A Celebration of the Secular

I’m realizing that I’m more cynical than I thought and certainly dare to admit. It’s about time that I confront it.

I love business, especially the founding stories (plug for NPR’s How I Built This all about how well-known companies got their start). I think I love these stories so much because through the failures the seemingly “far-off” founders feel not so far away. These stories inspire me to start a business of my own one day soon. Undoubtedly, every business is shaped by its founder(s)’ hopes and dreams. Oftentimes the business is itself the founder’s dream. I bet you didn’t know these business’ mission statements:

Coke’s 3 missions are to:

-to refresh the world…

-to inspire moments of optimism and happiness…

-to create value and make a difference (http://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/mission-vision-values).

Think about that the next time you sip a cold Coke!

Or how bout Wells Fargo’s vision: “We want to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially” (https://www.wellsfargo.com/about/corporate/vision-and-values/our-vision)

I love these! They’re big and audacious and if realized, even in small ordinary ways, can and do have great positive impact. To refresh the world?! I think we could all benefit from some more refreshment.

There’s that side of me that is all about changing the world and everthing and then there’s this side of me that is only about tearing anyone’s attempts to change the world down.

Perhaps even my positivity now towards these mission statements is causing cynicism to well up in your soul like it does mine sometimes when I ponder these statements. To refresh the world you say? You’ve got to be kidding me. More like contributing to America’s obesity problem. Or I can’t help but think of Wells Fargo’s past massive fraudulent activity, creating false accounts to pad their bottom line. There are 2 Wells Fargo billboards on my way to Raleigh from Winston that both proudly declare the 60 or so local non-profits they support. That screams: we messed up bad with those fake accounts, but we’re not that bad! It’s hard for me to look past the bad, even if apologies have been dished out left and right.

All of this is to say: non-Christians; be it Universities that were created for the sole purpose to glorify God and enjoy Him forever that now teach classes about how Christianity’s not all that it’s cracked up to be or lambast you for disagreeing with your intolerance of their agenda, be it “big business” that seems to be all about their bottom line, or even your “lefty” friend who worships the environment like you pray he’ll worship God, non-Christians are imagining and realizing God’s goodness and they don’t even know it. Everything good comes from above. Refreshing the world, helping people use their money well…these are great things that I wish I was less cynical about.

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