Transformation: Treat The System, Not Just The Symptom!

Well, it's finished!

I am referring to my post-graduate program in Bowen Family Systems Theory at Rutgers University.

I have yet to receive my actual clinical certificate, but the instructors affirmed on June 9th -- "well done, good and faithful student!'

Frankly, I learned a lot in this 10-month learning adventure, most predominately, that most problems in life are not solved by adopting a 'cause and effect' mindset -- but a systems mindset. [for a great introduction of Bowen Family System Theory, see: http://www.endowedparishes.org/download_file/view/1561/]

What's a systems mindset? In short: it's an outlook that affirms that life is fundamentally a series of many interlocking parts -- each affecting the other -- rather than one or two elements, events, people, circumstances -- operating in isolation from a whole.

A readily available example is our human form and frame. We are not just a nervous system -- but a nervous system -- connected to the: circulatory system, digestive/excretory system, endocrine system, integumentary/exocrine system, lymphatic/immune system; muscular system; nervous system; renal/urinary system; reproductive system; respiratory system; skeletal system. And all these physiological systems are not independent, but interdependent, all mutually-connected to the other.

And so, you might think a season of stress is just affecting your nervous system, but in reality, it is affecting every other system in your body as well. A popular maxim, often heard, says it well: "I might just think I'm anxious, but my body is keeping score!"

But our physiological system is only one of many systems in our lives. In fact, virtually every part of our life is connected to a system -- that requires us to work at addressing the whole -- and not just one, isolated part. Some examples follow:

Political Systems - Sure, we need to deal with wayward policies and officials. But the real problem -- is the political system -- that rewards politicians for 'playing the game,' e.g. majoring in self preservation, not courageous decisions. As Mark Stanford noted on Meet The Press on Sunday, "...the name of the game, is to stay in the game...' And you stay in the game, by taking the path of least resistance, in regards to the dominant 'power in charge.'

Church Systems - Sure, we need to address declining vitality, attendance and giving. But the real problem -- is the church system -- that focuses more on safety and familiar practices -- than an outward focus, and the wisdom of next generations. As Tod Bolsinger has stressed in his book, Canoeing the Mountains, quoting Darrell Guder, "if Western societies have become post-Christian mission fields [and they have!]...traditional churches [must change their approach] and become missionary churches..."

Social/Economic Systems -- Sure, we need to feed the hungry, provide shelter for the homeless, and give out medicine to the sick. But the real problem is -- the social/economic system -- that still does not provide equal access to door-opening, self-empowering strategies, but fosters a 'hand-out,' 'feel-good' means of distribution, and a dependent response. As Jeffery Sachs has observed, as a social/economic system: "...[we are] privately rich but socially poor. [We cater] to the pursuit of wealth but [pay] scant attention to those left behind..."

And so, overall, we need to call for systemic reform -- when encountering a problem. In other words -- address the immediate symptom (e.g., repair the illegible church sign) -- but simultaneously -- work at correcting the over-arching framework and system of things (e.g. explore a new organizational structure and approach for your congregation).

But beyond this macro direction, a few micro steps for moving forward in treating the system, and not just the symptom, especially on a personal level.

Prescription (Rx) #1 - Stop Just Numbing The Pain.

Sadly, a standard response to symptoms is to numb their pain. For example, rather than adopting a new system of exercise and eating to help us feel better physically, we just continue to have an extra-large serving of double-dutch chocolate ice-cream every night, to take the edge off of our displeasure.

But temporary, numbing measures are not God's best. Rather than anesthetizing our physical and emotional challenges, we are called to act on those challenges -- systematically -- comprehensively -- implementing a new regiment of over-arching mastery. In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul compares such action to the action marking an effective athlete:

“…Do you remember how, on a racing-track, every competitor runs, but only one wins the prize? … [Thus] every competitor...goes into serious training…[Like an athlete]…I am my body’s sternest master..." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Phillips).

The current craze, however, is not to take our body captive -- but to numb our body's pain through symptomatic relief. One of the most tragic expressions of this trend is the proliferation of pain-killers in our day, most prominently the rise of opioid use. As CNN has reported:

"...Experts say the United States is in the throes of an opioid epidemic, as more than two million Americans have become dependent on or abused prescription pain pills and street drugs...The number of opioid prescriptions dispensed by doctors steadily increased from 112 million prescriptions in 1992 to a peak of 282 million in 2012..." https://www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/health/opioid-crisis-fast-facts/index.html [and still over-prescribed, today].

