PERSONAL PHYLOSOPHY

Running Head: PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY AND WORLDVIEW FOR LEADERSHIP 1

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY, VISION, AND WORLDVIEW FOR LEADERSHIP 1

Personal Philosophy and Worldview for Leadership

…. University

NSEC 502

February 1, 2020

Christian evangelicals and Philosophers such as James Orr and Abraham Kuyper were very instrumental in mentioning the Christian worldview in various Christian teachings and conversations. James Orr argued that some portion of being an insightful Christian method having the option to comprehend and communicate the Christian perspective just as building up a consciousness of the assortment of perspectives (Anderson, 2017). In a fast-changing world where there is a challenge for religious dominance across every space, we as Christians must live a life permitted by God and have the belief that we are serving a living God. Romans 12:2 explains that "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2, English Standard Version). I am currently serving in the United States Army and based in Alaska. I have been doing this for the past eight years. A child that was born in Ghana West Africa, I have always hoped for a better life, and above all, a life that is much inspired through God's will. My biblical-based beliefs should guide me well enough to make the right judgments, at least most of the time, whenever I am faced with an ethical dilemma. I might not be the perfect person, but daily, I do my utmost best to live a life following God's will. For it is said in Luke that, "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much." (Luke 16:10, English Standard Version). There are different approaches to worldview out there, nothing against their belief, I understand that there are various cultural differences, method, and way of life as they have their rightful place on earth. But as a soldier and a Christian, I have learned to be flexible enough to be able to adapt, as said in 2 Timothy. "But you keep your heard in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge the duties of your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:5, English Standard Version).

Character and Virtues

A person of character in peace is a person of courage in war. Character is a habit. The daily choice of right and wrong. It is a moral quality that grows to maturity in peace and is not suddenly developed in war. (Rehberg, 2020). Virtues morals center around the advancement of good sound character instead of ethical principles. In this theory, it is believed that having a righteous character prompts an idealistic choice. An individual with great personality acts thinks and feels such that matches some regularly acknowledged significant characteristics, such as honesty, awareness, capable, mindful, reasonable (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, Meyer 1988). My late mother introduced me to Christianity. Unfortunately, she passed away when I was 21. In my little community in Ghana, my mother was known for her endless generosity. Inspired by many, she was, for many years, a leader of the women's fellowship at a very young age. She encouraged me with a lot of virtues that ultimately developed my character. Virtues can be achieved through learning and practices. Honesty, courage, self-control, integrity, generosity is some of the essential virtues I picked from my mum. Today, my courage, generosity, and self-control are the essential virtues that lead me as a Soldier. Doing the right thing even when no one is watching is termed as integrity, and this is what I am known for, coupled with my self-control and generosity. For it is said in 2 Peter 1:6, “For in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness” (2 Peter 1:6). “Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:3). These are some of my favorite quotations in the bible. My endurance is what gives me the mighty strength, and my perseverance will surely give me the ultimate results in life. Life as a Soldier is often rough, team morale could be down, but as a leader, I must be able to persevere and fight through the struggle with my Soldiers, good courage, and intent. I must know that life is a constant string of adversities and uncertainties. As an officer in the Army, I live by the great Army warrior ethos that reads; I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, I will never leave a fallen comrade. I do have soldiers who look up to me, emulate me, and learn from me. My character at both on duty and off duty will have a massive impact on my Soldiers. I must instill confidence and live a life that will positively impact their character.

Ethics

With our current trend of many social issues and global uncertainty, it gets harder each day to be Christ-centered. In my own opinion and perspective, I do not significantly rationally consider ethics. I derived my ethical perspective through God's commandment and my daily duties in other to serve Jesus Christ, my savior. Ethics is moral discipline. Christian ethics develop honest minds, refine their abilities of moral intuition, and extend their professional and pastoral character—with the goal that they can dependably serve God and neighbor. As stated in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." As humans, we will often face an ethical dilemma, but through your Christ-centered ideas, prayers, and character, you will make good judgment. There are different types of ethics, as Tyra defined in his book. Ethics of deontology which is the ethics of duty. The root thought behind deontologism is the principal conviction that moral quality is objective; an ethical activity is naturally right or wrong independent of the ethical specialist's rationale or goal or the activity's result. The other ethics is also known as Teleology. Which is the ethics of outcomes is otherwise called teleological ethics. The thought here is that when we end up confronting an ethical predicament, we are ethically committed to figuring out which strategy will bring about the best equalization of good over insidiousness. (Tyra, 2015). As a person with a strong Christian faith, I'm mostly carried away by the deontological approach of ethics. I believe it is always my ultimate moral duty to do the right thing and make the right judgment. To err is human, I am not perfect, and I still have some room for improvement, but my mistakes will not be deliberate.

