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The Age of Authenticism: A Vision of the Future

What does the Future hold for America & the World?

What might America and the world look like in the 2020s, 2030s, and 2040s?

The purpose of our next two articles is to paint a picture full of potential answers to this question by illuminating the possibilities inherent in a futuristic full-flowering of the Age of Authenticism.

These answers are based on collective Freedom Focused research as well as the work of generational scholars and historians William Strauss & Neil Howe.

Click HERE to learn more about the AGE of AUTHENTICISM

In this first article, we will discuss historical examples of character development that can aid our future efforts toward becoming an authentic populous worthy of widespread peace and prosperity. We will also reiterate the coming challenges that will be the primary catalyst for our nation and world's eventual exit from the period of postmodernism and graduation to the Age of Authenticism. In next week's article we will paint a picture of what the Age of Authenticism might look like once it has fully flourished. It will provide a visage of what things will look and be like in approximately the year 2035.

Sadly, we are still a ways away from the chronological epicenter of the Age of Authenticism. Collectively speaking, we have not even crossed the starting point, although many people throughout our nation and world have already entered the stage individually. While the British Writer, Edward Docx—the originator of the term—suggests 2011 as the official end of Postmodernism and the beginning of the Age of Authenticism, the reality is that it usually takes a while (sometimes many years) for a declared age to begin—not to mention flourish.

Click HERE to read Docx's article pronouncing the Death of Postmodernism and the Beginning of the Age of Authenticism.

To date, Docx's article has received relatively little attention. Moreover, to our knowledge, no other scholar or organization has promoted its percipience or its prescience as saliently or enthusiastically as Freedom Focused. Furthermore, our growing body of work at Freedom Focused on this important subject has been almost entirely ignored to date.

From hedonism and gluttony to narcissism and laziness,
the United States in 2016 is crass, rude, unkept,
culturally obese, educationally distracted,
and morally destitute.

This is not surprising. Why? Because we are presently mired so thickly and precariously—albeit relatively comfortably—in the clutches of postmodernism and pre-structuralism that there simply isn't a wide-scale demand for Authenticism—at least not yet. The world is so morally adrift, so structurally unsound, and so metaphysically troubled that there is no coherent majority currently capable of rising above the dismal din of political corruption, social malaise, and outright cultural rot that is stagnating all around us. If you seek tangible evidence of what I am talking about, just tune into the 2016 United States' Presidential General Election pitting Donald Trump (a crass, lewd, and opportunistic pre-structuralist) against Hillary Clinton (an equally opportunistic, perennially untrustworthy postmodernist).

Politics has been a messy and sometimes dirty process throughout our nation's history; but rarely has it been as polluted as it is right now. Moreover, while business and free enterprise have always had greedy figures of dubious moral quality stationed at its highest posts, it is arguably as bad as it has ever been, at least in terms of income inequality. Lastly, while education has been a high priority throughout our nation's impressive educational history; it is sorely lacking at present—not only in terms of falling behind dozens of other countries academically, but in terms of being virtually bankrupt morally and ethically in terms of a largely (if not entirely) absent character education curriculum.

The Esteemed and August General
George Washington
(1732-1799)

George Washington—the President of the Constitutional Convention, the General-in-Chief of America's first major military force, our Nation's first President, and the foremost figure among our Founding Fathers—was a venerable Commander-in-Chief who set a positive, productive example of democratic executive functioning and bearing for future Presidents and Statesmen and Women to follow.

But his unprecedented leadership and sterling moral character were not the results of mere talent, nor were they developed overnight. The process began when Washington was just a boy. For example, at the tender age of only 13, Washington penned a comprehensive list of 110 rules he utilized throughout his life in the development of his personal character and interpersonal civility.

These 110 rules range from common manners and the conducting of communication to the very core of his character. Consider the following examples of his many rules.

Rules for Common Manners

Rule 1. EVERY Action done in Company ought to be with Some Sign of Respect to those that are Present.

Rule 6. SLEEP not when others Speak, Sit not when others stand, Speak not when you Should hold your Peace, walk not on when others Stop.

Rules for Civic & Other Communications

Rule 22. Show not yourself glad at the Misfortune of another though he were your enemy.

Rule 48. WHEREIN you reprove Another be unblameable yourself; for example is more prevalent than Precepts.

Rule 49. USE no Reproachful language against any one. Neither Curse nor Revile.

Rule 50. BE not hasty to believe flying Reports to the Disparagement of any.

Rule 56. ASSOCIATE yourself with Men of good Quality if you Esteem your own Reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.

Rule 58. LET your conversation be without Malice or Envy....

Rule 73. THINK before you Speak. Pronounce not imperfectly nor bring out your Words too hastily, but orderly and Distinctly.

