Historical Events and the Growing Threat of Global Conflict

The Iron Cross: an historical symbol of the German Military 

On the fourth of August, 1914, the Imperial German Army belligerently crossed the Belgian border with three-quarters of a million soldiers.

The invasion that followed—which has since become known as the "Rape of Belgium"—took the lives of 30,000 Belgian soldiers. Along the way, thousands of Belgian civilians also lost their lives as collateral damage in the violent and destructive rampage that desolated the Belgian homeland.

Germany's subsequent invasion of France was similarly bloody and destructive. Penetrating deep into the heart of Northern France, the Germans progressed to within 25 miles of Paris before finally being halted by French and British troops at the Battle of the Marne in September 1914. 

Aerial view of World War 1 trench systems

The ensuing stalemate led to the construction of 500 miles of intricate trench networks that began at the English Channel in the north and extended southward all the way to the Swiss Border. The violence and death that would follow on the Western Front and beyond would prove unprecedented in the annals of human history. Sadly, this "War to End All Wars" proved to be anything but, and instead planted the seeds of an even greater conflict to come a mere quarter century later.    

Thus, in an eerie repeat of history, Germany's Adolf Hitler ordered upwards of two million soldiers across the German border into Poland before dawn on Friday, September 1, 1939, commencing one of the largest military invasions in human history. Less than two years later, Hitler gave the same order to nearly FOUR (4) million Wermacht soldiers, directing them to invade the largest nation on Earth (the Soviet Union) in the most expansive invasion in world history. No military campaign has ever been waged on the scale of Operation Barbarossa—before or since.

In addition to Poland and the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany also invaded Austria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Yugoslavia, and Greece. Few others in history (i.e. Alexander the Great, the Romans, and Napoleon Bonaparte) had undertaken such an ambitious conquest of Continental Europe. And no preceding conquerer had ever proceeded with such an evil aim of genocide roiling in his heart, mind, and soul.   

 

The threat of a a major land invasion once again looms large in Europe.

The prolonged series of cascading calamities that accompanied these invasions was unprecedented and has been well chronicled along the historical timeline of World War II—the deadliest armed conflict in humanity's long and colorful history.

In consideration of the fateful events of 8/4/14 and 9/1/39—and others like them throughout history—any thoughtful observer of history is understandably alarmed by current events transpiring along the Ukrainian border in Eastern Europe and off the coast of Taiwan in the South China Sea. 

It is no secret that history tends to repeat itself, at least generally speaking. And while individual historical events rarely presage future occurrences precisely, the foremost purpose of studying history is unquestionably to inform current issues and infuse them with wisdom to avert future disasters. Sadly, this recurring harvest of collateral wisdom is too often ignored by power brokers in the present, thus leading the human race into calamity-after-calamity that could and ought to have been avoided. Indeed, it seems as thought the temptation for a dictator to think he is "different" or "special" compared to conquered conquerers of the past is all-too-often too great to resist. 

Queen Victoria of Great Britain
Grandmother of King George V
and Kaiser Wilhelm II.

In 1914, the power brokers were Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, King George V of England, and Tsar Nicholas of Russia. Amazingly, all three of these monarchs were first cousins, with the former two being grandsons of Queen Victoria (1819-1901) of Great Britain. The ensuing calamity brought on (in part) by the strained relations of these three cousins resulted in the Great War (World War I), which claimed the lives of 10 million soldiers, another 10 million civilians, and wounded another 20 million combined (40 million total casualties).  

In 1939, the aggressors were Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Emperor Hirohito of Germany, Italy, and Japan, respectively. To a lesser extent, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union was also an aggressor when he invaded Poland from the east, thereby carving up the country after Hitler invaded from the west. However, Stalin later joined the Allies after Hitler predictably reneged on their alliance and invaded the Soviet Union.

The Allies were led by Winston Churchill and King George VI of Great Britain, and Franklin Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States. The ensuing calamity was twice as costly as the First World War in terms of human deaths, to say nothing of the unprecedented material destruction.

In 2022, the power brokers on the aggressor side are Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Xinping of China, and the tyrannical regimes in Iran and North Korea. Those defending democracy and freedom include a quasi-united front of Western Allies spanning the balance of the globe from the Ukrainian border all the way to Australia in the South Pacific and Southern Indian Oceans. 

Have we not seen this story and sung this song before... more than once?

          Will the third chapter/verse of this story and song be different than the first and second?

                    Is World War III imminent? 

The answer to the first question is unquestionably "YES."

The Winter Olympics may be the last thing standing in the
way of Vladimir Putin's well-chronicled imperial ambitions.

