FOOD FOR THOUGHT
December 1, 2023
The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is a time when I do my deepest self-reflecting. I think about my own life and the lives of my loved ones, those I work with and those my companies serve. I think about what’s taking place in the world, as best as I can understand the complex issues world leaders are dealing with and how people are being impacted. I review and question my own performance. Most important of all, I question whether I am living the things I profess: service to God, Country and Family.
By fate, my son Jarid and I were recently blessed to have lunch with our friends Terry Mertink and Tim Goeglein from the organization Focus on the Family. Tim shared his new book titled “Toward a More Perfect Union: The Moral and Cultural Case for Teaching the Great American Story” with us. The timing of the lunch meeting could not have been better as I remain perplexed with what is taking place in the world as well as in my own backyard. I long for the days when the President of the United States spoke, and everyone listened respectfully. I long for the days of statesmanship that caused me to perceive that despite heated negotiations, there was usually a pretty good “win-win” resolution. I think about the term “The Greatest Generation” and wonder if that label could ever apply to our current generation or future generations. I wonder why it takes a tragedy to unite people and why the unity is generally short lived. I wonder how we can preserve those special moments of unity for generations in the future. As Tim pointed out in his book, “America no longer being a melting pot but an overboiling kettle of warring tribes pitted against each other in a zero-sum battle over whose ‘rights’ can trump the others’. We have completely forgotten rights imply responsibilities and a shared duty to each other.” Sadly, I must agree with Tim’s observations.
One of our King Aerospace written Cornerstone Principles is “Non-Political Environment.” When I established the company and our guiding principles, I thought about my own experiences, the Ten Commandments, what my parents taught me and what our Country’s founders might have been thinking. I thought about things like freedom, equality for all, religious rights, work ethic, mutual respect, fairness, justice, and other people’s rights. Most of all, I thought about “In God We Trust!” At KA, we teach and preach these same fundamental tenets. People smarter than me proclaim that we as a Country must share these same values in our homes, at school, at work, in our places of worship and in our daily lives with those we encounter. True stories are critical for people to understand and appreciate our joint heritage, both the good and bad. In my simple mind, these are the steps to rekindled unity, so help me God!
Recently I was a little surprised when someone I really respect asked me, “So where is King Aerospace going to be in twenty years?” I thought that was an interesting question to ask a seventy-year-old man, but I respected the importance of the question and the seriousness of those in the room. I didn’t need to think about my answer: “Still serving God, Country and Family.” My response from the heart appeared to be more than well received. In my opinion, it is very important that we each do our small part to maintain our core principles and values in a small but important part of the universe. There is no doubt that together we will make a difference as we share our vision for a brighter future. May we all do our part to eliminate the “Stinking Thinking” in the world!
Written by KING AEROSPACE Founder, Jerry Allan King-Echevarria.