MYOPIC MISMANAGEMENT

I Was Just Thinking About - - - 

In 1969, Laurence Johnston Peter authored the humorous book, “The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong.” Envision Software, Inc. Newsletter states: “The Peter Principle is the concept that in bureaucratic organizations, new employees typically start in the lower ranks, but when they prove to be competent in the task to which they are assigned, they get promoted to a higher rank, generally management. This process of climbing up the hierarchical ladder can go on indefinitely, until the employee reaches a position where he or she is no longer competent. At that moment the process typically stops, since the established rules of bureaucracies make it very difficult to demote someone to a lower rank, even if that person would be a much better fit and happier in a non-management role. The net result of this principle is that most of the management levels of a bureaucracy will be filled by incompetent people, who got there because they were quite good at doing different (and usually, but not always, easier) work than the work they are currently expected to perform.” According to L. J. Peter’s concept, “Work is accomplished by those employees who have not reached their level of incompetence.”

It is easy to bridge this concept over into other areas of endeavor. There is application for the civil-cultural  government, as well as the ecclesiastical forms of governing that oftentimes has been influenced by a cultural intrusion into how spiritual effort is to proceed in a secular culture. At present, we are witnessing an illustration of Myopic Mismanagement on the part of the civil-cultural government. It is Myopic in the sense that it is dysfunctional. It causes individuals in positions of power and authority to be “unable or unwilling to act prudently; shortsighted; lacking tolerance or understanding; narrow-minded” (dictionary.com). In terms of Mismanagement, they are demonstrating how they manage incompetently and/or dishonestly. The major issue is that an equally incompetent number of the conditioned citizenry continue to elect and reelect those who will promise them the most from the largesse of the civil and cultural government. In that sense, the conditioned citizenry itself has become myopic so they can benefit from the immediate without any thought of a looming civil-cultural bankruptcy where nothing is left to promise or distribute. 

We are witnessing Myopic Mismanagement play out currently as the Prime Minister of Israel has come to this country to express the concern of Israel regarding the Nuclear capability of Iran, a nation that has stated their objective to totally annihilate Israel so that it no longer exists. Israel, a nation of 7.5 million people, is surrounded by nations containing more than 100 million Arabs. Geographically, Israel is comparable in size to the State of New Jersey. New Jersey is the 5th-smallest US State, covering about 7800 square miles or 20,000 square kilometers.The land currently controlled by Israel (including disputed territories) is not much larger. Israel in its pre-1967 borders was 8,019 square miles or 20,770 square kilometers, just barely bigger than New Jersey. Some within our civil-cultural government will myopically and foolishly boycott the Prime Minister’s address to the United States Congress. 

The mission and message of the ecclesiastical segment of the populace has itself become compromised by an insipid (without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities; distasteful) accommodation and a readiness-willingness to adapt to the cultural influences. The political factions with ecclesiastical bodies does not see a Biblical viability for the nation of Israel. One of the misconceptions is that The Gospel came to the Jew first (John 1:11-13; Romans 1:16); the Lament of Jesus as prayed and wept for Israel-Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37-39); and the lament of the Apostle Paul in the opening verses of Romans 9, 10, 11, where he prayed: “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel…” One can see in the social media several negative discussions regarding Israel. Those who raise such dissent may themselves be as myopic as the civil-cultural government. The Bride of Christ, the Church, needs to become more focused on the mission and message the Lord Jesus Christ wants communicated to this generation. The Jew has suffered greatly and still needs to hear God’s message of Shalom through and by Jesus Christ. Consider these things with me!