Faith or Peer Pressure?

One of my former bosses was the 'sex drugs and rock & roll' type, until he found religion in his thirties.  He now goes to church every Sunday and is a leader at his chapel.

My sister in law became an atheist in her twenties, and decided growing up in the church was a waste of youth.

And you know what?  Whether I agree with their views or not, I have more respect for them (and those like them) than those that are born-and-raised Baptists/Hippies/Buddhists/etc.

Why?  Because they made a decision as an adult.  One that was informed and thought-out.  They matured on one path and decided it wasn't for them.

Now I know a lot of you have had your own religious Rumspringa and feel like you've weighed all options.  If you have, I'm not really talking to you.

I'm talking to the people who say "I'm a Mormon because my parents are Mormon" and that's good enough for them, like my example below.

This post started from a new video from Big Think, involving Bill Nye the Science Guy:

I'm a 90's kid and grew up watching Bill in High School Biology.  (BILL!  BILL!)  In this video he talks about parents not raising their kids to be creationists.

While I see the validity of his argument, I'd like to disagree with you, Mr. Nye.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster

Parents, take a part of Bill's advice.  Don't raise your kids to be Creationists.  But don't raise your kids to be Atheists either.

Don't raise your kids to be Pastafarians.

Don't raise your kids to be Mormon.

Don't raise your kids to be Democrats.

Don't raise your kids to BE anything, but an open-minded thinker who sees ALL SIDES of an argument and makes a rational decision on their own.  Faith isn't something to be rushed into, just like a three-year-old's decision on a career path isn't set in stone.

As we mature, our views on the world, on religion, and on BIG IDEAS should mature as well.  We shouldn't be programmed at a young age to think "...and that's the way it is..." about anything.

ANYTHING.

Parents, don't raise your kids with limits.  With boundaries.  With disadvantages.

This sign says it perfectly.  When we begin to think for ourselves and question everything we see, we begin to get answers that make sense to us.

If I was content on the views that were spoon-fed to me by my parents, I'd be a Jehovah's Witness that only votes Democrat (regardless of issue or candidate), smokes cigarettes, smokes pot and hates Mexicans.

That doesn't sound very fun, does it?

So.  Adults.  Sit down.  Look at who you are.  Is this who you are, or who your parents raised you to be?

The answer can be both, but if 'B' is your only choice, it's time to do some self-evaluation.

When I was working at an Idaho car lot, I had a Mormon friend I would hang with.  We'd go to the bar once a week after work (Jack Mormon, so he drank) and the topic eventually turned to faith.

Him:  So, what religion are you?

Me:  I'm not.

Him:  So you're an Atheist?

Me:  No, they're a religion too.  I have a belief in a higher power, something beyond our comprehension, I just see the major religions out there as corrupt and misleading.  I don't believe, in one way or another, that we have all the answers.  Most religions think they do, and know how everything is and was and will be.  I think that's really cocky on their part...

Him:  ....

Me:  So, why are you Mormon?  You drink, you swear... do you believe in the Mormon teachings?

Him: (without hesitation)  Absolutely.

Me:  So why do you drink beer?

Him:  Because I think that's ok, even though the church says otherwise.

Me:  Are your parents Mormon?

Him:  Yeah...

Me:  Is that why YOU are Mormon?

Him:  *Silence*

Six months later we met again, and he told me I was right.  He was going to church because he felt he had to.  He left the LDS church and was going to think and study about what faith means to him (if anything).

He was 'believing' for all the wrong reasons.

And there are a lot of people out there, just like him.

No matter what you believe: religious, political, etc.  If you came to those decisions on your own, I salute you.  You are the few, the proud, the lemmings that survive instead of run off the cliff because the person in front of you did.

Your move, Bill.  While I agree with what you are saying, I think you're leaving things just like the creationists:  In a little box of "...and that's the way it is..."

How World of Warcraft Could Save Your Business (Utility Druid LFW)

"I would rather hire a high-level World of Warcraft player than an MBA from Harvard."