Rule 82. UNDERTAKE not what you cannot Perform, but be Careful to keep your Promise

"That Little Spark of Celestial fire called Conscience"

Rules for the Core Development of One's Character

Rule 108. WHEN you Speak of God or his Attributes, let it be Seriously & [with] Reverence. Honour & obey your Natural Parents [even if] they be Poor.

Rule 109. LET your Recreations be Manful not Sinful.

Rule 110. LABOR to keep alive in your breast that Little Spark of Celestial fire called Conscience. [1]

Wherever George Washington's spirit presently resides, he must be shaking his head in disgust and concern at the rife incivility, rampant immorality, and inauthentic hullabaloo that has so saturated our postmodern culture. Imagine how the affairs of people everywhere would be different if we all (and especially our so-called leaders) heeded Washington's advice about manners, communication, and character.

George Washington, in addition to many of our other esteemed Founding Fathers and Mothers, was an authenticist of the first and highest order. He was not perfect—no one is. Nonetheless, he is a sterling example of an imperfect human being who strived—however imperfectly—to attain unto higher levels of personal character, polish, and perfection throughout his life. Washington was very much A Happy Warrior of Wordsworthian quality and spirit. Click HERE to read William Wordsworth's The Character of the Happy Warrior. He was a noble figure of Authenticism to which we can all look up to, admire, and confidently model aspects of our own lives after.

Click HERE to read all of Washington's 110 Rules of Civility

Benjamin Franklin
America's Greatest Renaissance Man
The "Poor Richard's Almanack" Image
1706-1791

Imagine a future world where the majority of our nation—and other nations—aspired toward an education in, and application of, the kind of manners, communications, and character lionized in Washington's 110 Rules of Civility and other, similar cognitive, behavioral, and ontological constructs such as Thomas Jefferson's 10 Rules or Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack.

Our express intention and implicit aspiration at Freedom Focused is to build a society and inspire a culture imbued with the qualities and characteristics of Authenticism. To accomplish such an ambitious and far-reaching undertaking, we have assembled a comprehensive Theory & Model of self-leadership entitled Self-Action Leadership. The accompanying textbook: Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom serves as a holistic self-guide that provides a step-by-step pathway leading to individual and organizational character and Existential Growth.

Our long-term goal is to get a copy of Self-Action Leadership into the hands of every person throughout the United States and the rest of the world who desires ontological authenticity and the development of good moral character in his or her life. We aim to reach civic leaders and servants, corporate leaders and workers, educators and students, parents and families, and individuals everywhere with this message of peace, hope, honor, and prosperity.

We invite you to join this movement today by buying and reading Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom. More importantly, we invite you to carefully study the principles and practices outlined therein, the material of which is the result of 12 years of careful and disciplined reading, observation, study, research, experimentation, writing, and re-writing.

And speaking of prosperity, it is time now to return to our discussion of what the 2030s and 2040s—the projected period of the Age of Authenticism—will look like, feel like, and entail.

A variety of metaphorical storm clouds are
presently on the horizon in America and abroad

First of all, we predict that this welcomed age will not truly begin in a collective sense until the onset of a serious national and/or world crisis that is likely at our doorstep. "The Crisis of 2020" as generational scholars William Strauss and Neil Howe call it, will resemble preceding crises on par with the Civil War, the Great Depression, or the two previous World Wars.

Whether or not this period will involve a terrorist nuclear strike, an economic depression, a third World War, a Civil-War-esque social upheaval in our own nation, a combination of one or more of these calamities, or something else entirely, we cannot know for sure. However, based on Strauss and & Howe's detailed generational scholarship, it is highly likely that a period of unusual struggle and suffering is pending and perhaps upon our very doorstep [2].

While our nation's "Ship" is badly damaged and will
get worse in coming years, we are confident
it will not sink entirely.

According to Strauss and Howe:

"The Crisis of 2020 will be a major turning point in American history and an adrenaline-filled moment of trial. At its climax, America will feel that the fate of posterity—for generations to come—hangs in the balance. ... This crisis will be a pivotal moment in the lifecycles of all generations alive at the time" [3].

Thankfully, Strauss and Howe are optimistic that we as Americans possess both the capability and resolve to successfully overcome whatever challenges we will face in this period of grave trial. In their predictive words:

"The sense of community will be omnipresent. Moral order will be unquestioned with 'rights' and 'wrongs' crisply defined and obeyed. Sacrifices will be asked, and given. America will be implacably resolved to do what needs doing, and fix what needs fixing" [3].

As much as we'd like to think the Age of Authenticism will be produced by the incisiveness of our writing and the thoughtfulness of our pedagogical and practical constructs, this will not be the case. Indeed, Freedom Focused will not produce the Age of Authenticism, but we will define and inform it. The age itself will be brought on by whatever adversity and destruction accompanies the "Crisis of 2020" and other deep challenges which will, by the force of Nature itself, coerce collective society in America and beyond to finally begin looking inward to solve the profound problems in which we are already deeply mired.

