Everything I Needed To Know

1These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

2Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,

to help them understand the insights of the wise.

3Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,

to help them do what is right, just, and fair.

4These proverbs will give insight to the simple,

knowledge and discernment to the young. Proverbs 1:1-4

There is a book that I haven't read but the title says a lot: "All I Needed To Know I learned In Kindergarden" by Robert Fulghum. In thinking on that theme I remember a time when The Boeing Company was sending every employee, every year to a ethics class. It seems a Boeing Executive had done something very unethical, against the law in trying to sell some airplanes to the Navy.  Darleen Druyun was the Navy counterpart in that infamous deal that sent both to prison for a short time. The Boeing Company was fined $615 million, Mike Sears the Boeing Executive received a sentence of 4 months in prison, $250,000 fine, and 200 hours of community service. The Navy officer was sentenced to 9 months in prison, a $5,000 fine, and 150 hours of community service.  The Boeing CEO  resigned.  At the time I was going to one of these ethics training classes, I thought all they were teaching me I learned in Sunday School. As Proverbs says above, not only the Proverbs but the Bible teaches us how to do what is right, just, and fair. I learned a lot as a child in Sunday School, a children's group called Gleaners, and as a teenager what was called VLB (Victory Leaders Band). The Ethics class did cover a lot of the same stuff. Treating our customers and others fairly. Obeying the laws of the land.  It cost the Boeing Company a lot in fines and dirtied reputation. The Navy Officer was promised a job at the Boeing Company and received a signing bonus of $50,000 for a $250,000 a year job for awarding the tanker contract to Boeing. We work for God even in the most secular job as a Christian. The world's word for something I did years ago was snitching. I believe Jesus called it being Salt and Light to the world around us. The worst incident was when I showed a supervisor why I thought a fellow employee had fallen behind on his job. I was sent to take over the job that was seriously late. I found the employee was working on home projects instead of his job. He had access to a lot of woodworking machines in our little shop. Another time I was asked to not close jobs I was working on so the lead could go to the supervisor and say I have 50 jobs open and we need to work Saturday and Sunday overtime to catch up. I knew it was dishonest and in its basic form, it was stealing wages from the company.  On Saturday and Sunday, the lead and whatever team members he chose would work overtime to supplement their salary by closing out the jobs that should have been closed Monday through Friday. My conscience told me it was wrong and I couldn't do that. I was soon taken off that team and sent to another group. These also were ethics violations that I learned in my early Christian Education.  Our job as Christians is to be salt and light to the world around us even on the most secular job there is.  I was doing it but I really don't think I understood the big picture in my early years on the job. It wasn't just at the Boeing company, other places I worked had theft and other forms of dishonesty also. But as a Christian, I had been taught most of what I needed to know in Sunday School and other forms of Child Education. It is in my senior years of my life that I look back and realize I was working for God more than I realized at the time. “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.  Matthew  5:13-16.  Christians are to be salt and light to the world around us even on the most secular job.  God bless, LVZ.