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

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.

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.

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.

  

Postmodernists vs. Authenticists: An Existential Comparison

Six Intelligences
of Existentialism

In past articles, I have written a fair bit about postmodernism—and the AGE of AUTHENTICISM that is beginning to gradually eclipse it.  The purpose of this piece is to capture the deep chasm that exists between the THOUGHTS and BEHAVIORS of acolytes of these two strikingly different ages and ideologies, which, to varying degrees, have been battling each other in cyclical fashion throughout human history.

I will compare and contrast these differences by descriptively measuring them against SIX components of the Self-Action Leadership Theory of Existential Intelligence.  These six components are: Mental intelligence, Physical intelligence, Spiritual intelligence, Emotional intelligence, Social intelligence, & Moral intelligence.

In reviewing this article, keep in mind that no human being is all postmodernist or all authenticist.  Nearly all authenticists have postmodern proclivities of one form or another, and nearly all postmodernists possess redeeming qualities.  Nevertheless, it is true that generally speaking, every individual is always either heading in one direction or the other.  Thus, in the end, you cannot ultimately find yourself in both camps; you do choose one or the other, and more specifically, one of nine gradients of one side or the other.  (Note: there are nine different levels of Existential Growth and Existential Atrophy.  Authenticist ideology leads one to higher levels of the former - EG. Postmodernist ideology leads one to lower levels of the latter - EA. )

Cognitive Differences  

The Mental Component

A postmodernist believes there isn't any absolute truth and that all "so-called truth" is dynamic and relative to each person's unique life experience. In other words, "truth" (lower-cased) can be flexibly bent to the whimsical exigencies of individual human beings and the perplexing quagmires into which they often entangle themselves as a result of their own choices. To a postmodernist, consequences, along with truth and metaphysical natural laws, are also arbitrary rather than absolute.

In essence, postmodernists seek to become a law unto themselves rather than adhere to, or even admit that any real natural laws governing human behavior may exist outside of or beyond themselves.

An authenticist recognizes that "Truth" (upper-cased) is not only absolute in nature, but that it exists outside of any human wish or inclination. To an authenticist, truth never changes, nor can it be altered. Human beings either choose to seek it out and heed it, or to disregard its tenets and caveats—with relatively predictable long-term consequences following the freely chosen thoughts and behavior of each individual. Authenticists seek to learn about natural laws and then dedicate themselves to living in harmony therewith.

Behavioral Differences  

The Physical (or Behavioral) Component

Postmodernists are fundamentally REACTIVE.

When things go wrong in a postmodernist's life, he or she looks outward for someone or something to scapegoat for his or her problems or misfortune. Postmodernists are fundamentally part of the problem(s) rather than part of the solution(s).

Authenticists are fundamentally PROACTIVE.

When things go wrong in an authenticist's life, he or she looks inward and asks the following questions: 1). How am I contributing to this problem, or how am I a part of the problem? 2). What can I personally do to solve this problem or improve this situation? and 3). In what way(s) do I need to change my thoughts and behavior or purify my character to improve the problem or situation long-term? Authenticists are fundamentally part of the solution(s) rather than part of the problem(s).

Theosophical Differences 

The Spiritual Component

Postmodernists typically don't believe in a Higher Power, or if they do, their belief is one of convenience and caprice. The very concept of faith in what one cannot see or sentiently detect is anathema to a postmodernist because it spoils the notion that the postmodernist him or herself is on top of the universal existential food chain.

Even worse, the acceptance of a Higher Power would create spiritual accountability for one's thoughts and behaviors, something postmodernists are loathe to consider, much less acknowledge. They don't always seek after darkness in an explicit sense; it is just that their pride and vanity won't allow them to make room in their own world for any God that would outrank or otherwise interfere their own self-perceived demigod status. Postmodernists also discount the notion that there is life after death. Doing so makes it much easier to rationalize a whole host of destructive and damning inclinations, behaviors, and lifestyle as being okay—or even good.

Authenticists almost always believe in some form of Higher Power, although their specific spiritual or theological beliefs differ widely. Such faith engenders humility regarding the lowliness of their own existential station, and their reliance on Higher forms of being to access the knowledge and power to to advance existentially themselves. Most importantly, such faith illuminates the existential duty one has to seek after truth and to choose right and good actions over wrong and evil ones to the best of one ability—all while continually seeking after the empowering aid of unseen forces of light along the way.

The Emotional Component

Emotional Differences  

While postmodernists usually don't believe in a Higher Power, this does not mean they do not have strong, spiritually-oriented feelings. Quite to the contrary, a postmodernist may experience spiritual-esque feelings as potently and powerfully as any authenticist. The difference between the two is not necessarily that one feels more strongly than the other. The difference lies in the thoughts and behaviors a postmodernist chooses as a result of the feelings he or she has experienced. 

