Anger gripped every bone
in my body. I didn’t even hesitate. I found my way into the car and just began
to drive. The dark of an 11pm night just added to my frustration. To be honest,
I don’t even remember what started the fight. I just needed to withdraw myself
from the tense atmosphere that shrouded myself and my father. Having this type
of blowout with my dad at the age of 16 might not be that unusual. But getting
lost in the “middle of nowhere” after an hour of just driving west was more
than unusual. In fact, it became a bit scary as I was forced to admit that I
was lost. My emotions controlled my actions. My mind was superseded by a heart
filled with conviction that I was right and that anyone who disagreed with me
was messed up. Had it not been for a beacon in the form of a light in the sky
declaring the location of the only car dealer in town, I would have really
found myself in trouble, knowing that I would have had to call my dad and let
him know I was lost as well. I knew that the car dealer was near a freeway and
that I could find my way home from there. I knew that the car dealer was north
of my location. Having that one bearing would help me navigate back home. Our
wonderful Earth also possesses a North Pole or true North.
Our planet has three North Poles (four if you count
Santa). First, there's true north, which is the northern end
of the axis on which our planet turns. But our planet's protective magnetic
bubble, or magnetosphere, isn't perfectly aligned with this spin. Instead, the
dynamo of Earth's core creates a magnetic field that is slightly tilted from
the planet's rotational axis. The northern end of this planet-size bar magnet
is what's known as geomagnetic north—a
point sitting off the northwest coast of Greenland that's changed position
little over the last century. Then there's magnetic north, what your compass locates, which is defined as the
point at which magnetic field lines point vertically down. Unlike geomagnetic
north, this position is more susceptible to the surges and flows in the swirl
of liquid iron in the core. These currents tug on the magnetic field, sending
magnetic north hopping across the globe (National Geographic, 2019). NASA
has recently published in 2019 yet another article on the continuous shift of
the Earth’s magnetic north (Nasa, 2019). Regardless of the possible political
consequences of the impending “doom” of even a complete shift in poles, just as
our physical world continues to move, so do our societal behavioral norms.
Today our society in many
ways has lost its sense of true north. I would raise the question of whether or
not we have moved away from our “Moral Compass” or our True North when it comes
to right and wrong. We live in a world that no longer desires universal truths
for the fear of offending another with a personal standard. While I personally
do my best every day to NEVER judge another person’s values, choices, and other
life decisions, I must admit that it does bother me a bit when others are not
so courteous to return that favor. I continue to witness so many persons who
are first to condemn another for feeling judged are also the first to quickly
judge others without getting to know, listen, or understand the other person.
This behavior is developing at such a rate that rational responses are slowly
disappearing in our society’s thought process. I see a changing society eager
to gravitate towards a “magnetic north” when it comes to moral character.
Popular opinion not only imitates true north but continually changes based on
the emotional turbulence of the moment. Another growing concern of mine is that
this new rule of character applies not only to the individual but becomes a
group/herd mentality that finds it easy to overreact and set rationale aside
for the sake of feeling that they are right. And of course, they are right, at
least for that day. Tomorrow, we don’t know which way the wind will blow.
Steven Porter recently wrote a summary article from
Dallas Willard’s posthumous publication, The
Disappearance of Moral Knowledge. In his article he wrote that Morality has
been left to be thought as mere “tradition,” feeling, opinion, or “faith.” This
view of morality is not action-guiding and it fails to provide an authoritative
basis upon which morality can be commended to others. The result is that
Western society was set morally-adrift (Willard, 2018).
I personally believe that as long as we continue to
ignore a “true north” and become comfortable with a “magnetic north” guiding
what’s left of our “sense of morality,” we as a people will continue to suffer
from identity confusion (a loss of direction) and perhaps even embrace all reality as relative. In some
psychological circles, this can mimic the very definition of psychosis, a break from reality and
living in nothing but a fantasyland. No wonder so much doesn’t make much sense
anymore. We must redefine ourselves as individuals who listen instead of judge,
are slow to speak, and slow to anger. We are in great need of taking a powerful
life pause and truly seek and honest self-reflection and begin to embrace our
current Identity. Only then can we live in reality and pursue real forward
Direction in our lives. We need a Compass with a True North.
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