What Will You Do? – with Linda J. Hansen [Ep.89]

P101-ep-89-podcast transcript

Linda: Welcome. Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Prosperity 101 Break Room Economics podcast. My name is Linda J. Hanson, your host and the author of Prosperity 101, Job Security Through Business Prosperity, the essential guide to understanding how policy affects your paycheck, and the creator of the Break Room Economics online course.

The book, the course, and the entire podcast library can be found on prosperity101.com. I seek to connect boardroom to break room and policy to paycheck by empowering and encouraging employers to educate employees about the public policy issues that affect their jobs. My goal is to help people understand the foundations of prosperity, the policies of prosperity, and how to protect their prosperity by becoming informed, involved, and impactful. I believe this will lead to greater employee loyalty, engagement, and retention, and to an increased awareness of the blessings and responsibilities of living in a free society.

Listen each week to hear from exciting guests, and be sure to visit prosperity101.com. Thank you for joining me today. If you are a regular listener, I offer a special thank you. I have heard from many of you regarding various episodes that are your favorites, and I want  you to know I am truly grateful for your words of support and appreciation.

As you know, most of my podcast episodes include amazing guests. In fact, be sure to tune in next week and in the weeks ahead for some very special and  truly informative, inspirational guests who are positively impacting our nation as we work to preserve our constitutional liberties. It is an honor to interview so many great people, all doing fantastic things to make the world a better place.

My solo episodes are typically few and far between, but this episode, like the last one I released, does not include a guest. I hope you'll enjoy it, but more importantly, I hope it will inspire you to stand up for your rights, to stand up for our country, and to stand up to protect freedom for your children and grandchildren. If you are like most people in our country, or around the world for that matter, you may feel like America has been turned inside out, flipped upside down, and spun around in circles.

The America you have known seems lost to lockdowns, mandates, travel and assembly restrictions, censorship and government invasion, and even oversight of our medical and economic privacy. Many people cannot understand how it came to this so quickly. Look back into history to see the processes used to overthrow governments and up-end cultures.

It may seem all at once now, but the seeds of this have been growing for many decades, waiting for the right conditions for the plant to become full-grown. I previously released a podcast episode entitled, How Did We Get Here? Culture in Chaos, in which I read from a very insightful book, The Children's Story by James Clavel. The book is a short but chilling reminder of how vulnerable young minds are to being influenced in the classroom, and how language can be deceptively used to impact change.

While fictional and set in a different era, we are seeing the same tactics used in our nation today. If you've not listened to it, I highly recommend you do. It is episode number 53. Not only that, I recommend you purchase the book for yourself and those you love. Today, I am reading and recommending another book, and just note, I receive no compensation for mentioning or recommending either of the books. My whole desire is to just share the information and to highlight the books and the authors because of the insight they provide.

The book I am reading from today is meant for children, but I think the wise authors knew the adults reading it would learn as well, especially adults who see their country morphing into a place they no longer recognize as liberty is diminished day by day. Dottie and Josh McDowell wrote The Topsy-Turvy Kingdom in 1996, and the book was published by Tyndall House. The message is as relevant today as it was when they first published it 25 years ago.

The Topsy-Turvy Kingdom by Dottie and Josh McDowell. “Up is a word that I say when I look at a bird in a tree or the sky. Down is a place where I go when I fall from my bike or I slip on a pie. Hot is the water mom runs in my bath, but cold is each splash on the floor. These are all things that I know to be true, like I know two and two equals four. But what if the truth that you held in your heart would suddenly vanish away? What if up became down and cold became hot and night was no different than day? 

Now, there once was a place in a time long ago where such a disaster occurred. And as you might guess, when nothing is true, everything else is absurd. People would walk on their hands to the park and bounce on their heads to the store. Firemen only came out in the rain, and rich people begged from the poor. It would have been fine if that's where it stopped. No cause would there be for alert. But when lies became truth and right became wrong, someone was bound to get hurt.

This is the tale of Herbie, the prince, and his father, the king of the land. Together they ruled over many a town in the woods and the sea and the sand. The father was wise and was loved by most all. His kingdom abounded in joy. For he had made laws to protect everyone, every cat, every girl, every boy. The laws were quite simple, and everyone learned to be honest and loving and kind.

Silly and fun had their place in the day, but sensible things had their time. Herbie enjoyed being prince of the land. Who could ask for anything more? Till the terrible day when the great trumpet sounded and called Herbie's father to war. Of course, for a while, on everyone's heart were thoughts and prayers for the king. But as days turned to weeks and weeks became years, there happened a dangerous thing. It seems that our king has been gone a long time, somebody worried aloud.

You don't suppose he was hurt in the war? Now a hush fell over the crowd. Perhaps Herbie's dad will never return, a woman whispered in fear. I don't remember there being a king, yelled a foolish young man in the rear. Yippee, we're free, said a silly old man. Now we can do as we please. So he pulled out some pepper and sprinkled the crowd, and everyone started to sneeze.

Gesundheit, said Herbie, arriving from class. Why are the kids out of school? The crowd chanted loudly. We haven't a king, so now we can make our own rules. Herbie was shocked and was sad and was hurt. That's how his father would feel. He pinched his own cheek and he tried to wake up, but it wasn't a dream. It was real. I say it's best to walk on your hands, said a man with a very large purse.  And I say it's best that stop should mean go, said a man with a tow cart and nurse.

