Perspectives

Perspective by James Standish

Many people are shocked by the outcome of the election. Not Scott Adams, the cartoonist behind Dilbert. Over a year ago, Adams predicted Trump would win.

The odd thing?

Adams nailed it.

How could a Clinton-supporting cartoonist see what all the pundits, poll producing prognosticators and professional politicians missed? Easy, Adams explains, he doesn’t study polls, instead he studies the art of persuasion. And, he explains, persuasion is based on emotion. Tap into the emotional truths of your audience, and you persuade them.

In Adams’ analysis, the most persuasive candidate wins. Everything else is just noise. 

Editorial by Art Calhoun

Multiple studies have shown that practicing gratitude results in being more resilient, more relaxed and less materialistic. It is difficult to be depressed and full of gratitude at the same time. This should not be surprising for people of the Word. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God.” (Col. 3:17). And “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thes. 5:18).

Editorial by Paulo Macena

When King David decided to build the house of God, he prepared and planned for it. The Bible says that he bought all types of resources needed to build the temple. “Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might,” David said (1 Chr. 29:2).

David was so passionate about his mission that he used his own fortune to build the temple, and joyfully expressed the reason why: “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in Earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all” (1 Chr. 29:11).

Editorial by Olive Hemmings

I recall one day sitting on the steep, red oak-stained, concrete front steps of our tiny, rural home in Jamaica on long, carefree days full of wonder and expectation. My twin brother, J. Olive, and I couldn’t have been more than 3 years old because our younger sister was not yet born. On this fine day, mother gathered food for dinner from lush crops surrounding the house and firewood to cook in our homey, outdoor kitchen.

The fowls “cackled” as they lay eggs, the dogs playfully barked, somewhere a cow mooed, and the sound of water gushed over rocks in the nearby stream, invoking a mysterious flow of cool, shadowy air as the sun bore down upon our little faces—unforgettable scenes  of childhood.

Editorial by Jose H. Cortés, New Jersey Conference president

We are living in difficult times. It seems as if our civilization is falling apart because of terrorism, abuse and hatred. It is shocking to watch the news, as apparently harmless people—men, young women, sometimes children or elders—detonate themselves with explosives, killing and injuring dozens of people they do not even know! Can it get any crazier?

If we look at the other side, we see that our sophisticated society is plagued with abuses and violations: child abuse, elder abuse, domestic violence, racial hatred, prejudice and discrimination. Even politicians are lowered to dirty diatribes, verbal and physical attacks. Where are we going to stop?