When enough powder is
backed up, all it takes is
a few small sparks to
ignite a cataclysmic
explosion

Like the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, which produced the spark that exploded into the Great War in 1914, it may be only a minor spark that enflames this future conflict(s). No one knows when this spark will be ignited. All we know is that all signs are pointing towards the steady buildup of a powder keg the likes of which the world has never before seen. This buildup will likely continue for several more years before it explodes. When the spark finally does ignite the powder keg, the explosion will be disastrous and unprecedented. Moreover, it will further ignite a chain reaction of other kegs that have likewise been filling up with powder for years and decades—dating back to the end of World War II in some cases, and dating back thousands of years culturally in other cases.

This trial-by-fire is going to be ugly. It will compel the citizenry of the United States—and the peace-loving countries around the world—to humble themselves before principle and alter their practices in a desperation that can only come in a heightened external crisis.

Leaders of events during this terribly tumultuous time period will be those who had already paid the price to become authenticists prior to the onset of the calamity. In virtually every age and society throughout world history, there have almost always been at least some authentic, principle-centered, leaders of circumspect character. These leaders humble themselves not because circumstances require them to do so, but because they are compelled by the power of principles themselves. At Freedom Focused, we aspire towards being the kind of principle-centered human beings that are ready to lead when the call comes. It is our ardent wish to be the kind of people that humble themselves before the God of principle rather than being compelled to be humble by the god of illness, war, natural disaster, or manmade calamity.

Approximately 10% (or less) of any given population will usually rank among this highly authentic, anomalous milieu of good leaders.

Another 5% (or so) of any given population will usually rank in polar contrast to the 10% of authentic leaders. This highly inauthentic, nefarious milieu will include those persons who are intentionally devious or even downright evil.

These fiends are the leaders of whatever dark forces seek to destroy and conquer during periods of conflict (e.g. Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, etc. and their higher ranking subordinates).

The remaining 85% of any given population will flock to banners and hearken to the precepts of either the good (on average approximately 55%) or bad (on average approximately 35%) leaders. The morality of the leadership and the strength of their supporting armies (literal or metaphorical) will ultimately determine the victor. I use the word "approximately" intentionally because history has proven that good can overcome evil if "good men [and women] do nothing." On the other hand, there have likewise been times when good leadership and their accompanying followers have dominated an organization, culture, nation, etc. As such, these numbers are not meant to designate every group; rather, they are intended to constitute the mean of all groups throughout history.

To illustrate this principle with a specific example from history, consider the results of World War II. The Allies ultimately defeated the Axis powers during World War II because the Allies were pursuing the morally circumspect cause and they had more human and other resources to fight the battle. Hitler and his minions were not only pursuing an evil course of unjust conquest; in the end, they were vastly outmanned and outgunned as well—much like the pie graph above suggests.

Whatever trials are to come will ultimately end according to predictable variables. Whoever has the higher moral ground and larger armies with bigger guns (literal or metaphorical) will win the conflict. Because of America and the Occident's historical moral high ground and military might, we at Freedom Focused believe the Western Powers will prove victorious once again—if they do not destroy themselves from within first.

Assuming this optimistic outlook proves accurate, we believe that all four generations taking part in this unprecedented national or worldwide calamity (Silent, Baby Boomer, X, and Y) will be sufficiently humbled to produce a subsequent generation of two-decades or so (give or take several years) that will be marked by a full-flourishing of the Age of Authenticism which we have written about at such great lengths in recent months.

This period will begin in the 2020s during the height, resolution, and aftermath of the "Crisis of 2020." It will further flourish in the 2030s, where it will hit its peak. It may also extend well into the 2040s. By that point, however, younger members of Generation Z (also referred to as the iGeneration, Plurals, or the Homeland Generation, with birth years in late 20th and early 21st century) will likely have begun a predictable, collective descent into the next phase of postmodernism as the cycles of history continue to wheel themselves on indefinitely until the ending of this world as we know it—whenever that may occur.

At Freedom Focused, we are not presently concerned with what comes after the Age of Authenticism, although in 20-30 years we will start focusing a great deal thereon. Our present focus is on offering our services in preparation to win the coming conflict and then help build a new period in the United States and throughout the world that we predict may rank among the most peaceful and prosperous eras in all of human history.

In next week's post, we will paint a specific, predictive picture of what life will look like in America and beyond at the epicenter or height of this magnificent era to which we may all look gloriously forward to in wondrous anticipation. This picture will illuminate the year 2035—give or take a few years.

