The Opening Statement

A Discussion of Life, God, and Our Natural Order

Introduction

In over seventy years of life, I would not need my thumbs to count the number of meaningful, detailed conversations I’ve had with anyone about God or the meaning of life in general. This excludes my wife, who, after thirty years of marriage, can recite chapter and verse of the Gospel According to Dave on a variety of subjects.

It’s not that I haven’t associated with spiritual people; I simply became a master at changing the subject and quietly exiting any conversation that might lead to the disclosure that I knew nothing worth repeating—or worse, that what I did believe might be in direct conflict with the beliefs of others.

I found my belief system in much the same way Jed Clampett discovered oil. You may need to Google this reference to see the connection. I was as much a theologian or biblical scholar as Jed was an accredited geologist.

Faith found me, but not all at once, and not in a way that immediately made sense. It began as instinctive curiosity, followed by a series of life-changing revelations that spanned over forty years.

This will be my opening statement in a discussion primarily written for my family and close friends, with whom, to this point, I have kept this project largely hidden. As a part of my value system, I felt that I did not have the right to interfere with the faith or beliefs of others. A recent event, that I will describe later, inspired me to at least put it to paper. This discussion is open to anyone who wishes to contribute or may share an interest.

Before I begin, it is important to stipulate that there are elements of my belief system that fall outside most traditional religious doctrines. However, I believe that most of the revelations and concepts that I will be presenting will align with and provide validation to most faiths that consider each of us as equals and recognize the value of serving others. This would include those who seek a moral life but do not currently believe in a higher power or God.

Through the course of this discussion, I intend to show how the entire universe, including human life, is interconnected and bound by patterns and laws that govern its behavior. I will also assert that these patterns are not random, but compelling evidence of the wisdom of its Creator.

I further intend to provide validation for each concept and principle presented along with how it fits into the global framework of my belief system. I will not be using “because I said,” “he said,” or “because it was written” as validation. I will also encourage you to validate these principles yourself against your own life experiences. Finally, my findings will be simple enough for a child to understand.

The goal was to make this opening statement as brief as possible. Each topic discussed deserves more space than afforded here. These, along with future topics, can be expanded as the discussion continues.

Bio

As alluded to earlier, I’ve had no formal theological education. My life’s work, however, was in training, developing, and managing people. My career as a people manager began at the age of nineteen, managing a fast-paced headquarters office while serving in the Marine Corps. That initial team of twenty people grew to several thousand as I later managed a chain of over three hundred retail outlets.

What I learned from fifty years in management is that regardless of your business, it is always a people business. We are challenged with achieving extraordinary results from ordinary people. Assembling and inspiring a team to achieve business objectives through serving customers requires an equal focus on inspiring and assisting each individual on the team in achieving their own personal objectives as well.

Through trial, error, and sometimes dumb luck, we learn what works—and, just as important, what to never try again.

Success in business requires being a humble servant that makes happy-faces appear on everyone in your orbit—customers, employees, suppliers, stockholders…

As it turns out, these same principles are like “magic dust” in every area of life.