The answer to the second question is: We do not presently know for sure. If I were a betting man, I'd wager good money that Putin will not pull the trigger on any kind of major invasion or minor incursion into Ukraine until after the close of the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Any action against Ukraine before the closing ceremonies of the XXIV Olympiad would upstage Putin's ally, Xi, something that is not in either of the rulers' interest. Chances are, however, that Putin will give the order for his troops to move relatively soon after that.

Although I'm sincerely hopeful Putin will choose to pull back his troops and abandon his imperial aims and designs, history suggests that such an abandonment is unlikely. 

The answer to the third question is: hopefully not! 

Nevertheless, the threat of such a dire calamity remains, and citizens of nations everywhere should recognize the growing threat inherent in events transpiring along the frontiers of Eastern Europe and the shores of Southeast Asia.

Initially speaking, a Russian invasion of Ukraine will no more bring about World War than Germany's invasion of Poland. After all, it took 21 additional months before Germany invaded the Soviet Union, and 27 more months before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, turning a bi-regional conflict into a full-fledged, multi-fronted world war. Broader conflicts do not materialize overnight. They develop incrementally over time. That is why NOW is the time for Western Leaders everywhere to take clear, strong, wise, and united actions aimed at preventing present events from entering the slippery slope that leads treacherously and inevitably toward global conflict.  

There are different opinions about what Vladimir Putin will decide to do. Some say his troop buildups are a bluff intended to obtain leverage and other gains without having to invoke military action. Hopefully, such voices are right. Unfortunately, history is scant when it comes to stories of massive troop-buildups that all-of-a-sudden pull back and disregard their well-laid out dreams, plans, and hopes of conquest.

On the other hand, history is replete with examples of the foolhardiness of attempting to appease bullies without invoking clear and strong RED LINES and then inviolably defending them.

Perhaps the most famous historical example of appeasement involved Great Britain's Neville Chamberlain signing the infamous "Munich Agreement" with Hitler in 1938. Chamberlain flew back to Great Britain with the signed treaty and a smile, claiming he had secured "Peace for our Time." In reality, he merely handed over Czechoslovakia to Hitler while emboldening him to accelerate Nazi imperial ambitions by turning them towards the West, imperiling France... and then endangering Great Britain itself. 

Neville Chamberlain (forefront/center) with Adolf Hitler (far left).

After Chamberlain's return to England, Winston Churchill famously scolded him by saying: "You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will have war." 

Churchill was right.

Chamberlain's appeasement strategy was well-intentioned—Europeans were understandably loathe to incite a fight after enduring the horrors of the Great War just one generation earlier. Nevertheless, history has judged Chamberlain dishonorably and war indeed came to Europe... in a fashion twice as devastating as the previous world war he trying to avoid replicating.  

For this—and other historical instances like it—Freedom Focused recalls Winston Churchill's warnings of the 1930s and ECHO'S them clearly and distinctly to all Western Leaders in the 2020s. Appeasing Putin and Xi will only further imperil the very PEACE you are trying to protect.

This geopolitical caveat is not complicated. It is something even kindergartners must learn on the playground: if you don't stand up to bullies, bullies feel empowered to continue (and extend) their bullying.

That's just the way things are in this war-weary world of wayfaring woe.   

I learned this lesson myself in middle school, and my life forever took an empowered trajectory toward greater confidence and peace because I chose to stand up to my bully. Fortunately, I was able to solve things diplomatically (through my parents and school administrators). Obviously, diplomatic solutions should always be exhausted before resorting to brute force. But, if a bully will not respond to any other stimulus, force is (sadly) necessary to terminate the bullying and ensure the peace moving forward.  

Last Friday signaled the beginning of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Sadly, the global harmony that has often marked Olympic Games in the past seems like a distant memory, as these games have been badly stained and soured not only by Russia's aggressive behavior against Ukraine, but also by a variety of human right's abuses coming out of mainland China; and that is to say nothing of the CCP's (China's Communist Party) ongoing military buildup in the South China Sea and the looming threat of a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan. Highlighting these ominous events was China's Xi Xinping and Russian's Vladimir Putin's much publicized meeting the day of the Opening Ceremonies, aimed at further solidifying their own alliance while amping up their united rhetoric against the West.

Make no mistake, Putin and Xi have their eyes and hearts set on commandeering their weaker neighbors just as surely as Adolf Hitler and Emporor Hirohito had their eyes and hearts set on Europe and Southeast Asia in the 1930s. Both are driven by historical legacies that affirm global hegemony for both the Russian and Chinese nations and peoples. After all, what did Vladimir Putin label "the worst geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th Century"? Answer: the Fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Ever since that famous fall from power, Putin's every thought, word, and action has been channeled toward one, focused objective: right that perceived wrong by re-establishing the lost legacy of Soviet dominance in the East—and beyond.  