Notes:

1. Washington, G. (Toner, J.M., MD, Ed.). 1888. Washington's Rules of Civility: And Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation. A Paper Found Among the Early Writings of George Washington. W.H. Morrison: Washington D.C. Note: Quotes are reprinted using modern spellings and slightly altered punctuation to improve syntactical flow.

2. For more information on Strauss & Howe's percipient perspectives on the future based on their historical and generational scholarship, please check any number of their books on the subject, such as Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584-2069 and The Fourth Turning: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous With Destiny.

3. Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584-2069. Quill: New York, NY. Page 382. (p. 382).

God Bless the United States of America—a blessed land of promise—now, and always.

Click HERE to buy a copy of Dr. Jordan Jensen's new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

........................................................................................................................................................

SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP is the key catalyst for initiating transformational leadership that lasts in any organization. The truth of the matter really is that simple; and the transformation of organizations through the holistic development of individuals really is that difficult—yet altogether possible for anyone willing to invest the time, effort, and sacrifice required to achieve authentic, transformational results.

Unlike any training program that has ever preceded it, Self-Action Leadership provides a single vehicle wherewith individual self-leaders can discover—and then act—upon the great truth that HOLISTIC personal development and growth spanning the mental, moral, spiritual, physical, emotional, and social elements of our individual natures is within the grasp of each one of us.

Note: Freedom Focused is a non-partisan, for-profit, educational corporation. As such, we do not endorse or embrace political figures. We do, however, comment from time-to-time on historical or political events that provide pedagogical backdrops to illuminating principles contained in the SAL Theory & Model.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAL Theory & Model.

To receive weekly articles from Freedom Focused & Dr. Jordan R. Jensen, sign up with your e-mail address in the white box on the right side of this page where it says "Follow by E-mail."

Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jensen's book, Self-Action Leadership, and to review what experts in the leadership field are saying about this groundbreaking new personal development handbook.

Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan R. Jensen.

Click HERE to visit the Freedom Focused website.

An American Bible and The Dangers of Presentism

Were America's Founding Fathers Good Guys or Bad Guys?
Authenticists and Postmodernists approach this question
using divergent methodologies.

The purpose of this article is to outline the dangers of a practice called "Presentism."

What is presentism?

According to Ross K. Baker, a distinguished professor of political science at Rutgers University, presentism is a "term used in academic circles to describe the application of contemporary moral standards to people who lived long ago." [1]

When historians and others engage in presentism, they set themselves up as judges in an anachronistic court of condemnation.

Who are the targets of these postmodern revisionist judgements? The answer to this question is varied. However, the favorite targets of presentist historians and postmodern judges are often historical figures who are, in many regards, worthy of our just admiration, commendation, gratitude, and respect. Postmodern purveyors of presentism are particularly fond of demonizing the Founding Fathers of the United States while glancing over, or entirely ignoring, their august lives and unprecedented achievements.

An American Bible in my personal Library

From an early age, I have had a love of great books.

I was born in an obscure, diminutive, magnificent little hamlet in the four corners area of the United States (Monticello, UT). This area is so out-of-the-way (it is a 4-5 hour drive from the nearest major metropolitan area) and is surrounded with such an eclectic and surreal panorama of topographical scenery that when Hollywood movie director Andrew Stanton needed a filming location resembling the extraterrestrial planet Mars for his movie, John Carter, he chose to roll his cameras in the Four Corners area!

I'll never forget seeing the movie trailer for John Carter back in 2012 because I immediately recognized the iconic monadnock known as Shiprock—located in the northwest corner of New Mexico. Any Monticelloan would recognize this famous landmark, which, on a clear day, you can see from elevated parts of town, despite its being located nearly 100 miles away.

Click HERE to watch the trailer for John Carter.

Despite being born far beyond the reach of most of the outside world and before the days of the Internet, I was blessed to be born to a family with educated parents who valued books. And thanks to the civic-minded contributions of community pillar Dorothy Adams—a great aunt of mine—Monticello had a public library.

The Monticello branch of the San Juan County Library was not large; all of the books were contained in one big room. Nevertheless, it was sizable enough to contain thousands of books—more than I could ever hope to read in my youth. As such, it provided me with a perpetual supply of books and other materials I could check out and study at my leisure. Even better, the librarian had a portable cart of books that was kept stocked with out-of-circulation books for sale; and the price was usually right for a poor teenager's budget!

Thus it was that I happened upon one of the most cherished volumes in my personal library—An American Bible—which is a wonderful anthology compiled by Alice Hubbard, the wife of American essayist and philosopher, Elbert Hubbard (author of A Message to Garcia). I purchased the book for the sizable sum of 50 cents! It was perhaps the best half-dollar I ever spent.

The American "Prophets" as Hubbard dubbed them, are as follows: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Robert G. Ingersoll, Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and her husband, Elbert Hubbard, whose writings she lovingly, albeit nepotistically, lavished nearly half the book's contents, despite his relative obscurity compared to the other "Prophets."

