ANDERSON, Ind. —
I don’t consider myself an opportunist. I create, plan and construct based upon my plan. Somewhere along the line opportunity might present itself, but every opportunity isn’t worth taking. Choices are all around us. What do you want to eat? What do you plan to wear? Where will you decide to go to school? Who will you marry? Where do you want to live?
Life has a way of giving us choices. These options come every day. They are so frequent that our natural inclination is to make decisions without spending too much time thinking about them.
The less important decisions might be made based upon feelings and self-gratifying desires. The more complicated a decision gets the more we tend to check our moral compass, defer to our peer counsel, and even seek divine guidance. I wonder what it is like to have to make a decision that has an adverse impact on someone’s life. Or a decision that might hurt a small group of individuals, but stand for the positive outcome for a greater good.
My ideas have exposed me. They have exposed me to multiple people groups like scholars/thinkers, educators, politicians, business owners and philanthropists. It has also revealed a common thread of human nature that the choices we make have a rippling effect on not just ourselves but those around us and potentially for generations that follow.
People look away from the real issues. The overbearing political, economic, and at times social influence drives flimsy ideas to the forefront. People see what they want to see and act accordingly. The problem becomes when people of influence make the wrong decision it hurts more than just one person. It hurts good people who have lost their voice in society.
I tend to problem solve from the inside out. The underlying necessity of any decision can be evaluated from determining the motive that warrants a choice. Whether it’s abortion or gun control or racial injustice or educational inequality or the debt ceiling, there seems to be a struggle as a community and nation to make right choices.
If a man finds himself in a hole with the desire to get out the most agreeable solution and optimum choice is to stop digging. Influence is greater than money. It is with influence that money gains directive. Building a better home, a community, a church, or work place starts with being honest with what we see. It then progresses into a realization of choices/solutions that are not self-centered, politically motivated, status maintained, or status quo answers.
In a world where people see what they want to see right choices are overlooked by power-hungry individuals who serve self first. It is time people see and acknowledge the truth instead of a world that represents our individual world of influence and self gain.
Jesse J. Wilkerson is the owner of a local architecture and design firm. His column appears here every other Monday.
Columns
Related Photos
-
Jesse J. Wilkerson
Discussion
Jesse Wilkerson: People see what they want to see
- Columns
-
-
Jesse Wilkerson: There is no I in team
Architecture school is a well-rounded educational experience. You start out learning how to work with other people. Through constant evaluation and “constructive criticism” you navigate a process of designing a building project from the ground up. Oftentimes you find the project approach involves learning other people.
-
Nancy Vaughan: Disaster planning delivers results
Weather-related disasters are a fact of life this time of year. And, for the first time since 2008, when Madison County COAD (Community Organization Active in Disaster) formed, flooding in Elwood put years of planning to the test.
-
'Big Joe' Clark: Abandon your investments at your own peril
It is critical to understand the impact of what can happen to an investor who doesn’t understand the job function of the mutual fund manager.
-
Howard Hewitt: French dry: Red with a touch of white
The numbers are staggering. Americans are falling in love with French dry Rosé. Last year imported Rosé went up 28 percent — most of that coming from Provence, France.
-
Jim Bailey: Gospel historian hangs onto his roots in Alexandria
For Bill Gaither, an incurable historian, his songs tell a story of a craft that has carried the gospel to the masses for a couple of centuries.
-
Maleah Stringer: Funeral home’s new service shows class and respect
Loose Funeral Home’s creation of The Gardens at Willowcrest Park, a stand-alone cremation garden for pets and humans, helps to exemplify the importance of the human/animal connection during life and after they have passed.
-
Verna Davis: Imagine being in charge
It is presumptuous of me to think I could make or manage anything better than God. Incidentally, it would be just as presumptuous for you to imagine yourself in charge of the world, too.
-
Jim Bailey: Gospel concerts both fun, ministry
What’s really important is the impact of a concert on the audience. Gauging that often comes from feedback received in the electronic media as well as handwritten communiqués.
-
Emmett Dulaney: First sports marketing camp starts in June
For the first time, Anderson University is offering a summer camp for high school students who are interested in learning about the field of sports marketing.
-
Charo Boyd: Social Security honors all who serve
Every day of the year, Americans across the nation remember friends and family members who have served and sacrificed for their country. Memorial Day is a day when we all come together to honor those who have given their lives in the defense of freedom and the principles we hold dear in this country.
- More Columns Headlines
-
Obama Visits Oklahoma, Consoles Tornado Victims
Raw: Train Derails After Overpass Collapse
Raw: Rescues From San Antonio Flooding
Raw: French Soldier Stabbed in Throat Near Paris
Mayor: Person Killed in San Antonio Flooding
Raw: Apple 1 Computer Sells for More Than $650k
Hagel Urges Cadets to End Scourge of Sex Assault
Raw: Gay Rights Activists March in Ukraine
Bus Fire Kills 16 Children, Teacher in Pakistan
Raw: Pakistan Election Results Protested
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