It is worth noting—and vital to remember—that the calamities of 1914 and 1939 did not begin in 1914 and 1939. The Great War's roots stemmed back nearly half-a century to France's defeat in the Franco Prussian War in 1870-71, and Germany's subsequent unification, advancement, and armament.

Nazi flag flies over Paris in 1940

Likewise, long before Adolf Hitler had any power or influence in Germany, the seeds of World War II were planted the moment the Armistice was signed on November 11, 1918—in French General Ferdinand Foch's personal railway car. Less than 22 years later, Adolf Hitler would receive the surrendering French leaders in the exact same railway car following the fall of Paris to the Nazis. It was the perfect revenge for the former German Corporal who felt "stabbed in the back" by his own nation's leaders and was rancorously bitter about Germany's defeat in World War I. 

The roots of the current crisis go back to China's humiliation by Japan in World War II, and more recently, to the fall of the Soviet Union and the dismemberment of its 15 satellite nations, of which Ukraine is one, in the early 1990s.  

Anyone who follows geopolitics knows that China—and to a lesser extent, Russia—has been modernizing and strengthening their military for many years now (much like Germany in the final quarter of the nineteenth century and then Japan and Germany [again] throughout the 1930s). Moreover, Putin's incursions into Georgia and his outright annexation of Crimea in the last decade remain a fresh memory in the minds of the geopolitically-informed. 

As much as virtually everyone throughout Western Civilization would like to avoid another global military crisis on par with the First and Second World Wars, the indelible pages of history paint an ominous picture of unfolding events, which are so strikingly portentous of crises to come. 

In the SAL Textbook, I touch briefly on a subject known as the "Crisis of 2020," which is a term employed by generational scholars William Strauss and Neil Howe* to describe an impeding worldwide calamity that they predicted (back in the early 1990s) will occur in years surrounding the year 2020.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke in March of 2020, it seemed evident that we now knew just what the "Crisis of 2020" would entail. But... is it possible the pandemic is really just a relatively mild precursor (a warm-up or opener of sorts) to the main act, which is still yet to play out in coming years as the buildup of Chinese and Russian power and aggression finally comes to a head?

We don't know the answer to this question... yet.

Like the original 13 Colonies in their fight against the British in the
18th Century, Western Nations must ally themselves together in the
fight against Communism & Tyranny in the 21st Century.

But this much we do know: if Western Civilization—and the principles and values of democracy it claims to cherish and champion—is to prevail in the face of this newest threat to individual liberty, personal freedom, and government of the people, by the people, and for the people,* then we better be prepared to abandon the divisiveness that has so cancerously cankered our politics in recent decades. We do not know for certain what the future will bring. But this much we do know: when confronted by any serious foe, be it internal or external, we must, in the words of Benjamin Franklin: all hang together, or many of us will undoubtedly hang separately.  

In 1860, a political outsider and prairie lawyer named Abraham Lincoln became his party's unlikely nominee and victor of the U.S. Presidency after building his campaign on the universal principle and premise that, "A House divided against itself cannot stand." Lincoln was right then, and his rightness (and righteousness) steered our nation through our greatest crisis, maintained our Union, and brought liberty to the captive souls of four million enslaved persons. We would do well now to embrace the same aphorism—which originates in none other than The Good Book—as a panacea to the divisions that have so deeply fractured our nation.  

Click HERE to buy a copy of Generations

According to Strauss and Howe:

"We project ... the Crisis of 2020 [will last] ... from 2020 to 2029. ... [It] will be a major turning point in American history and an adrenaline-filled moment of trial. At its climax, Americans will feel that the fate of posterity—for generations to come—hangs in the balance. ... Sacrifices will be asked, and given. America will be implacably resolved to do what needs doing, and fix what needs fixing." (1)

Why is it that Freedom Focused, and by extension, I personally, take so much interest in this subject known as the Crisis of 2020? 

Part of the reason stems from my personal passion for history, current events, and leadership. And part of the reason stems from the fact that I personally was born at the crossroads of two generations (GenX & Millennial) that Strauss and Howe predict will play consequential—and even pivotal—roles in the Crisis of 2020. 

On the one hand, I am one of the youngest members of Generation X (or 13ers, as Strauss and Howe refer to those born between 1961 and1981). According to Strauss and Howe, my generation "will see, and evaluate, the Crisis of 2020 with the sharpest eye of all living generations. [Moreover], by lifecycle position and peer personality, they will have the most capacity for maneuver and can be expected to produce the Crisis era's most colorful leaders and stigmatized traitors—reminiscent of... [Civil War] commanders ... [and] the managers of D-Day ... as well as isolationists and fascists." (2)

On the other hand, I am married to a Millennial (born 1982-2000), and am almost young enough to qualify as one of the eldest Millennials myself. Like the G.I. soldiers of World War II, the Millennial generation will serve as the primary generation combatting whatever horrific realities arise from the Crisis of 2020. Put the two together and those born in the late 1970s or early 1980s are—for better or for worse—destined to play prominent roles in the ensuing drama.