From my earliest memories, I have enjoyed studying about the men and women who founded our great Nation, as well as the gifted writers, philosophers, and poets who have enriched our Country's vast canon of literature. Like many other books containing the history and writings of great men and women throughout our nation's history, I have benefitted from reading An American Bible. The men lionized in Hubbard's anthology, and other men and women like them, contributed much that was good, right, and true to our Nation's unfolding story. The lives and legacies of these leaders are, in fact, one of the primary reasons that America became the greatest nation in the history of the world.

It is true that these men and women were not perfect—no mortal leader in our country's history (or any other's) was or is. But it is in our collective interest to hold up the positive aspects of their lives and legacies and thereby allow their powerful examples to positively influence our own walks through life.

Unfortunately, postmodernists tend to focus only on the negative aspects of America's founding fathers and mothers—and America in general. While the fundamental tenets of postmodernism posit that there really isn't any objective right and wrong, postmodernists are always first in line to hypocritically point out all of the "Sins" of those who, in actuality, made our Nation great.

For a postmodernist, there is no such thing as "Truth" with a capital "T." But when it comes to their own truth, they are ironically certain and intractably inflexible. Whimsical or evolutionary as their deconstructed "truth" may in fact be, postmodernists are quick to capitalize, star, asterisk, bold, and underline their own homespun dogma. They also like to add obtrusive neon lights that shine forth in a militant attempt to coerce others to embrace their view through social intimidation, political fiat, or any other culturally tenable means. Those who don't agree with them are castigated as misguided heretics and unenlightened cretins.

Postmodernists focus on
faults and failings
while downplaying
or even ignoring virtues.

To postmodern presentists, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were not great men who helped win our War of Independence and build our country by assisting in the framing of its two masterful founding documents. No, to a postmodernist, these men were evil, prejudiced slave holders whose legacy of slaveholding has left an irrevocable blight of darkness upon American history for all of us.

Postmodernists like to apply the perverse paint of presentism to the pages of history. To a presentist, George Washington is an evil man because he should have been following every accepted standard and mores of the twenty-first century even though he never even lived to see the nineteenth. Is that realistic? Is that even fair? (I should note here that unlike many of his contemporaries, Washington actually freed his slaves in his will).

Click HERE to learn more about Postmodernism

Click HERE to read more about the AGE of AUTHENTICISM aiming to replace it.

Authenticists acknowledge shortcomings
& sins, but focus on virtues and victories.

Objective truth demands that we admit Washington and Jefferson's categorical moral error of slave holding. I don't think anyone in possession of any moral sense would counter this reality. I certainly don't. Slave holding for any reason in any era can rightly be condemned as immoral. But does this moral lapse when slavery was deeply embedded in the culture of the time discount the extraordinary contributions of these remarkable men to our Nation?

To this question I answer with a resounding, No!

Unfortunately, in their eagerness to focus entirely on the sins of those they don't like or agree with, postmodernists cynically toss out the proverbial "baby with the bathwater." Instead of heralding what a great man or woman did right in his or her life and honoring whatever meaningful service they contributed to our nation, they choose instead to hold up and even actively promote a legacy polluted by their sins.

There are many problems with this practice. First, it places the focus on what "not to do" rather than what "to do," which is a pedagogical recipe for failure. Second, instead of seeking out objective truth about the panoramic dynamic of history's multi-dimensional realities, it strives to rewrite the narrative altogether, casting it subjectively in whatever light pleases one's own ideological prerogative. Third, it exposes an agenda that is skewed in favor of a particular constituency. Fourth, it divides rather than unifies by perpetuating divisions that existed decades or even centuries ago into contemporary society.

In what is sometimes a postmodernist's well-intentioned efforts to objectify history, what actually occurs is the reopening of wounds that could and should have healed long ago. By continually reopening wounds instead of striving to heal them, the erstwhile divisions linger—and in some cases widen—ironically taking us backwards instead of forwards in our understanding of, and reaction to, historical narratives. As a result, we become an increasingly divided nation both socially and culturally.

Professor Baker of Rutgers University (quoted at the beginning of this article) recently wrote a compelling argument against "Presentism" in a USA Today newspaper op-ed. According to Baker, presentism:

"Mercilessly subjects history and historical figures to contemporary social enlightenment. It is smug and self-satisfied and pats itself on the back for its own high-mindedness, but it is ignorant of context and erects impossibly high obstacles to which virtually no major figure can measure up. Certainly no one who had to endure the give-and-take of politics and the chore of dealing with people with whom they did not agree." [2]

Perhaps the most prominent example of extended presentism in the last generation was Howard Zinn's famous book of revisionist history, "A People's History of the United States." While Zinn is correct in wanting to lend an objective and fair voice to ALL people and groups throughout history, and while there are undoubtedly elements of history that are not properly covered for objective accuracy, the overall tone and tenor of Zinn's treatise suggests that America is ultimately an evil country led by corrupt, white leaders who made life hell for everyone except for themselves.