And someone said truth is always the best, and less telling lies turns out better. And some said that stealing from others is wrong, except if you fancy their sweater. Like warm peanut butter, this rottenness spread till everyone took to the way of doing whatever they liked when they wanted, no matter what others might say.

Then just when it seemed that all had been lost and the whole world had gone topsy-turvy, there sounded a blast from the tower above, and there with the horn was Prince Herbie. My father made laws to protect everyone, every cat, every girl, every boy. And while we obeyed him and lived by his rules, our kingdom abounded in joy.

But look at us now. The place is a wreck. Oh, why should there be so much pain? I beg you, return to the ways of the king, for living like this is insane. Then somebody hollered, hey, what's the idea? Telling us what we should do? Your father, the king, is nowhere in sight, and nobody wants to see you. 

Get him, they shrieked. No son of a king shall tell us what's wrong or what's right. So they charged up the tower with every intent of launching the prince into flight. Herbie slid down and leaped over a pig, crawled under a holstein or three, then raced through the church and made quite a splash with the ladies' group having their tea. The hand walkers quickly began to give chase, and the stoppers went go all the way.

Those who liked stealing then brought up the rear, and the liars weren't there, so they say. They caught up with Herbie, or Herb as he's known, when he ran through a sign that meant stop. And he was arrested and taken to jail by a fellow who wasn't a cop. Guilty as charged, said the kangaroo judge. Your father, the king, is no more. Mention him ever again, and you'll find you'll be leaving this place with a roar.

People leaned forward to gaze at the boy. Would he dare to speak of his dad? Herbie felt dizzy and ready to faint. Oh, he was too scared to be sad. Finally, Prince Herbie opened his mouth and whispered so quiet and clear that everyone heard every word that he said as though it were yelled in their ear. My father made laws to protect everyone, every cat, every girl, every boy. And while we obeyed him and lived by his rules, our kingdom abounded in joy. The laws were quite simple, and everyone learned to be honest and do what is right, even at moments like this one right now, when doing so fills you with fright. Enough, cried the judge. That's the end of this lad. Now fling him. Clear off the planet. So all of the flingers cranked back the great arm. It took 42 just to man it. Then right when poor Herbie was set to be flung, there happened a very strange thing. A powerful blast on the trumpet rang out, and the flingers were stopped in mid fling.

The people looked up to the tower and saw there clearly was nobody in it. So they turned back to Herb to blast him away. But a mighty voice roared, just a minute.I thought I made laws to protect everyone, every cat, every girl, every boy. But I see you've forgotten to follow my ways, and my kingdom has lost all its joy. The king had returned, and he scooped Herbie up in a tender and powerful hug, while all of the others tried sneaking back home to hide themselves under a rug.

Then little by little they came out again to ask for forgiveness at least. And the king was forgiving and gathered the folks for a special community feast. This is my son who stood up for the truth, said the king of our hero, Prince Herbie.

For he knew in my law there was power and love to spare us from Topsy and Turvy. So now once a year to help us recall what happens when we go astray, Herbie, my son, will climb up to the tower and call us all back the right way. So still to this day in that faraway place, the trumpet is played by Prince Herbie.”

And I think that his people will never again let their kingdom become Topsy Turvy. I will close this episode by saying a special thank you to Dottie and Josh McDowell for their insight and wisdom and for their wonderful book. I also close with a challenge to each of you listening.

As you have seen wrong be called right, truth be called lies, and common sense be replaced with doublespeak, what will you do about it? Will you follow along or will you speak up? If you are an employer, will you stand for truth and freedom in your workplace? If you are an employee, will you challenge unconstitutional mandates that invade your privacy and impact your ability to earn a living? If you are a parent, will you rise up to ensure that your children are being taught truth? If you are a student, will you speak up when you see injustice? 

Nations rise and fall because of leadership. And as Edmund Burke said, evil triumphs when good men do nothing. What will you do? Will you choose to do nothing? Or will you choose to protect your freedoms and preserve liberty for future generations? Our nation was founded on the belief that all men, meaning all people, were created equal and were endowed by their creator with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

I believe that our creator is calling our nation back to him, to a revival back to truth, justice, and to the true freedom that can only be found in Jesus Christ. It may not look like it in news reports, but there is a movement happening and people are answering the call to turn back to God and to use their time, talents, and resources to promote true freedom and liberty. What will you do? Will you answer the call? Will you turn back to God? Will you rise up against evil and tyranny? Will you rise up in support of truth and freedom? It's up to you.

It's up to each one of us to remember that our government derives its powers from the consent of the governed. We the people are the true leaders. Let's unite and stand up for America. Thank you again for listening to the Prosperity 101 podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share, and leave a great review. Don't forget to visit Prosperity101.com to access the entire podcast library, to order my newest book, Job Security Through Business Prosperity, The Essential Guide to Understanding How Policy Affects Your Paycheck, or to enroll you or your employees in the Break Room Economics online course.

You can also receive the free ebook, 10 Tips for Helping Employees Understand How Public Policy Affects Their Paychecks. Freedom is never free. Understanding the foundations of prosperity and the policies of prosperity will help you to protect prosperity as you become informed, involved, and impactful. I give special thanks to our sponsors, Matthews Archery Incorporated and Wisconsin Stamping and Manufacturing. Please contact us today at Prosperity101.com to let us know how we can serve you. Thank you.