In addition, the Baby Boom generation (born 1943-1960) will assist Generation X as leaders, coaches, mentors, and other vital role-players throughout the crisis. Strauss and Howe underscore the unique contribution that Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers (13-ers) are destined to make, and provide counsel to both generations, as follows:

The West needs LEADERS like Washington & Lincoln for Crises ahead.

"Two generations have especially important roles in the drama ahead ... [as] the vortex of history is inexorably moving toward the Boom and 13th [GenX]. No less is riding on them than once rode on Franklin and Washington, Lincoln and Grant, or Roosevelt and Eisenhower. [In order to meet the challenges of this crisis] Americans must rely on aging Boomers to build a very unyuppielike ethic of community responsibility and principled self-sacrifice. Where[as] their G.I. parents were heroes young, history warns Boomers to expect their greatest test in old age. Similarly, future generations are counting on 13ers [GenX-ers] to graduate from Liar's Poker and mellow into midlife cautionaries, guardians of family life, and protectors against ... excess. ... Just as we are all heirs to ancestors we mostly admire, so too are we all ancestors to heirs whose admiration we should wish to earn ... [a reminder] of our sacred obligation to act as kindly toward the future as ancestral generations once did toward us." (3)

While Strauss and Howe acknowledge the reality that "any crisis with a bad ending could bring unprecedented tragedy" (4) they are ultimately optimistic about Western Civilization's capacity to triumph over whatever crucibles lie ahead. Freedom Focused concurs with this optimistic outlook.

Why?

Because we believe that in the end, goodness, rightness, and TRUTH—in which collective liberty, personal freedom, and existential growth are rooted—always win. Nevertheless, we shudder to think of the individual and collective prices that may have to be paid to claim the ultimate victory for posterity. 

Freedom & Democracy vs. Tyranny & Communism  

Make no mistake: What happens in coming days, months, and years in Ukraine and Taiwan—and beyond—will reverberate around the world for years and even decades to come. And regardless what shape and scope the fight ends up taking, it will pit tyranny against LIBERTY and dictatorships against DEMOCRACIES.

Let it be known here and now, far and wide, that Freedom Focused stands immovably, unshakably, and inviolably in solidarity with democracy and against all forms of tyranny.

As our name suggests, we are eternal supporters of LIBERTY & FREEDOM and forever pursuers of TRUTH... and if necessary, we will defend all three to the death.  

Freedom Focused holds no grudge against, nor do we bear any ill will towards, the Chinese and Russian people (or any of their allies' citizens). Indeed, we believe that most Russians and Chinese individuals are intelligent, industrious, and productive peoples who want to do the right thing. 

However, we stand definitively and unequivocally against any and all imperialistic policy aims fueled by the aggression of their misguided and power-hungry leaders.

We further oppose the communistic and dictatorial forms of government that grant such unbridled authority and power to the few or the one. While we will always remain non-partisan in our message and approach, we will never demure from our strong stance in support of democratic-republicanism and its ideological embrace of collective liberties, personal freedoms, and the supporting TRUTHS rooted in Universal Law that uphold them.    

Freedom Focused stands FOR liberty, freedom, truth, and democracy.

May God Bless the United States of America—and all of Western Civilization in this fight against totalitarianism, tyranny, and aggression, and for liberty, freedom, and truth.

May God further bless Freedom Focused to stand as a beacon of strength upon the defensive watchtower of righteousness and truth for however long said conflict(s) may last.

Lastly, may God bless each one of us to stand up for, speak out in support of, and defend unto the death those principles of Liberty, Freedom, and TRUTH upon which we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.   

—Dr. JJ

February 9, 2022

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

Author's Note: This is the 251st Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013. 

Click HERE for a compete listing of the other 250 FF Blog Articles.  

.........................

Tune in NEXT Wednesday for another article on a Self-Action Leadership related topic.  

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Notes:

* Final phrase of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

1. Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069. New York, NY: Perennial. Page 382. 

2). Ibid. Page 415.

3). Ibid. Page 427.

4). Ibid. Page 426.

A Portrait of a Fully Flourished Age of Authenticism

When the Age of Authenticism has fully flourished—sometime in between the years 2035 and 2045, what will America and the world look like?

The purpose of this article is to answer this question with specifics.