With that sentence, John Seely Brown from Big Think had my complete attention.

In this 6 minute video, Brown talks about the collaborative and creative aspects of this massively popular online game.  He says what gamers have been saying for years:

"Do not think about it as just gameplay, but look at the social life on the edge of the game."

As someone who played WoW for over four years, I can relate to everything he is saying.  If you have 6 minutes to watch this video, please do.

Since I am a former player, let me elaborate on his ideas a little bit.

BACKGROUND:  I was a Druid, a utility-class character.  I had others, but this was my 'main' dude.  Druids can serve as every single role in the game.  They can tank (take the blows from an enemy while others attack), do damage (both physical and magical) and can heal others.  When you change your specifications one of four ways (or a hybrid combination) you can be a formidable beast.

I was in a high-ranking guild on a heavy-population server.  Most people can do one role very well, and fill in other areas as needed.  On a server of over 20,000 players, I was the #4 ranked Druid Tank and the #6 ranked Casting Druid at one point.  At the same time.  I think I was ranked in the 30's or 40's for healing as well.  Unheard of, and this took a lot of effort/planning/preparation on my part.

Healing metrics for a boss encounter.  LOTS of data to analyze.

Brown talks about how the guilds are "meritocracy based" and good players/groups are doing constant self evaluation.  Every top-tier player wants to be in a top-tier guild, and has to be interviewed, evaluated, and 'earn their keep' on a regular basis.  If you falter, there is a miles-long line of people ready and willing to take your place.  Like I do in the business world, I made myself an invaluable part of the team.  I was "the glue" that helped hold things together.

In a guild environment, all players evaluate themselves and other teammates on a regular basis.  From the top-down, from the leader to the newest member, everyone critiques each other.  No one is exempt.  Weak-points within are identified and either repaired or replaced (leading incorrectly, bad heals, etc).  The guild is a living, breathing organism; constantly changing, learning, and growing (or dying).

In a business environment, how often do you get to give a performance review to those above you??

As Brown states, WoW is a "fundamentally collaborative game" on the high end.  When you are a part of top-tier guilds, you go into encounters with 10, 25, sometimes 40 players.  As a raid leader, you need to:

- Know the roles of all players, and what they are doing during the entire encounter.

- Know the strengths and weaknesses of all teammates, with contingency plans in case one (or more) of the players fall or fails to show up.

- Know the strategy of the encounter, and constantly come up with new ideas and 'angles' if Plan A does not work.

...as well as ensure players have the proper resources, are 'specced' correctly, etc.  A lot of this is self-managed (a good player, like a good employee, comes prepared) but a leader's job is to make sure all the pieces fit, and all players are on the same page.

A bad leader will sound like this during an encounter:

(Have you had experience with bosses that sound like that dude?  I have.... in both the gaming world and the business world...)

Teamwork drives the game, just as teamwork drives business.  Everyone needs to do their job in order to reach the intended goal.  In the gaming world, players are always self-evaluating and looking for ways to improve and advance.

Take that concept into the business world.  Do you measure your performance on a regular basis?  Are you constantly striving for improvement?  Do you better yourself on a regular basis? 

Why not?  Whether you are the top of the food chain or just a cog turning a gear turning a dial, you serve a purpose and a function.  Why not be the very best ___ you can be, without someone 'managing' you and telling you how to function?

My favorite quote is how Brown ends his video.   "It (gaming) is an amazing learning environment with powerful learning tools, that I think... we in the management world can learn from.  But it gets back to the notion of passion, of curiosity, and this interest-driven phenomenon that unleashes exponential learning."

Man oh man, I wish I could use that same phrasing to describe my nine-to-five.  I like what I do, but I can't say that about my job.

....but what if we could?  Brown hears the phrase "if I ain't learnin, I ain't havin fun" a lot when he plays.  That should be every business' new slogan, if they want to succeed and grow in today's environment.