How The 7 Qualities of a Pioneer can be used for good or for bad
Take into account that good visions, which produce noble actions, which result in grandiose achievements, can be switched to another track simply by a change in perspective. It all depends on the “lens” you see life through, and that lens is molded and developed in each of us by the influences in our lives. For Morgan, his lens became tainted, his perspective redirected, his exuberant pioneer spirit deformed until it took on a much different mold.
The wheels and pulleys of his life began to form the “lens” of his soul, which would take
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his lust for adventure and put beads and flowers on it….
There weren’t any wagon trains anymore, but the West was still out there, and it still beckoned with the promise of wild exploits and untold opportunities.
The Good
Columbus
Christopher Columbus has got to rank as one of the top Pioneers of all time.
- He dared to dream against all the conventional wisdom of the day. Based on the idea that the world was round instead of flat, he reasoned that he could end up in the east by going west.
- He was willing to leave the known civilized world behind to discover unknown lands
Columbus the Pioneer
- He was not content to remain in the Old Country with his old life, transporting goods around the Mediterranean Sea
- He saw the doubters and nay-sayers as limitations that would prevent him from realizing the future opportunities.
- He knew the risks – the odds were great that he and his whole crew would die at sea.
- He refused to let caution and fear triumph over his dreams of glory. What he found changed the world forever, and resulted in the Land of the Free and the Home of the
Space Pioneers
Brave.
In the Twentieth and Twenty First Centuries, that same Pioneer Spirit has taken us into the frontier of space, reaping untold riches and advancements for mankind.
The Bad
Highway Pioneers
Looking at these two images conjures up a variety of emotions. Most people probably recoil in irritation at the thought of being stuck in a traffic jam on a freeway, navigating the flow of high speed traffic, or breathing smog.
Wagon Pioneers
On the other hand, how would you rather go to work – at 70 mph in an air conditioned car, or 20 miles a day in a covered wagon?
In this sense, the rewards of the Pioneer Spirit can be mixed. We have undisputed benefits from the efforts of those who went before us, but not without some side effects.
The Ugly
Adolph Hitler had a dream – It just wasn’t seen through the right “lens”. There is such a
Deranged Pioneer
thing as evil. There is right and wrong.
He was willing to do whatever he needed to do to fulfill that dream. He was determined to eliminate all limitations and opposition. He knew the risks, but he went ahead anyway. What has always puzzled me is how he was willing to sacrifice his own countrymen and ultimately take his own life when it didn’t work out.
Deranged results
The only way to stop him was with a greater opposing, liberating force. The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to have a good guy with a gun.
Moral of the story: A Pioneer Spirit is a powerful force. Use if for good, and you can change the life of your family or a country.
Copyright © 2015 John D. Cooper