First of all, it should be noted that an Age of Authenticism in this world will not translate into human perfection or a global utopia.  In the margins, vestiges of pre-structuralism and postmodernism will always persist to perpetuate predictable problems.  Just as corruption, greed, and inequality created and tarnished the gilded age following the Civil War and profound racial prejudice persisted during the prosperous years following World War II, the authentic era following Strauss and Howe's "Crisis of 2020" will not be without its problems. [1]

Click HERE, HERE or HERE to learn more about the "Crisis of 2020"

At Freedom Focused, we foresee a day when the status quo of the collective populace is markedly different—meaning greatly improved—from where we presently stand.  This shift will not begin in society at large; it will begin in the minds, hearts, and spirits of individuals who choose to become self-action leaders by patterning their thoughts, speech, and actions after the ideals of Self-Action Leadership.

The result of this authentic flourishing will bring about monumentally positive and creative impacts on the culture-at-large in the Western World and beyond.

Education will drive the Age of Authenticism

Driven by the principle of Existential Growth (holistic personal and professional character and skill development) championed in the Self-Action Leadership Theory and Model, the Age of Authenticism will forge a dramatic shift in American culture in coming decades.  Spurred by the "Crisis of 2020" and illuminated by hope spawned by an education in Self-Action Leadership and a desire to prevent a World War 4 from ever occurring, the cultural malaise of the postmodern period—marked by narcissism, hedonism, nihilism and secular godlessness—will give way to a new era highlighted by selflessness, sacrifice, existential meaning, and religious faith.

An Authentic Age
will produce a Rich Age

Such a dramatic shift will be bad news for academic, political, commercial, artistic, and other cultural icons and their minions who grew rich and powerful during the materialistic postmodern period.  This shift will be good news for authentic educators and citizens who recognize and affirm the existence of absolute Truths with a capital "T."

Driven by a shifts in education, the world will begin to rebound both culturally and economically.  While poverty will never be diminished entirely, it will begin to give way to a large degree to a worldwide expansion of the middle class.  In addition, the upper classes will grow larger and more diverse than ever before in human history.  Income inequality will still exist, but it will simultaneously become less salient—and ironically, less demonized.

Old age will be venerated in the
Age of Authenticism

The narcissistic worship of youth in the West will give way to an Eastern-esque veneration of the elder class.  The cultural respect and attention gap that presently exists between grown adults (and even senior citizens) who are educated, successful, and good—and snobbish, narcissistic teenagers and yuppies who are talented singers, dancers, artists, business persons, pundits, or athletes—will begin to narrow.  While the number of YouTube "clicks" any ignoramus can generate will always exert some cultural sway, purveyors of flotsam and jetsam (virtual or otherwise) will become increasingly marginalized.





Education will be driven by the newly sacrosanct (even if secular) notion that truth with a capital "T" is a real phenomenon to be carefully accessed and abided by if you desire positive and constructive consequences in the long run.  Academicians who peddled the rubbish of relativity with regards to truth—who were widely venerated during the postmodern period—will appear as self-absorbed buffoons in kinder corners of the Age of Authenticism, and as devilish pariahs to be forever castigated among the authentic balance of society.

America's Greatness lies in
her adherence toTrue Principles of
Liberty, Freedom, Morality
& Self-Government

With a focus on Truth, teachers and students alike will seek not so much to earn (or learn) something from their studies, but rather to become something better than they were before in an effort to become worthy citizens who are a genuine asset to whatever collective populace they represent.  As a result, multitudes of individuals will enter the work force with a collective character and integrity unseen since the World War II generation went to work in the late 1940s.  The result will be an economic and cultural boom that in many ways parallels, but that ultimately exceeds, that which took place in 1950s and 1990s America.
 
Business will thrive as never before because executives will be less corrupt and more philanthropic.  Moreover, these same officers will hire and train a workforce and leadership team that is impressive not only in intellect, but in integrity.

Government & Politics will, for a period of time, be greatly transformed.  The questions of competence and/or character that plagued the Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama administrations will be replaced by the leadership and results of the Roosevelt (Theodore & Franklin), Kennedy, and Reagan years.  Congress will manage to restore its approval rating to an unimagined 50% or better.  The Supreme Court will legislate less and judge more.  

Law Enforcement will be more respected than it has in a cycle of generations.  At the same time, peace officers will have more respect for those they serve than ever in the history of the nation.  Many inner city areas will be transformed into prosperous, bustling urban neighborhoods.  Suburban areas will become increasingly diverse, not because government has legislated that it must be so, but because more minorities will have risen in life by virtue of improved public education which will further magnify their impressive talents, and abilities in proportion to the efforts they invest.  More suburbanites and rural dwellers will be open minded to living side-by-side a wider range of races and ethnicities.  

