* who cannot be bought;
* whose word is their bond;
* who put character above wealth;
* who possess opinions and a will;
* who are larger than their vocations;
* who do not hesitate to take chances;
* who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
* who will be as honest in small things as in great things;
* who will make no compromise with wrong;
* whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
* who will not say they do it” because everybody else does it”;
* who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity;
* who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning, and hardheadedness are the best qualities for winning success;
* who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
* who can say “no” with emphasis, although all the rest of the world says “yes.”

_{Charles Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, pp.107-8}

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. – Matt. 5:37

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Tim 4:3-4 (ESV)

In his book “Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business“, Neil Postman warns us of the danger of a world of information overload…

He reminds us of a chilling futuristic vision-’Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World‘, which describes a world thoroughly flooded with information. But that data is manipulated so that none of it has any significance.

It would appear that perhaps we have entered into that time talked about in Neil Postman’s book. A time when sound reasoning and even common sense as been tossed out the door and replaced with myth, hyperbole and equivocation. Truth has been replaced with half-truths and fables. Despite any actual proven facts these fables are bantered about as truth and the truth is maligned as old-fashioned or too rigid.

In a society that seems to nuance all public speech into politically approved sound bites it is unusual to actually hear someone speak forthrightly. For someone to actually stand up and speak a word or two without spin or political posturing is a rarity indeed. Bloviatian abounds in our society, pontificating endlessly on this or that. Goobledegook is no longer confined to the political class for it has infiltrated the public arena as well. No longer do we hear the simple plain talk of a by-gone era. Simple speak has been replaced with well rehearsed homilies filled with platitudinous pomposity, or much ado about nothing actually.

Whoever can tell the best story in the most fanciful manner has taken the place of straight talk, honest discourse, and thoughtful communication. Instead of factual information being the driving force behind these discourses, they create stories based on falsehoods or biases. Pick a side and then argue your cause eloquently without regard to actual facts, just make sure it sounds good and tickles the ears of the listeners. Tell them their felt needs and trigger an emotional response. This is how we motivate and influence people in our intellectually challenged society. Institutes of higher learning have become propaganda camps for liberal philosophy and new age world views. Godlessness is espoused as the ideal and self-gratification is held up as the goal. The ends justify the means. Anything goes in your personal quest for self-fulfillment. Personal responsibility has been replaced with the phrase ‘it’s not my fault’. (more…)