August 28, 2007
Public Correction
Years ago during the evening session of family camp the main speaker stopped his message in mid-sustenance. Glaring at those sitting in the front row of the chapel he said, “If you kids can’t behave, go sit with your parents.” Much to my horror two of the four being targeted for discipline included my own elementary-age children. When the service ended we learned their offence was chewing Double-Bubble Gum and blowing bubbles - an irritant which could only be seen by the speaker. Later, hoping my kids weren’t as traumatized by the public correction as I was, I downplayed the minister’s verbal rod of correction. On more than one occasion Peter was publicly chastised by Jesus and I marvel at his response, or shall I say lack there of. Peter doesn’t appear to be ‘wounded in spirit’, traumatized or angry. I can’t tell if he’s thick skinned or just doing the guy thing.
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Gail;
-----I learned a good concept in College while studying cost accounting - “variance.” Assigning the proper cost per item of producing a batch of goods is a critical task. Profit margins must be slim if a company wishes to stay competitive, and a loss from the operation would be counterproductive. From experience, production managers determine the cost of every raw material, every second of any labor, and the depreciated cost of each “bang-o” every machine makes, down to the cost of the electricity the light bulbs use and of the screwdrivers the maintenance people wear out keeping the machinery banging. From the sum of those costs, a per item cost is determined for each unit of production. It becomes that item’s cost standard. Then, periodically, weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, whatever serves the informational needs, the actual number of units produced is multiplied by the unit’s cost standard. The result is compared to the sum of all of the actual costs spent to produce those units. The difference between the two is called the variance.
-----Now, just because there is variance does not necessarily mean that the production crew did a better or worse job in keeping costs below standard or letting them slip above standard. The variance may happen because prices of raw materials, utilities, or other services may have fallen or risen, indicating a need to adjust the cost standard. There are a number of different issues that could be the factors behind cost variance, and a careful and intelligent analysis of the individual elements of the product cost will point the manager in the right direction for the resolution of the problem. But the analysis and correction procedures are both expensive in time and money to apply. Therefore there is a limit placed upon variance below which the variance is considered acceptable and unworthy of further investigation.
-----By the same principle, a behavioral standard applies to the audience of a speaker. The standard applies particularly to the adults, and adjustably to the children. As you pointed out, the children were in the front row where their bubble-gum activity was a disturbance to no one - another adjustment to the standard. But the standard is - relatively speaking - no bubble-gumming, and the speaker evidently had his tolerable variance limit set lower than yours. Which of you are right? All of the costs of the correction - the interrupted flow of his message, the projection of himself to some as being an intolerant ogre, the effects it may have had on any number of those children’s attitudes, the effects it may have left on his own attitudes -would have to be weighed against the benefits - the indication to the audience that he requires a tighter variance, the projection of himself to some as being in sharp control, the maturing effects on the children’s attitudes, etc., etc., etc.
-----There are so many things in life that float around that fuzzy tolerable limit of variance. They can be analyzed to any degree with valid conclusions drawn for both net benefits and net detriments. Social values do not lend themselves to the refining application of mathematics. Nor does a roomful of individuals lend itself to any one set of social values. So the Bible tells us to be accepting and understanding of each other, thoughtful and respectful towards each other, honoring and pleasing each other. When we begin trying to practice that is when we begin to realize the study of where to delineate tolerable variance is much less fruitful than the study of the character and personality of each individual around. Sometimes it is more fruitful to back off a limit and learn from what transpires than to exercise control to protect a norm.
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