An authenticist feels strongly about the reality of absolute truth and aligning one's thoughts and behavior in harmony therewith.

A postmodernist feels strongly about whatever one feels strongly about in the present moment. He or she focuses on aligning his or her thoughts and behaviors with augmenting the emotion as well as embracing whatever "itch" one feels most inclined to "scratch" at any given point in his or her life, without giving much thought to the long-term consequences.

The Social Component

Relational Differences  

Postmodernists view relationships mainly as a means to an end. The quality, therefore, of a relationship for a postmodernist is judged by what one personally gets from the relationship. As a result, postmodernists usually choose to cultivate fleeting, short-term, and sentient or sexual-based relationships rather than investing the time, effort, and sacrifice required to obtain deep, enriching, long-term relationships that fulfill the deepest needs human beings have for authentic interpersonal connectedness.

Authenticists, on the other hand, view relationships—and the quality thereof—as an end in and of themselves. For an authenticist, one's primary role in a relationship involves what he or she can give to the other person, how one can personally nurture the relationship, and how one can promote Existential Growth in the other. By secondarily prioritizing one's personal pleasure or external rewards in relationships, authenticists paradoxically magnify and intensify the same, making both parties truly rich (both internally and externally) in the relationship.

The Moral Component

Ethical Differences  

To a postmodernist, ethical concerns are arbitrary and relative. This does not mean postmodernists are casual or indifferent about ethical concerns. To the contrary, postmodernists are sometimes the most impassioned and vocal about issues surrounding ethics. The problem is the standard by which ethical issues are judged to be issues of concern. Rather than being rooted in natural law, such standards are invariably constructed by postmodernist themselves. There is no absolute standard upon which to base ethicality beyond the pronouncements of postmodern potentates. Thus many ethical issues in postmodernism revolve around ideological pet projects rooted in the mercurial whimsy of mankind's baser instincts and more prurient proclivities.

To an authenticist, ethical concerns are absolute and irrevocable. This view does not negate the possibility of "exceptions to the rule" in situations of ethicality, for authenticists understand the great truth that truth itself is often paradoxical. What it does mean is that ALL thoughts and behavior (including any exceptions to the rule) must align with absolute truth if one's cognitions and actions are to qualify as being ethical and moral.

The Existential Component

Ontological Differences  

Postmodernists who persist in postmodernist ideology are easy to spot over time, and reside in two basic camps.

The first camp, which is by far the largest, includes the vast multitudes of individuals who grow old physically having never advanced beyond the EDUCATION (first), BEGINNER'S (second), or PRACTITIONER'S (third) stage of Existential Growth. This camp also includes those who may have advanced to higher levels, but then digressed backwards to one of the lower three levels over time.

The second camp includes postmodernists who are extra talented or clever who descended to the lower levels of the DARK SHADOW. Such descents are widely noticed, admired, and heralded by multitudes of their fellow postmodernists along their descent to the bottom-most rungs of the DARK SHADOW. After descending to such depths, they may experience much fame and adulation from other postmodernists, and even many immature or naive authenticists who confuse their worldly achievements as being indicators of Existential Growth and maturity.

Postmodernists in this camp often enjoy much financial remuneration and prosperity. Sometimes this remuneration is earned quasi-honestly be means of their talent and cleverness. Often it is earned quite dishonestly by means of seduction, manipulation, and downright deceit. Despite the seeming success and grandeur achieved by these individuals, the passage of time always leads to an infamous and ignominious legacy—and sometimes to physical ruin as well.

Authenticists who persist in the authentic living described in my book—Self-Action Leadership—are easy to spot because they are continually growing up—not literally so much as figuratively, in an existential sense. In other words, they are perpetually progressing to higher levels of Existential Growth as defined in the Self-Action Leadership Theory.

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

Authenticism pursued to its end results in SELF-TRANSCENDENCE (level 8) followed by one's entering the CREATION STAGE (level 9), which marks the beginning of world altering contributions and a legacy that lives on positively, constructively, and indefinitely.

To sum up, and put very bluntly, postmodernism—and the postmodern potentates and populace that supports and promotes it—is/are the problem in our world today.

On the other hand, authenticism—and the authentic and humble practitioner's and parishes that undergird and enliven it—is/are the solution in our world today.

We at Freedom Focused invite you to join us in bringing about an end to the postmodern period and replace it with an AGE of AUTHENTICISM.  By so doing, you can start the process of becoming part of the solution(s) our world needs, rather than contributing to the problem(s) that presently engulf much of our post-postmodern world.

Click HERE to read more about the AGE of AUTHENTICISM

Click HERE to learn more about Postmodernism

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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.


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