Postmodernists and presentists are famously cynical and pessimistic; they are also profoundly contradictory and hypocritical. They hand down merciless judgments regarding who was good and who was evil while simultaneously suggesting there really is no objective good and evil in the first place. Moreover, they concurrently spend their lives and careers focusing on the sins of whoever they don't like or disagree with, implying all the while that they and their historical acolytes live and lived lives that were beyond reproach.

In answer to these postmodernists, I issue a clear and unapologetic message. My message comes from the only man who ever claimed—and for which a third of the world's population believes—to have actually lived a perfect life. The message is simple and lucid: "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Since none of us can make a legitimate claim on perfection, let's ALL stop throwing stones at each other and strive to study objective history (insomuch as we possibly can) with an emphasis on the redeeming qualities of history's actors, rather than continually trumpeting the worst angels of their nature.

FREEDOM FOCUSED is calling for a reset on the relationship
with our imperfect, but noble Founding Fathers.

Authenticists do not turn a blind eye to the sins and horrors of the past or present. They do, however, choose to focus on the positive with regards to historical figures and present actors. They are quick to identify evil in all of its forms, eschew its variety of insidious influences, and fight against its menagerie of diabolical impacts; but they devote the majority of their time and effort to focusing on whatever good exists in everyone in an effort to create more good in their own lives and the lives of others. They are practitioners of appreciative inquiry. They accomplish this by holding up the good examples of people, rather than focusing unduly on magnifying their shortcomings, failures, and errors—especially when those errors are judged by anachronistic moral standards that are simply unrealistic.

I invite ALL Americans to reconsider the virtues of our Founding Fathers. I do not ask you to excuse or pardon their moral failings (which they, like ALL of us, certain had). I simply ask you to look at them for what the really were—imperfect, yet extraordinary men and women without whom we would not possess the liberty we enjoy today; a liberty which has made possible our respective rights to write out our diverse viewpoints on the subject.

If you want to get off to a great start, I encourage you to buy and read a book called "The Making of America: The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution" by W. Cleon Skousen, and "The Real Thomas Jefferson" by Andrew M. Allison and edited by W. Cleon Skousen et al.

Click HERE to buy a copy of The Making of America.

Click HERE to buy a copy of The Real Thomas Jefferson.

Notes:

[1] Baker, R.K. (2015). Voices: Democrats foolishly purge heroes: By Applying Today's Standards, Presidents Jefferson, Jackson, Wilson & FDR Get the Boot. USA Today. 10 August 2015. URL: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/08/07/democrats-presidents-jefferson-jackson-wilson-fdr/31207363/ Click HERE to access article

[2] Ibid

Truths, Facts, and Predictions: A Freedom Focused Vision of the Future

Chaos leads to Conflict & Creation

As America and the world increasingly devolves into political and domestic chaos, what does the future hold for our troubled land and the nations we have traditionally led?

At Freedom Focused, we think this is an important question.

The precise answer is that nobody knows exactly what future years and decades will bring. However, we believe that an approximate answer may be plausibly postulated on the basis of historical considerations and present observances.

Historical precedent is one of the best indicators of what is to come. On the other hand, it also remains blind to the unprecedented. By balancing these two variables, I believe it is possible to attain a measure of prescience about the future.

The purpose of this article is to present three (3) basic historical truisms and four (4) basic contemporary facts as a preface to making three (3) bold predictions about what the near-mid-term future holds for America and the rest of the world. My first prediction predictably follows historical precedent and spells bad news for America. My second and third predictions suggest an unprecedented turn of events that will stand in stark contrast to historical precedents and holds out great hope for America and the rest of the world.

TRUISM #1

Historically, great powers have almost universally grown lazy and debauched in the midst of their own preeminence and prosperity. Indeed, in the long run it seems as though power almost always leads to powerlessness with the blame lying squarely with the once powerful. To illustrate the consistence and profundity of this truism one must merely reflect upon the fact that every superpower our world has ever known has eventually fallen (or been greatly diminished) over time. Sadly, the United States is heading down a similar road of diminished power, influence, and moral authority with even greater alacrity than many previous superpowers.

TRUISM #2

Periods of economic expansion and prosperity are almost always followed by periods of economic recession and fiscal contraction. Periods of extreme economic expansion and prosperity are typically followed by economic depression and/or war. The lead up to both world wars of the last century provide examples of this pattern.

