Environment

Jerry Reed: Gold Mines and Shafts

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jreedIf you know anything about a 4-wheel drive vehicle, you probably know it has a transfer case, and if you know a little something about psychology, you most likely understand the concept of transference. An incident occurred earlier in the week that caused me to think of both.

When I arrived at work on Tuesday, I found a new welcome sign painted on the side of the building.  It wasn’t a message of love, but one that expressed a pathetic dislike for the police in some rather blunt and rude language.

Why would a person use the FCC building as a canvas to proclaim his dislike for the El Dorado Police Department? The answer is transference.  Instead of addressing the anger he has for the police, to the police, he projected those feelings upon the church.

I know very little about the individual who wielded the can of spray paint, and I know nothing about his circumstances in life; but, as I said in another post: We may not be responsible for the circumstances of life, but we are responsible for the way we respond to them.

To understand a case of transference, it might help to have a basic understanding of a transfer case.  If you drive a 4-wheel drive vehicle, your transfer case transfers power from the transmission to the front and rear axles through the drive shafts.

In a sense, the transfer case acts as a brain that synchronizes the flow of power to the rear wheels and the front wheels through the drive shafts. I’m not sure how the brain of this vandal was working, but I do know the flow of power was misdirected.

I’m also pretty sure the future has few gold mines for this misfit, and I’m certain we’ve been left with the shaft to clean up.

As I think of this incident, I’m left with a question: Which is more difficult, cleaning brick and mortar or cleansing the thought process of the mind?

It’s been said that charisma is the transference of enthusiasm; what thoughts, feelings, and emotions do you project upon others?

Annoying Air Bags

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BlowhardDue to safety and environmental concerns, Toyota has recalled 3.37 million cars.  The recall involves 2.87 million cars due to faulty emissions control units. Another 1.43 million vehicles are included to repair air bag inflators that could be ineffective.  Of the 3.37 million, Toyota thinks 930,00 of them may be affected by both defective units.

Several years ago I witnessed an event that led me to a conclusion:  Most defective air bags have faulty emissions control units.

While I was in college, I was a frequent spectator at the Texas Rangers games.  At one of these games, a rude air-bag-of-a-man strutted by me, and He was wearing a shirt with an imprint that was much too vulgar to be worn in public.  This defective airbag had some real problems with his emissions control system, and he turned the air blue with his profanity.

Before the second inning started the security guards were recalling this air bag.  He was ushered out of the stands with blood gushing from a gaping wound that was the result of a frustrated father’s attempts to preserve the innocence of his son.

Defective air bags are characterized as a person who is foolish or boisterous:

  • The woman of folly is boisterous, she is naive and knows nothing (Proverbs 9:13).
  • A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son, heartache to his mother (Proverbs 10:1).
  • The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness (Proverbs 15:2).

The need for emissions control predates the advent of the auto.  Paul admonished the church at Ephesus to manage their manners and to watch their words: “Don’t let even one rotten word seep out of your mouths. Instead, offer only fresh words that build others up when they need it most. That way your good words will communicate grace to those who hear them (Ephesians 4:29).”

I’ll leave you with a thought that might help you with your emissions control: Profanity is the weapon of the witless and a weak device to support an even weaker argument.

The Power of Green

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Video_Landing-Page_0007_20131227_093457Before last week, there is a good chance that your roof was not at the top of your list of major concerns.  If it was pelted by hail during the recent storm, your roof may have become a source of worry. Because of the massive damage in the short-lived storm, Butler County has been swarmed by colonies of contractors hoping to make a buck off of you.

Unless you are a roofer by trade, you may given little thought to the decking, shingles, and the other components that are used to build a roof.  A movement underway to change the constitution of roofs, may change that.

Facebook, the social media giant, installed a 9-acre green roof at its office in Menlo Park, California.  “Green roofs can reduce the retention of heat in urban areas, help to cool down buildings and thereby lower their energy use, and even pull some carbon dioxide from the air and feed it back into plant growth (The Washington Post).”

In the June edition of the Journal of Environmental Psychology, a report focuses on the psychological benefit of green roofs: 40-second Green Roof Views Sustain Attention: The Role of Micro-Breaks in Attention Restoration.

Kate Lee, the lead researcher of the study (University of Melbourne) has concluded that “Modern work drains attention throughout the day, so providing boosted ‘green micro-breaks’ may provide mental top-ups to offset declining attention.” If a person can look outside his office window and see a flowering meadow green roof instead of a bare concrete roof, he will experience cognitive benefits.

This new research, reminds me of a very old peace in the Bible.  This piece of peace is found in Psalm 23 where David spoke of God leading him to the “green pastures” and “still waters” to “restore his soul.”

To help you have a “green” moment, take just a second or two to read Psalm 23 from  The Message:

God, my shepherd!

    I don’t need a thing.

You have bedded me down in lush meadows,

    you find me quiet pools to drink from.

True to your word,

    you let me catch my breath

    and send me in the right direction.

Whatever your concern might be today, remember God is able!