Source: Western Ethical Theories (Traer, 2013)

Worldview

A worldview, as we will define it, is the conceptual lens through which we see, understand, and interpret the world and our place within it (Anderson, 2017). But my worldview starting point is the belief in God, as he is the creator of Heaven and earth and has a firm belief that there is God who has acted in history. Our vast different perspective will give us different lenses on how we see the world, this idea is a lot deeper than a private personal point of view. It is an exhaustive life framework that seek to answer and responds to the fundamental enquiries of life (Tackett, 2006). How I perceive the world makes a significant change in my life. Our current media platforms, such as cable news, newspapers, social media, movies, books, etc. sometimes come with different opinions that are contrary to my views. A lot of us have different views about how they see the world. Some say, there is no God. Other’s belief is solely based on science. I once met a colleague that told me, there is a high possibility that, humans live somewhere within our galaxy. In our current trend, it is easier to be carried away if you are not a firm believer. How I see things is integrated by Christian worldview, as a religious person, my views have various dimensions and realities that can stand the test of experience and history. My Christian perspective cannot be infringed upon, but it rises and falls on its basic integrity. At the heart of many challenges difficulties and changes, we see that facts, ethical quality, and interpretive system are being dismissed or little less overlooked. But I'm with more excellent spirit to live a life that is applicable in all walks of life. But my life extends beyond the grave and I must live a life that is so rewarding that, I will have a place in Heaven. Good people go to Heaven as a deserved reward for a virtuous life, and bad people go to hell as a just punishment for a sinful life; in that way, the scales of justice are sometimes thought to balance (Talbott, 2017). But even with this, not all Christians believe in Heaven after death. Pew research in 2008 suggested that well over 37 million Christians do not believe in life after death.

I’m a firm believer of Mathew 5:12 that reads, "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in Heaven is great; for, in the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Mathew 5:12).

Application

Character and Virtues.

Former United Nations Secretary-General, late Mr. Kofi Annan, is my biggest role model, a man who received the Noble Peace Price in 2001. He once said, “The lord had a wonderful advantage of being able to work alone" (Kofi Annan, n.d). The complications around human beings are significant, but I have a habit of reading the scripture at least once a day, and I believe that will guide me through everything, either good or bad. Proverbs 21:5 reads: “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” Viewed within its immediate context (Prov 21:1-8) “A passage rife with a sensitivity to moral matters this verse could give some help to the possibility that we once in a while wind up settling on ethical decisions that respect the core of God when the procedure is hurried basically due to our uneasiness even with uncertainty or because of an anxious want to proceed onward (Tyra 2015). As mentioned earlier, my honesty, courage, self-control, and integrity will prevent me from being carried away by ethical dilemmas. At this point, I must make good judgment in the will of the heavenly father, as said in Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

Ethics

My utmost moral principle that governs my behavior and conducts of activity is my ethics. This can be applied in many forms. As a soldier, I do believe that one of my core principles of ethics is beneficence. In my day-to-day activity, I act to prevent harm to others, fight to protect the basic human right, and I must help and defend the constitution of the United States. Kofi Annan once said, “We are not only responsible for each other’s security; we are also responsible for each other's welfare (Annan, n.d). Besides, fidelity is one heavily core principle of ethics, relationship building, and the maintenance of trust is one of the essential aspects of life as a Soldier. Without a doubt, I must be my brother's keeper in the line of defense both at home and abroad. But in the end, my Christians based ethics principles will help me learn from various environments and adapt.

Worldview

Kofi Annan once said, we may have a different religion, different races, and various skin colors, but then, in the end, we all belong to one human race. My interpretation of the world is through Jesus Christ, my lord savior, who strengthens me. An individual's worldview is created during that individual's developmental years, impacted, and imparted by a horde of sociocultural powers. In any case, once set up, it turns into a significant heart responsibility, guiding one's life decisions and qualities (Anderson, 2017). Our perspective coordinates our life way by giving the establishment on which we live and move and have our being. Perspective, as a profound situated responsibility of the heart, is a persuading factor by the way we live. My view is the one that continues to shape my experience of life and my everyday inspiration and heading. I have been serving in the military for the past eight years, and I have gained grounds and leadership roles that have already influence national security organizations (U.S. Military). But as I continue to serve, I will continue to take a critical part through experience and promotion. At this point, my vision and leadership style will play a crucial role in the security of our nation. Without a doubt, I am looking forward to this role in the future, and I will full my responsibility inherent in this role through a Christian worldview and put fort and teachings and learnings derived from my leaders past and present as well as my role model. As said in Hebrew 13:7, "Remember your leader, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. (Hebrew 13:7, ESV).

References

Anderson, T. J. (2017). An introduction to a Christian worldview. IVP Academic.

Belief in Heaven and Hell Among U.S. Adults, 2014. (2015, November 6). Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/10/most-americans-believe-in-heaven-and-hell/ft_15-11-11_afterlife_420px/.

ESV.org. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.esv.org/

Juma, N. (2019, November 27). Kofi Annan Quotes On Leadership, Education, and Rights. Retrieved from https://everydaypower.com/kofi-annan-quotes/.

Merida, T. (2015). Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings. Christ-Centered Exposition.

Rehberg, C. D. (2000, January 29). IMPLICATIONS OF Dereliction of Duty. Retrieved from http://isme.tamu.edu/JSCOPE00/Rehberg00.html.

Tackett, D. (2006, January 1). What is a Christian Worldview? Retrieved from https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/whats-a-christian-worldview/.

Talbott, T. (2017, February 17). Heaven and Hell in Christian Thought. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/heaven-hell/.

Tyra, G. (2015). Pursuing Moral Faithfulness: Ethics and Christian Discipleship. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.