junior staff member Bible class teacher to add shame to his despair.

I would like to think that my disdaining and shaming comments from a class lectern, a church pulpit, or with friends in conversation have become fewer and farther between since that day long ago and far away.  I pray they have.

But I was reminded of the need to ever be on guard against such shaming remarks the other night as we were talking with friends about a presentation on artificial intelligence they are planning to make soon. We’ve probably read about AI writing term papers (and sermons) for lazy students (and pastors). While some experts look to AI to bolster the weak economy of an aging workforce and others say AI will lead to a golden age of cheaper and more effective medicine, the dark side of AI is illustrated in recent headlines: “A Florida Teen Committed Suicide After Getting Hooked on an AI Chatbot;” “They Fell in Love With A.I. Chatbots;” “My AI Spiritual Director;” “AI and the Forces of Darkness.”  “If You Ask A.I. for Marriage Advice, It’ll Probably Tell You to Get Divorced.”

I am concerned about AI and its effects on our world, especially our young people – but also those lonely elderly folks whose only companion is a chatbot. I plan on attending our friends’ presentation on AI. I think it is going to be really good. But I want to be careful to listen more than speak, and certainly to guard myself against any words of disdain or shame. As Lord Polonius also tells his son Laertes, “Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.”

Yes, the woman’s behavior was wrong, but Jesus said to her, “Has no one condemned you?  Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:10–11)

I did not know about the National Customer Rage Study, but I was not surprised to learn that we American consumers (and voters and neighbors and maybe church members) are madder than ever (here and here). We are sadly divided in so many ways.

So why the rage, and exactly what is “rage”? Why are customers so angry? It turns out that it is not so much shopping – online or in person – that makes us mad, it is trying to fix a problem when there is something wrong with what we buy. “The study found that 77% of consumers experienced a problem with a product or service in the past 12 months. This is a record high and more than double the share reported in 1976.” Part of the problem is having to navigate a labyrinth of chatbots and call centers before you can speak with a human being who 1) might know what you are talking about and 2) can do something about it. It takes a click to buy and an hour or more on hold to just begin to fix a problem.

Now, we’ve all groused about lousy customer service or muttered under our breath about long waits and inefficiencies. But the rage the Rage Study is talking about is something else. It’s the authors of the study call “uncivil behavior.”  Specifically: Continue reading →

An early Observations this week as we celebrate Thanksgiving Day with friends and family. Posted below is George Washington’s first (of two) Thanksgiving Day Proclamations.  As you read it, pray to Almighty God “that we may . . . all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks,” for his “signal favors” in our “public or private stations.” 

Happy Thanksgiving! Continue reading →

“Always Let Your Conscience be Your Guide,” Jiminy Cricket tells Pinocchio in the Walt Disney version of the children’s classic. I can’t speak for Pinocchio, but my conscience can be a pretty lousy guide as it leads me not to being a real boy or a better person but to chasms of guilt and swamps of discouragement.

A couple of weeks ago I had what might be called a difficult conversation with a colleague. I challenged him regarding attitude and behavior that I and others in our organization were finding harmful to relationships and to our common work. Prior to the conversation I sought the advice of some wise counselors who were familiar with the situation and who know me well.  They deemed the conversation difficult, but necessary.

I don’t like difficult conversations and tend to steer clear of them until I have exhausted all avenues of avoidance. But sometimes you can no longer postpone the inevitable. Continue reading →

The first snowfall of the season was larger than expected. The total for Sunday and Monday at our house was around four inches, enough to blanket the ground and stick to the roads and sidewalks. Enough to shovel before church on Sunday morning, at that point a wet and heavy slush of a snowfall.

The early snowfall caught us a bit off guard. We have yet to winterize the screen porch, and it’s still too cold to get the work done. We weren’t ready, not quite prepared for four inches of snow the second week of November. This is January stuff. Continue reading →