My Big Red Button Questions

This week, I continued my deep dive into Microsoft Power Platform and worked on getting some more real-life level-ups as I continued my learning. I was able to spend a significant amount of time studying. This was something I enjoyed yet also frustrated me as I started to build an app through the Power Platform only to restart and try again as I learned a better way to do it, or I’d end up breaking it and having to start over. I found myself both enthralled by the challenge and thoroughly frustrated, realizing that I still have a lot left to learn before I can confidently start to work with the power platform and its various tools. As I worked, I was once again reminded that the more I learn, the more I find I have yet to learn.

Since most readers are not going to want to read about my various efforts and failings in the Power Platform, I figured I would introduce you all to my favorite series of questions I have recently been asking. It stems from a single question I’ve been asking for many years now, and it is a question I have been asking others and thinking about for literally years now. The original question was, “If you could change one thing about the world that would have the greatest positive impact, what would you change?” Now as I’ve asked this question, I’ve learned that not everyone is comfortable with asking such serious questions. So in an effort to make the question more fun and engaging, I decided to change it up a little and break it into a series of questions I call “The Big Red Button Questions.” As I share these questions, I hope they will give you something new to ponder in the upcoming week.

Question 1: “If I gave you a big red button and that big red button would eliminate any one thing from existence, meaning an actual thing and not a metaphysical idea or concept, what would you eliminate?”

I've heard many answers to this question, some silly and others more serious. The thing that I enjoy about this question is that it is a great way to learn what someone enjoys thinking about, and often, based on their answer, you can learn to understand what kind of thinker they are and the types of conversations they enjoy. I've learned through this series of questions that some people simply do not enjoy deep conversations and prefer to keep them lighter, while others spend a significant amount of time pondering the question and really seem to enjoy digging into the weeds, considering the implications of eliminating the thing they choose and thinking through the potential ripple effects. As for me, I definitely fall into the latter camp, as you might guess.

Question 2: “If I gave you a big red button and that big red button would eliminate any one thing from existence that would have the greatest net positive effect on the world, what would you eliminate?”

This second question takes it from a silly question that can be an easy ice breaker for a group conversation, and it takes you to a more serious level and pushes it to a deeper conversation. It’s also a revealing question as it allows you to see what someone thinks is important and can often be revealing of what thoughts and ideas are currently important in their life. I know for myself that in different seasons, this question has had many different answers. But generally, it has come down to a couple of answers that are based on my own past life experiences. Generally, when I ask these questions, I prefer not to answer them myself as I don't want to influence someone else's answers.

Question 3: “If I gave you a big red button and that big red button would eliminate any one thing from existence that would have the greatest net positive effect on men specifically, what would it be?”

This third question can become very interesting, especially in mixed company. It is a question that allows everyone to reveal what they think is hurting and hindering men the most. I think what I enjoy most about this question is that it allows everyone to consider solutions to the problems. Oftentimes, in today's online conversations, many divulge to bashing the opposite sex rather than considering their struggles and hardships. I enjoy this question as it prompts what I would consider productive thoughts, as it allows everyone involved to try and see the world through someone else's eyes.

Question 4: “If I gave you a big red button and that big red button would eliminate any one thing from existence that would have the greatest net positive effect on women specifically, what would it be?”

As with the last question, it is a question that allows the group to try and approach the conversation from a place of empathy. These two questions are also something I found myself thinking about frequently as I’ve spent a significant amount of time digging into the questions of what has caused the collapse of both marriage and birth rates, not only in America but in Western culture. Those who have spent any time reading my work over the last 40 weeks will see how these questions connect with the ideas I've written about this year.

As mentioned this past week, I was continually frustrated by my lack of progress and my inability to get the results I was hoping for in the app I was developing in the Power Platform. And so I would beat my head against the problem, trying to figure out what I did wrong, where the problem was, or figure out what I needed to study to fix the problem. As I’ve spent much of this year thinking through many of the issues that are afflicting millennials and GenZ, I can’t help but think that many of our issues simply come from what C.S Lewis called “chronological snobbery” an idea that in society often times we belittle and disregard the ideas that were previously held by those who came before, somehow believing that we have become more enlightened than previous generations, and so we disregard their wisdom. Another idea that falls in line with this is a philosophical principle called “Chesterton's fence” This principle is that we should not remove a fence or a (social norm, law, or tradition) without first understanding why they were put in place.

I truly believe that many of today's woahs come from both chronological snobbery and a failure to adhere to this principle of the Chesterton fence. Many today seem to believe that previous generations were somehow less intellectually sophisticated, and so, rather than ask the question of why the fences were put in place, they simply destroy them in an effort to ensure that there is no place they can not go or thing they can not do. A recent polling of young people found that 42% of young people in the West believe that marriage is a tradition that no longer holds any value in our modern world and that it has outlived its usefulness. Other studies show that roughly 50% of children today will be raised in a single-parent household. Another thing I learned this year is that currently, 70% of all nations globally are below replacement. We have abandoned tradition and destroyed the social fences that once created healthy boundaries for us to live in. We have eroded the old and yet have not found a substitute to replace the fences we have destroyed. Believing that we should live with no boundaries, and we should not have to be constrained by anything, nor should we have to practice restraint in anything. The current cultural sentiment seems to be that “All things should be permissible,” and nothing is off-limits except the things once done. If someone wants to practice those old traditions and live within the boundaries of those traditions, then they must be unenlightened. This seems to be the common sentiment of today's young adults and college students.

In grappling with the intricacies of the Microsoft Power Platform, I've come to appreciate the value of understanding the 'why' behind each function and process. This approach, as I've learned, is not just crucial in technology but in life as a whole. The 'Big Red Button' questions, although hypothetical, serve a deeper purpose: they encourage me to contemplate the impact of eradicating elements from our world, urging me to consider what truly matters.

Similarly, the concepts of 'chronological snobbery' and 'Chesterton's Fence' remind me of the importance of historical context and understanding. In our eagerness to progress, it's easy to dismiss the past as outdated or irrelevant. Yet, as the polling data suggests, such dismissal can lead to undervaluing enduring institutions like marriage, which have woven the social fabric for generations.

As we witness societal shifts, including the decline in traditional family structures and the challenges in maintaining population growth, it becomes increasingly evident that the wisdom of the past should not be cast aside lightly. These 'fences'—be they in marriage, family dynamics, or societal norms—were not erected without reason. They provided structure, stability, and a sense of community that, in many ways, we are still struggling to replace in our modern narrative.

This year's journey, both in my personal learning and in my reflections on societal trends, reinforces the idea that progress and tradition need not be mutually exclusive. Understanding the foundations of our past can guide us in building a more thoughtful future. Perhaps, instead of recklessly pushing boundaries, we should first seek to comprehend them. As we continue to navigate these complex times, I invite you to ponder these questions. How do the lessons of the past shape your understanding of the present? In what ways can we balance the eagerness for progress with the wisdom embedded in our traditions?

Thank you for joining me on this journey of exploration and understanding. May we all continue to learn, grow, and appreciate the intricate tapestry of our past and earnestly consider how it should influence our present cultural moment.

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