“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)
Growing Dominion, Part 50
Now if you get more of what you subsidize, and less of what you penalize, then what follows from this? In our egalitarian age, one of the favorite responses to any intrusions of reality is to revolt against them. In this thinking, the way God made the world is something that we can opt out of. In this instance, people simply deny that they are rewarding or penalizing anything. That is not “their philosophy.”
So, for example, they refuse to dock certain employees for poor performance. They believe in “encouragement.” But what this does is actively discourage the industrious and self-motivated employees. The employer does not what is going on because he has denied that this could possibly be the way the world functions. Then, when the good employee finally quits, exasperated, the employer wonders what got into him.
If we are in a position of authority in business at all, we have no choice. We will reward and bless on the one hand, and chastise on the other. If we are wise and obedient, we will bless those who are wise. If we are fools, we will bless the fools. But we have no option of opting out. And, as it has been wisely said, not to decide is to decide.