Personal finance will be transformed.  Individual debt will be minimized to an extent that many in the previous generation believed possible.  Most people will free themselves from debt and many will have a growing savings.  Frugality and balance will replace fiscal profligacy and excess at individual, familial, community, corporate, state, and national levels.

Transportation will achieve a quality never before seen in world history.  Airlines will be more efficient and more comfortable while maintaining middle class affordability.  Bullet trains and futuristic hyperloops will effectively compete with air transporters.  Ground transportation will be safer and more affordable than ever.  Less and less oil will be needed to power all of the above.

Religion will proliferate as it has rarely done in American History.  Many different dominations will benefit from an influx of church goers, and most will unite in a sincere embrace of faith-based collectivity aimed at the greater good of the nation and world—aside from any specific doctrinal differences.  

Environmental Issues will be front and center and progressive, but less extreme and divisive as they were in the latter-half of the postmodern period.  I do not presume to predict what will occur with global warming trends, although I feel confident that developed nations will continue to make environmental progress while successfully applying pressure by degrees to developing nations who still have a long ways to go.

The traditional family as
the root of society in the Age of Authenticism

The family, having grown more diverse than ever before in human history, will maintain its diversity and rights in both the mainstream and the fringes.  Different families will respect each other and practice greater tolerance even as the notion of the traditional family—consisting of a mother and father (who are legally wed and conjugally faithful) and their children—receives greater approbation than it ever did in the second half of the postmodern period.  This will come as a result of a collective return to faith as well as an overwhelming body of social science research that corroborates the nomologically self-evident and scientifically indisputable individual and societal benefits arising from nuclear families thusly arranged.

America is destined to
continue world leader

In short, during the Age of Authenticism (2025-2045) the United States and world will, in many regards, be better, safer, and more pleasant and prosperous places to live than they ever have been in the history of the world.  Having successfully met and overcome the dire challenges posed by the "Crisis of 2020," the United States will retain its position as the lone world superpower.  Having built its military into the largest and most powerful fighting force the world has ever seen (even to surpass the U.S. force extant in 1945) and been victorious in the mighty struggle, the postwar "Powers-that-be" will once again embrace the paradigm of Hadrian, Washington, Kennedy, and Reagan, which affirms that, "only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed."  [2]

As goes America, so goes the world

Despite the rise of China, India, Brazil, and other nations, the 21st Century will turn out to be a new American Century led by a United States that embraces the economic, political, social, and cultural rise of all other nations.  The United States will never seek to dominate by force or coercion; but she will always embrace her calling to lead by the veracity of her collective principles and the moral force of her kind and compassionate leadership.  As such, every other nation willing to embrace constitutional principles of free government, the rule of law, and the liberty of the individual, will likewise rise and eventually prosper.

It will be, in short, an age for the ages — the greatest age the world has ever seen.

Unfortunately, the Age of Authenticism will not last forever.  As the cycles of history continue their march into the future, dire times will circle round once again in decades beyond the 2040s.  I do not presume to predict past the point of progress and authenticity described in this article beyond my personal conviction that at some unknown point in the future, He who created this world in the first place, and He whom I believe has atoned it from an otherwise inevitable ruin, will, with the scepter of righteousness and the crown of eternal glory and godhood, eventually return again in an unprecedented display of both majesty and ubiquity—to take His rightful place on the Earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  I do not presume to know a period or date when such a glorious event will occur, nor do I believe any man save God Himself has any specific knowledge of such things.  Nevertheless, I am a man firmly rooted in the faith and cause of the Christians (generally speaking).  As such, I firmly believe that it will occur.  As for what will occur from this point in time on until the end of the world, I can only point you to the prophecies of the Holy Prophets in the Old and New Testaments and other Sacred Writ.

Whether you are a believer or not, and whether you are a Christian or not, I invite men and women everywhere to invest the study, effort, and time required to become the principle-centered self-action leaders who will both lead and prosper during this period of authenticity.  You can begin by buying my new book — a secular TEXTBOOK  FOR  LIVING —which I wrote in an effort to unite all liberty loving, freedom seeking, and law abiding citizens who are determined to do their part to make the world a better place by virtue of their presence therein.

God Bless the United States of America—a blessed land of promise—now, and always.

Click HERE to buy a copy of Dr. Jordan Jensen's new book, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom.

SELF-ACTION LEADERSHIP is the key catalyst for initiating transformational leadership that lasts in any organization. The truth of the matter really is that simple; and the transformation of organizations through the holistic development of individuals really is that difficult—yet altogether possible for anyone willing to invest the time, effort, and sacrifice required to achieve authentic, transformational results.

