To the editor:

My dear and sweet protestant friends may not know that there are two more extra chapters in the book of prophet Daniel from the Old Testament. It is my naïve guess that the contents could have been removed by back-then Religious Reformers because it was not PG-13. Anyway, the story is intense and colorful, so I decided to share.

A young boy, let’s say, a young teenager, Daniel, was following the procession to execute Susannah, a young beautiful wife of the governor, who had been accused of adultery. The accusers were two old “elders” who are like judges in modern time. Their testimony was indisputable, as nobody would dare to question them. They had power and authority. Their words meant the laws. The real story was that these two old men had a lust against Susannah, schemed to seduce her, and failed. And the situation was turned against her after these two wicked men “testified” that they had “witnessed” Susannah having an affair with “a nice-looking young guy” on the spot where they had planned to violate her.

Susannah, a woman of dignity, was trapped helpless and hopeless. She decides, rather, to be killed than to be compromised by evil. People who had known her believed in her innocence, but there was no way to prove it. Then, our teenager hero, Daniel, struck by the Holy Spirit, sent by God, suddenly claimed, saying, “You all fools, how do you know for sure Susannah has done such a disgraceful thing, without further investigation? Let the two accusers separate from each other so we can be sure they are not lying!”

People agreed, as they had high regards for this young prophet Daniel, to listen and separate these two old guys, and found out that they actually had been lying against Susannah. In a dramatic turn, these two elders ended up being executed on the very spot destined for Susannah.

In the accounting practice, there is a very un-accounting-like term called “tone.” The very first step of auditing is “checking” the “tone” of the entire company or organization to evaluate its leadership influences. That means, before you trace back to any ledgers or invoices, or dive into any segregation of duties, you look around and “sense” or “smell” to see how the “umbrella” of the whole entity is working. Are the employees feeling safe in working and voicing their honest opinions? Are the principles of work protocols and disciplines being kept in its integrity? This first step of evaluating the “tone” of the organizational atmosphere determines the very direction of the entire audit. This is my old knowledge from about 20 years ago, and I hope this is still working.

Regardless if you are an expert or not, whether in Bible study or accounting, these two stories should tell you a simple but important message.

How can we bring any education or any enrichment to our children if their sky is filthy and dirty? What if the air they are breathing is full of toxic injustice? What if those sources of power and authority are full of lies? If imagining this environment makes you feel choked and suffocated, can you imagine what can be worse for our vulnerable and helpless children? Why are our teenagers turning to drugs and suicide? Why do they give in or give up so early and so easy? What makes them rebel like angry yet helpless monsters?

It is extremely important for us as adults to take care of the integrity of our society, solely because it is one critical component influencing our vulnerable children and their growth process. What kind of quality of sky and air are you working on? Are you satisfied just following TV screens or so-called main social media, or are you exercising your due diligence to constantly reevaluate your sensory system to stay alert, open and flexible? Nobody will force you to believe whatever. The problem is that we grown-ups, hugging tight to our subjective ideology and old habits, are reluctant to challenge ourselves to be true and honest to the truths. What are those truths, then? Why don’t you find them out? Aren’t they always a few clicks away with your fingers? The integrity of our national election is being testified. This is not a small matter. Regardless what you believe, we must exercise our due diligence to make sure what we are tossing to our next generation. I strongly recommend a book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear to combat our old self and addiction to our ego.

Also, please remember to continue to support BETA (Brown County Enrichment for Teens Association), P.O. Box 1194, Nashville, IN 47448. Who knows? You may help produce another teenage “Daniel.”

Sincerely,

Clara (Hyun Joo) Stanley, BETA supporter

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