TRUISM #3

Good and evil are REAL forces that work in the minds and hearts of men and women in this world. Despite what postmodernists claim to the contrary, there is no degree of human intellectual sophistication nor social evolution that can categorically extricate evil from the human race. Whenever and wherever evil is presented with opportunity or an upper hand, it will seek to please and aggrandize itself by destroying whatever (or whoever) stands in the way of its nefarious ends. Because evil does (and always will) exist in this world, those who are good (who would also be wise) must be constantly vigilant in keeping it in check. Those who don't, are eventually overcome thereby.

FACT #1

The unprecedented prosperity of the past two generations have, since the 1960s, influenced the United States to become socially prurient, culturally idle, politically cowardly, and militarily soft.

FACT #2

Sub-superpowers around the globe are currently engaged in an undeclared arms race. These nations include China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.

FACT #3

ISIS and other terrorist groups (primarily Islamic extremist groups), while militarily feeble, have obtained a foothold in dozens of nations around the world and remain determined to wreak as much havoc and engender as much terror as possible.

FACT #4

The response of the Great Western Powers (U.S., Britain, France, Canada, and the E.U.) to ISIS and other growing military threats increasingly resembles the response of those same powers to Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Hikeki Tojo in the 1920s and 1930s.

No sane person ever wants a war. During the last century, the Western Powers were certainly the saner of the world's great powers.

Following the defeat of Germany and the Central Powers in World War I, austere terms were set forth by the victors in the Treaty of Versailles. Such terms embittered the vanquished and squashed its economy. Even worse, the terms were never fully enforced.

The victorious and sophisticated Western Powers managed to convince themselves that "enlightened man" would never again engage in the horrors introduced by the Great War. Moreover, they understandably sought to avoid such a conflict at all costs. Culturally bruised and economically battered from the greatest conflict in human history up to that point, their long-sought for peace led to a foolish complacency that failed to take into account the lessons of history. Thus the so-called "war to end all wars" morphed into a "war that was even worse" in the span of a single generation!

To the credit of the post-World War II powers, a full cycle of generations has passed without the world engulfing itself into a World War III. But are we truly safe from entering into such a feared conflict in the not-too-distant future? Sophisticated postmodernists of the present era will tell you we are. They like to speak of inhabitants of the twenty-first century as being too wise and mature to ever spark another conflagration on par with previous global conflicts. They will tell you we have collectively risen above such things. Their claim is that we are too smart to ever allow ourselves to repeat such dreaded mishaps of the not-so-distant past (my own Grandfather landed on Utah Beach in June 1944; it wasn't all that long ago). In fact, a good friend of mine (who in many regards is a postmodernist) recently communicated great optimism to me that we are past stooping to the levels the world lowered itself to in the world wars of the last century; I hope he is right!

For the sake of all of us, let's hope the postmodernists are right. But since postmodernists are typically wrong about just about everything in the long-run, let's be wise and avoid gambling any of our chips away in their predictably poor-handed pile of cards.

What would an authenticist say about the future of our country? As one who at least aspires with all his mind and heart to carry the banner of authenticism, I humbly implore your attention to a few predictions.

Grave Days May Lie Ahead
PREDICTION #1

Using only history as my guide, I predict Americans can expect a coming conflict (and perhaps a preceding or concurrent economic depression) in the coming decade that will prove historically analogous to the worst economic recessions or conflicts our nation has ever endured. History, in conjunction with all the present signs, provide us with enough data to make at least a translucent call on this point.

To read more about how I arrived at this predictive conclusion, click HERE.

PREDICTION #2

Unlike former superpowers who fell from grace and were eventually conquered (or greatly diminished) by the rise of their foes and competitors, I don't believe America is destined for this ultimate decline. Make no mistake, we are presently in decline, and grave days do lie ahead; nevertheless, I remain confidently optimistic that come what may, the United States of America will ultimately rise to its call to both sanctify its inner core and stave off external foes to continue to stand as the world's military—and more importantly, moral—leader for decades and even centuries to come.

I also predict that following the conflict, the United States will, over the course of the following two decades, come to lead the world in nearly every quantifiable category. This means that despite throngs of naysayers, the 21st Century will indeed become a new American Century.

When historians look back on the conflicts that are to come, defeating our external foes will not be viewed as our greatest challenge to victory. Rather, the process of personal, internal sanctification will be touted as our greatest achievement—and the key to our success in battle (literally and metaphorically).

And who will be the vanguard of this victory? It won't be the politicians, although they have been and will continue to be right on the forefront of getting us mired in the deep muck that is coming. It won't be the military, although a rebuilt and robust military will ultimately extricate us from its immediate clutches. It won't be our economic strength, which may largely fail before it rebounds and prospers. Nor will it be our industrial capacity, although we will rely on the same for basic subsistence and continued progress. No, victory will not primarily come from any one of these sectors.

