A World View

Everyone has a world view. We each have a way that we see things, how things work, the nature of man, the nature of God, how to treat people, what is important. Built on the foundations laid by our families, our schooling, our religious upbringing, the media, our friends; we take all of that and mold it into what we, or I, believe. In the end it really is a personal decision: our world view becomes who we are, and who we are becomes our world view. Once we know what that world view is, assuming it is coherent and consistent, we can apply it to things like politics, personal values, community values, and business values.

For me, my world view is pretty simple: I believe we are created by God in His image. We are fallen creatures, separated from God but designed to be in relationship with Him. Until we re-establish that relationship, we are lost and unfulfilled in life. Jesus came to make that relationship possible. All of this is important and lends to my world view, but what is present throughout this (although not said) is that there is value and purpose in each person. There is something magically important about the individual. To that end the individual should be protected and valued at all cost. Our forefathers understood this by declaring that the individual has the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". This is an individual's right, not a group right.

So much today in the legislative world revolves around establishing group rights. Perhaps the most current example is health care. The federal government in its current form believes that all Americans have a right to health care. To try and make that happen, they will ultimately be willing to strip or restrict the individual of their own personal choices. They won't admit to that because they know if people knew that was the ultimate outcome, this whole federal health care reform would have died months ago. What they are after is uniformity. Everyone carries the same coverage, everyone falls under the same guidelines, everyone is subject to the same rationing, the same lines, the same treatment. While this might sound great to the uninsured person who relies on overcrowded clinics for their health care needs, believing that they will now receive the same world class treatment given to a wealthier or insured person; in reality this sameness will result in lowering the standards. Profit, and the opportunity to turn years of training and sacrifice into an attractive income, will be less attractive to doctors and medical professionals. Research companies will go out of business if there is no profit left in doing research. Fewer doctors treating 45 million additional patients will naturally result in longer lines, lower quality, frustration, and higher costs. Which of these sounds appealing to you?

Big government, and giving government more and more power in our lives, ultimately means the death of the individual. The government cannot handle the individual. Walk into a DMV, pick a number, and breathe in your personal worth. Read 1000 pages of health care reform and celebrate the personal freedoms spread throughout it. They just don't exist. Politicians will tell us that it is all about providing health care to each person. They have to tell us that to sell it. If the Obama inspired health care bill is passed, kiss your freedom goodbye. You will no longer be an individual.