Sure, not all of us numb pain through opioid use. But many of us use some pain-killer (e.g., food, alcohol, work, sex, shopping, etc.) to dull a symptom -- rather than -- dealing with the roots (e.g., systemic cause) of our discomfort and travail.

Prescription (Rx) #2 - See Yourself Connected, Not Isolated, From Other People.

Given the rise of an 'America First' emphasis, there's a mythology that somehow we can rise above the rest of the world. But in reality, this is impossible, for the global system is deeply and intrinsically interconnected. For example, at one time, we would refer to the Gross National Profit (GNP) alone -- but increasingly we must refer to the Gross World Profit (GWP) -- since for economies to truly grow, they must inter-relate with the economies of all.

But not just economies; people must interrelate. A well-known reminder is the famed Walt Disney ride: 'It's a Small World After All.' If you've ever ridden the ride, it's melody is probably still ricocheting (albeit annoyingly!!) in your head, along with its lyrics:

"...It's a world of laughter, a world of tears It's a world of hopes and a world of fears There's so much that we share That it's time we're aware It's a small world after all (x5). There is just one moon and one golden sun - And a smile means friendship to everyone - Though the mountains divide - And the oceans are wide It's a small world after all (x5)..."

Sure, this repetitive song is maddening. But did it ever occur to you, that the reason it keeps repeating its message (e.g. It's A Small World After All) is because we are so resistant to the message?

I mean, after all, our country was founded with a Declaration of Independence and not a Declaration of Interdependence. And so fundamentally, we are a band of 'lone rangers,' not partners on a journey. But biblically we are partners; to be exact, we are the people of God (1 Peter 2:9-10), the Body of Christ (Romans 12:4-5 /1 Corinthians 12:12-31 / Ephesians 4:4).

Paul's insistence that we are Body of Christ smacks fully of interdependence, hearkening back to the ultimate system's metaphor, human physiology.

"...As the human body, which has many parts, is a unity, and those parts, despite their multiplicity, constitute one single body, so it is with the body of Christ...Now the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand I don’t belong to the body,” does that alter the fact that the foot is a part of the body?...The fact is there are many parts, but only one body...[so] that the body should work together as a whole with all the members in sympathetic relationship with one another... (1 Corinthians 12:12-26, J.B. Phillips).

I love the themes of that last phrase: we're to -- work together -- as a whole -- in sympathetic relationship -- with one another. Not bad antidote to our reflex tendency to 'go it alone,' in independent, solo fashion. (for more detail on the crucial importance of relationships, see: http://wwwpaulmundey.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-power-of-other_30.html

Prescription (Rx) #3 - Be Willing To Do The Hard Work, For The Long Haul.

It's far easier to buy a bigger pair of pants and deal with a symptom (a protruding, sore wastline) than it is to alter your diet and start walking and deal with a system (a lifestyle). But treating a symptom just results in enlarging your wardrobe -- not changing your health in a comprehensive way.

The problem: real change is comprehensive, systemic change -- and real change -- because it is comprehensive/systemic -- is hard, hard, work! Thus, we must encourage each other for the long haul, and avoid the quick fix. For expedite actions often result in puny outcomes. Angus J. MacQueen tells of a father who approached James Garfield, when Garfield was president of Hiram College, in Ohio.

"...[T]he father asked [Garfield] if the course of study [at Hiram] could be simplified so that his son might be able to “go through by a shorter route.” ”Certainly,” Garfield replied, “but it depends upon what you want to make of your boy. When God wants to make an oak tree, he takes a hundred years. When he wants to make a squash, he requires only two months…”

There’s nothing wrong with squash. But keeping with Garfield’s analogy, he reminds us that towering outcomes often require extended periods of concerted effort and hard work.

And so, do the hard work of comprehensive, systemic change. Discipline yourself, then, for the long-haul, running with endurance the life/race God has set out for you -- traveling within the boundaries of God's glorious calling.

“...fixing [your] eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith…[Who] for the joy set before him...endured the cross, scorning its shame...Endure hardship [then] as discipline...[For] no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet”... (Hebrews 12:1-2; 7; 11-12)