A PHILOSOPHY OF SELF IMPROVEMENT

Since I am in this volume sharing ideas in reference to my own philosophy or world view, I want to tell you some things about one of my most admired friends, Leonard Read, founder of the Foundation for Economic Education, who died only this year at the grand old age of 85. He spent most of those years in search of ideas, truths to live by, and he was a master teacher of those ideas, even though he insisted that none of them was original with him.

Basic to Leonard’s philosophy was that we change our world by changing ourselves. He never tried to reform others, only himself. Continual self improvement was his rule, and he never stopped learning. He lived an exuberant life, mainly because he lived in a world of ideas, ideas that enriched and improved his life. He once said something to the effect that he would give a thousand dollars for a good idea, for a good idea is worth far more than dollars. But to Leonard it all added up to self-improvement, for to him this was the secret of the good life.

He was suspicious of “causes” or “campaigns” against this or that system of error. He did not seem to be anti anything. He insisted that we best oppose darkness by being the light of the world. Darkness is but the absence of light, he insisted, and we do not have to be specialists against any system of error, but only to let our light shine. He had this electric candle that would burn at various levels of intensity. Darkening the room to the degree that we could not even see each other, he would turn the candle to a bare flicker, which provided enough light for us to see dimly. Light drives away the darkness, he would exuberate, as he turned up the candle until the room was bathed in light.

One important lesson Leonard impressed upon me was that those who struggle for truth do not have a numbers problem, just as the merchants of error do not have to have a majority. It is the committed few that make a difference, whether for weal or woe. It is a disturbing fact that the Communist party that took over Russia was smaller than the Communist party now is in the United States. Leonard is a good example of what just one man with the right ideas can do, along with “the will to prevail,” another of his themes.

While Leonard was an economist and not a theologian, his writings are rich in biblical truths, one being his reliance on a “turn the other cheek” attitude toward distractors. He liked to tell the story of the California gentleman who wrote him a vicious letter after reading one of his pieces. Leonard responded with his usual “treatment,” a gracious letter. This led to a lasting friendship. Years later Leonard reminded his friend of that first letter and asked, “If I had responded in like kind, would we now be friends?” The answer was obvious. He then placed an envelope against the windshield of the car, holding it there with his finger. “It is tension created by my finger that holds the envelope there,” he explained “so when I remove my finger the tension is released and the envelope falls.” So it is with harsh feelings; they fall when the tension is removed. The rule to follow in responding to your critics is to provide them nothing to scratch against. He was fond of the old Arab proverb, “He who strikes the second blow starts the fight.”

Many of us in the church have not yet learned what to Leonard Read, a much-criticized man, was a way of life: take no cognizance whatsoever of a person’s meanness. Nor should we be influenced by the praises of our friends!

And Leonard had his ideal morning prayer: “May I be graced with a thought for this day which, upon reflection, will upgrade my awareness, perception, consciousness.”

Believing as he did in economic freedom, Read taught that charity cannot be a matter of governmental coercion but of personal liberty, with each person determining the limits of his obligations. He had an amusing way of expressing this: “Because I take pity upon the poor bird that is injured by flying against my window does not mean that I am obligated to take care of every damned bird in the world!”

I am impressed with Leonard’s pithy, “The road is always better than the inn.” And he wrote essays on the blessings of adversity, observing that his most productive work was under the most adverse circumstances. While most of us are tempted to prefer the inn, Leonard would urge us to get back on the road and keep moving, especially when the going is rough.

One of his popular essays was “I the Pencil,” in which he noted that no one person has the know-how to produce the humble ten-cent pencil. In fact it took centuries of progress, with multitudes contributing to the depository of knowledge, to come up with such matter-of-fact items. And not only is the lowly pencil a miracle, but so is the free market that makes it possible for us to have such things for mere pennies.

Read has helped me as an editor to keep my ends and means in perspective. I have my goals in this publication, but Leonard has cautioned that goals cannot be pursued without regard to the means used to attain said goals. Indeed, if the goals are worthy, as we believe ours are, then the goals dictate the means, or the means are inherent in the quality of the goals.

If I plead for the unity of the church and for the acceptance of all believers as equals, I cannot use manipulative, coercive tactics. I cannot have an ax to grind or hobbies to ride, and certainly I cannot be on an ego trip. My labors must reflect the wisdom of the Chinese Christian who prayed, “Lord, reform your church, beginning with me!” I cannot be a know-it-all. Like Read and like Socrates, I must believe that the unexamined life is not worth living. A journal that is not self-critical and introspective is not worth publishing! I may have a quarrel with the modern church, but it is a lover’s quarrel, and I accept its problems as my own.

Leonard taught me one of the most important means of all: allow a work to live by its own merit. If it provides light in this dark world of ours,’ those who love light will rally to its support, without any coercive or manipulative measures.

This journal, along with its predecessor, is now almost a third of a century old, and it has never (except for the first few years when I did not know better!) asked for money. No board underwrites it and no church supports it. Still we depend on gifts to continue, but there is always enough. Like Leonard Read who insisted that his Foundation should never be on “easy street” and should always have to prove itself to those who would support it, I am quite willing for this journal to close down when it no longer merits support.

Nor does our cause depend upon gimmickry or placards or flag-waving or demonstrations. I believe in moral suasion, in principles and ideas, and in a fair, quiet teaching ministry. Jesus did not carry placards or lead demonstrations. He never imposed himself; the people came to him. “He opened his mouth and taught the people, saying. . ,” the record tells us. That’s not bad! And he taught us the means: “A sower went forth to sow.” That is my philosophy, as it was Leonard Read’s: to sow, sow, sow, and keep sowing. Renewal and harvest, beginning with oneself!

And it is very important to believe that God will provide the increase. --- the Editor