The apostle Paul makes a comment about attitudes in his letter to the Philippians where he reminds us that “our attitudes must be that of Christ” (Phil. 2:5). Why was Paul so concerned about attitudes if there was a deeper meaning to his charge to his brethren, the Philippians?
Let us examine some problems with attitude that have serious consequences for people.
In his book, Psycho-Cybernetics, Maltz suggests that if a person is given a task, that person can mentally approach the task in two ways: First, I really cannot do it, and second, I’ll do it somehow. In the first instance, that attitude will lead to failure. In the second, success is almost always granted. The reason is that, in the first instance, when one decided that he cannot do the job, his subconscious mind will trigger a failure path. In the second case, the subconscious mind will figure ways to accomplish the task, i.e. The attitude controls the means of success or failure.
Attitude has a significant role in human behavior! Individual attitude can lead to a series of successes in life and a better position in one’s life accomplishments. Collectively, if a nation has an attitude problem, the result can be catastrophic!
During the Carter administration, the country fell into malaise as taxes were high, interest rates skyrocketed, and our status as a leading nation was falling. To make matters worse, President Carter blamed the failure of his administration on the people, not him and his failed policies. To add to the misery, the Iranians raided our embassy and took hostages.
The Moronicans* in the Carter administration immediately called for Herb Cohen, a noted expert on negotiations. Herb recommended a four-day procedure to free the hostages that included stopping food, medicine, trade, and finally bombing to free the hostages. The Moronicans in the White House rejected Herb’s advice, and so he told them that the hostages would come home in fifteen months… and they did with the election of Ronald Reagan!
Meanwhile, people seemed to show the effect of a terrible administration by being grim, less communicative and depressed. This depression reminded me of my visit to East Berlin at the height of the Cold War; you could cut the gloom of East Germans with a knife, while on the other side of the wall, people lived a prosperous life. The contrast was frightening and a good illustration of how terrible life in a Communist Society can be. Yet, so many fall for the siren call of Communism only to realize their folly when it is too late.
The election of Ronald Reagan was startling. Interest rates fell, taxes were lowered, and businesses recovered and were hiring more people. Unfortunately, the voters had short memories and soon succumbed to the siren call of entitlement; after Reagan, we descended to another Jimmy Carter situation, only worse. With the election of Barack Obama, we saw a continuation of the Carter mess on steroids.
By the time Obama finished his task of turning us into a banana republic, we had a Godsend in the election of Donald Trump! For the first time in years, we hear from the White House the name of God mentioned. In his speeches, President Trump has no problem in calling on our Creator for Blessings from God.
What a contrast!
An interesting benefit of President Trump’s election is the attitude of the American People. During the Carter and Obama administrations, people tended to be more reserved. As I walked by people in shopping situations, they appeared to be very reserved or preoccupied! Today, as I walk through a store, I notice that people are smiling and willing to exchange a greeting more freely than when under the Carter/Obama administrations.
So, it appears that besides providing America with long absent leadership, President Trump has changed America’s attitude; and let us pray that our attitude is now more like Christ’s!
- Moronicans are descendants of an ancient civilization (like Atlantis) and were noted for their complete lack of common sense and stupidity. When Moronica vanished, a few survivors escaped; and they now people our political parties.
Copyright © Thomas J. Miranda