Unlike any training program that has ever preceded it, Self-Action Leadership provides a single vehicle wherewith individual self-leaders can discover—and then act—upon the great truth that HOLISTIC personal development and growth spanning the mental, moral, spiritual, physical, emotional, and social elements of our individual natures is within the grasp of each one of us.

Note: Freedom Focused is a non-partisan, for-profit, educational corporation. As such, we do not endorse or embrace political figures. We do, however, comment from time-to-time on historical or political events that provide pedagogical backdrops to illuminating principles contained in the SAL Theory & Model.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAL Theory & Model.


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Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jensen's book, Self-Action Leadership, and to review what experts in the leadership field are saying about this groundbreaking new personal development handbook.


Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Jordan R. Jensen.

Click HERE to visit the Freedom Focused website.

Notes:

1.  Strauss, W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584-2069.   Quill: New York, NY. Page 382. (p. 382).
2. John F. Kennedy.  1960 inaugural address.  

What are We Going to Do With the Troubled Millennial Generation?

Capable, yet troubled Millennials
& their Postmodern Professors

The recent wave of anti-free speech rhetoric and anti-authority anarchy and bullying exhibited by college students around the country has many rationally minded citizens wondering, "Has the Millennial Generation gone mad?"

 Or does the blame really belong to the multitude of pedagogical shepherds (professors) who have infected their flock with a viciously vitriolic diet consisting largely of anti-American professorial pap for far too long?

Freedom Focused holds that the teachers, not the students, are where most of the blame belongs, and the solution will likewise begin with educators. In the meantime, and on a side note, isn't it ironic how the millennial fold has begun to turn on the same intellectual hands that have been feeding their minds full of the very ideology with which their protege's are, in turn, presently condemning them with? It never ceases to amaze me how individuals and organizations really do reap what they sow in the long run.

The good news is that the game is not yet over for Millennials. Despite being labeled (and sometimes appropriately so) as a generation full of overly entitled, technology-addicted, excessively PC, whiny little brats, I hold out great hope for this generation -- the largest, and most diverse and dynamic in American history.

Millennials are an entitled generation filled with
individuals who can be as ignorant as they are intelligent.

It is true that these young people have collectively been unduly mollycoddled by parents, teachers, coaches, and professors who have raised up a generation that often believes they are too special to fail, too smart to take advice from their elders, too preeminent to take direction or accept discipline from authority figures, and too sophisticated to respect anyone from American history who was not marginalized or underprivileged. Indeed, every Millennial would do well to listen to David McCullough Jr.'s famous speech, You are Not Special. (Click HERE to watch McCullough's speech).

Despite the many real and perceived ills of the Millennial Generation, I remain optimistic about their future.  Indeed, I share in the sunny outlook of generational scholars William Strauss and Neil Howe, who have written extensively on the Millennial Generation and their potential for limiting their liabilities and shoring up their strengths in preparation for the national and international crucibles that they and we as a nation will face in the future.

 

Troubled Times likely lie ahead
for the Millennial Generation

Millennials presently have an ever-increasingly challenging world to navigate -- and it's likely to get a lot more dangerous and complex before it gets simpler and safer. According to Strauss and Howe, world history travels in predictable cycles, with the next great challenge, dubbed "The Crisis of 2020," right around the corner. This impending disaster will not be a minor national incident or difficulty, but an international calamity on part with the Great Depression and the two World Wars of the last century.

The good news is that Strauss and Howe (and I) are actually optimistic about how the Millennial generation will navigate this calamity -- so much so that they have written several books on the subject, including: Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation and Millennials: A Profile of the Next Great Generation (Click on red links above to view/buy books).   

While ALL generations will play a vital role in successfully maneuvering this global trial, the Millennial Generation will primarily provide the foot soldiers (literally and figuratively) that will, like the Greatest Generation, ultimately win the conflict. In Strauss and Howe's words, this coming crisis:

Will be a major turning point in American history and an adrenaline-filled moment of trial. At its climax, Americans will feel that the fate of posterity—for generations to come—hangs in the balance. This crisis will be a pivotal moment in the lifecycles of all generations alive at the time. The sense of community will be omnipresent. Moral order will be unquestioned with “rights” and “wrongs” crisply defined and obeyed. Sacrifices will be asked, and given. America will be implacably resolved to do what needs doing, and fix what needs fixing (From Strauss W. & Howe, N. (1991). Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584-2069. New York, NY: Quill [William Morrow]. Page 382.)

How will this often troubled, yet potential-laden generation rise to the occasion of successfully meeting and defeating their (and our) destined challenges? The answer is through education, or in the case of many, re-education.