PREDICATION #3

The true leaders of the greatest revival of American power and moral leadership in the world will come from authentic educators, and their greatest work will be done after the visible conflict has already been won. Who will lead this revival?

The answer is: FREEDOM FOCUSED and its exponents and advocates.

How will we do it? By fundamentally transforming American pedagogical processes to provide character, leadership, and life-skills education that is undergirded by the philosophy of authenticism as opposed to the philosophy of postmodernism, which has, for the most part, polluted our culture since the end of World War II.

Click HERE to read more about the AGE of AUTHENTICISM

Click HERE to learn more about Postmodernism

The movement of authenticism will begin small as individuals read these articles and sign up for the Freedom Focused blog and buy our seminal textbook: Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

It will grow very slowly at first. In the midst of our chaotic country and world deeply adrift in selfish striving and other profligate diversions, few will pay much attention to our message... until things start to get really bad. Presently, Freedom Focused will be largely ignored as a relatively lone voice in the wilderness—much like Churchill was largely ignored as he warned vehemently of Hitler and the rise of the Third Reich in Germany in the 1930s.

Political pundits of the 1930s scoffed
at and ostracized Churchill for his
inflammatory caveats regarding Germany's
rearmament and aggression. In the end,
Churchill's warnings were fully vindicated,
leading this inspired leader to the offices at
#10 Downing Street where he successfully
led the Allied defeat of Nazi Germany
and Imperial Japan.

As things worsen, however, collective America will begin to wake from its stupor and start to accept the reality that if we don't make a big change, we may very well become obsolete, or worse, extinct. As that reality sets in, Freedom Focused—like Churchill—will grow in influence and gain a larger audience. Over time, multitudes will discover that we hold the secret to success, and possess the knowledge and capacity to serve a growing populace in desperate need of Existential Growth.

Initially, most will seek the education and training we offer for survival (literal or metaphorical). Later, as they begin to taste the sweet fruits of genuine authenticism and savor the rich rewards springing forth in their personal and professional lives and relationships, they will begin to seek after Existential Growth for its own sake—with all of its abundant satisfactions and deep human fulfillments concomitant thereto.

In time, schools, colleges, and universities will begin to embrace the SAL Theory and Model and other, related constructs to the point where, at some distant day—decades down the road—the better part of America—and a growing percentage of the world-at-large—will be devoting up to 25% of their overall curriculum to character and leadership-based courses and training that are rarely if ever offered today.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAL Theory & Model.

Entire courses will be made available in topics such as honesty, integrity, courage, compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, spirituality, social and emotional intelligence, personal finance, self-thought processes and training, mental health, and good vs. evil. Courses such as these—and many others that contemporary postmodernists would laugh at and never allow under the roofs of their "sophisticated" institutions—will be required fare at most of the nation's public and private schools and universities.

These schools will not be mandated to carry such curriculum. There will be no governmental fiat or injunction to install these pedagogical measures. Rather, humbled by the national crucibles just recently passed through, the collective populace will desire such a curriculum of their own volition in an effort to spare their children and grandchildren from the disasters they themselves had to face. Like a blitzkrieg, this movement will begin to sweep nation's under its feet. Unlike a blitzkrieg, its spread will come at the request of those in its wake rather than combatively coerced by thug invaders.

What then will be the result of this remarkable educational shift? The answer is that America—spurred on by this powerful pedagogy of personal leadership—will enter her greatest period of collective growth and prosperity in her 250-year history. Contemporaries of these future generations will look back and chuckle at how far we thought we had come in the second decade of the twenty-first century. Citizens of the mid-twenty-first century will view those at the turn of the twentieth century much the way Americans of the 1990s and 1980s reflected back on the 1920s and 1930s.

What then comes after that? I purposely refrain from making any predictions beyond this. I am not a prophet; I am a philosopher-historian, poet, and pedagogue; I therefore openly acknowledge that my historical-educational predictions could turn out to be faulty. But come what may, Freedom Focused is destined to prosper and proliferate because it operates under a standard of truth, transparency, integrity, decency, and competence. No organization thus endowed could ever fail except by abandoning its own principles.

As for further predictions, such as those concerning "the end of the world," religionists provide many clues from their sacred texts that you may or may not find value in perusing. As a secular institution, we are not in the business of trying to call such shots. We are, however, very interested in the next 30-50 years, and therein lies our focus. We believe a stellar comprehension of the past combined with an incisive observance of the present can provide at bare minimum a translucent vision of the future, and these are our general predictions.

We invite you to begin bolstering the movement of authenticism today by signing up for our blog, visiting our website, and buying our seminal textbook.

The more prepared you are for the coming conflict, the greater the odds become that you will live to see and enjoy the wonders and prosperity that will follow its successful conclusion. We hope you'll join our movement, which will not only survive the coming conflict, but will in fact lead America out of it—and beyond.

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