The Ultimate Handbook for
Reorienting the poisoned education
of Millennials in the United States

The good news is that the handbook for turning the tide of postmodern pedagogy and revisionist history into an authentic curriculum borne of Kantian Universal Laws and patriotic truth-telling has NOW been written.  It is called, Self-Action Leadership: The Key to Personal, Professional, & Global Freedom -- a comprehensive personal leadership guide for civic leaders, businesses, schools, families, individuals, and YES -- Millennials!

Self-Action Leadership emphasizes the following Pedagogical Points in an effort to reorient the misguided education that has poisoned the minds of so many Millennials and others, leading them to believe America is the problem, rather than the solution, in the world:

• America, albeit not perfect, is still the most Magnanimous, Noble, and Exceptional Nation on Earth.
• The primary solution to all micro and macro problems reside inside the minds and hearts of individuals, not outside in organizational entities.
• Organizations, entities, and nations-at-large are not changed from the outside-in, but from the inside-out.
• It is high-time that ALL individuals begin taking JFK's advice to ask what they can do for their Country, instead of the other way around.  
• Universal Laws exists and govern the natural consequences of all individual and organizational decisions.
• Long-term solutions to problems do not originate in blaming others for what happened in the past; they are found in proactive personal changes made in the present and future.
• A real right (good) and real wrong (evil) exist in the world; truth is therefore not relative, but absolute, and is governed by Universal Laws of physics and metaphysics.
• A clarion call for an Age of Authenticism to eclipse the pernicious, perjurious, and prurient period of postmodernism that has dominated Western culture since the end of World War II.  

Self-Action Leadership uniquely provides a "Metaphysical Theory of Everything" that serves as a comprehensive guide to one's own self-leadership -- a subject sorely lacking throughout our troubled nation and world, and perhaps especially among Millennials and many of their misguided professors.

The SAL Theory & Model represent the most original and robust training material to hit the market since Dr. Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Read what the experts are saying about Self-Action Leadership.

According to one career educator...

"Reading this book may be the most important thing you do this year. It's presence in the literature is a service to our Country."

~ David G. Anthony, Ed.D.
CEO, Raise Your Hand Texas


According to a career Air Force officer and pilot, who served as a POW in the infamous Hanoi Hilton for five excruciating years:

“In Self Action Leadership, Jordan Jensen has assembled a leadership masterpiece anchored steadfastly in true principles of philosophy and human behavior. In wonderfully written prose, Jordan reminds us of who we are and what it takes to live and lead with honor. Moreover, he challenges us to live up to the high calling of being human beings with a special mission on this Earth. To accomplish our mission, we must do two major things: grow in our sense of personal responsibility, and in turn, care for others and help them to do the same. I grappled with these two areas in a primal way during more than five years as a POW in Vietnam. Now I’m thrilled to see how Jordan has laid out SAL by using the vehicle of story to illuminate his own, unique journey of transcending adversity. In so doing, he has inspired us all to become who we are capable of becoming. Bravo!”

~ Colonel Lee Ellis (retired)  CEO of Leadership Freedom and FreedomStar Media, and author of Leading With Honor

And according to a career academic, and the Father of the self-leadership field in the Academe:

“There is no more important contributor to your own effectiveness than how you lead yourself. If you want to learn a great deal about the latest thinking on self- leadership, read this book.”

~ Charles C. Manz, Ph.D.
Nirenberg Professor of Leadership, The University of Massachussetts

Click HERE to buy Self-Action Leadership today. There could be no better Christmas gift for the Millennials you know and care about -- as well as anyone (educator or otherwise) who is interested in helping oneself improve while assisting the Millennial generation live up to its billing and calling.

Dr. Jordan R. Jensen

As someone who is nearly part of the generation myself (I missed the cut by a year or two), and who is married to a Millennial, I care deeply about this generation, but am troubled by many of the negative trends and misguided subcultures that have arisen within this paradoxical generation.

 Rather than sit idly by and watch these disturbing movements continue unabated, I resolved over a decade ago to dedicate my career to helping this -- and ALL generations -- become all they were capable of by focusing their attention inward toward their own self-management and leadership, instead of outward toward other people, entities, and past grievances (real or perceived).  

The time has come for each of us to purify the inner vessel inside ourselves so that we might, in the words of Winston Churchill, "Arm [ourselves] and be ... men [and women] of valour, and be in readiness for the conflict," which is certain to come in coming months and years.  

About the Author: Dr. Jordan Jensen is the founder and CEO of Freedom Focused. He was born at the tail end of Generation X.  He holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature and a Doctoral Degree in Education.  His wife, Lina, is a highly intelligent Millennial who graduated from The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  She works for a Fortune 100 energy company in the Houston, Texas area, where the couple reside with their two children.


Click HERE to read more about Dr. Jordan Jensen and Freedom Focused