No One Rises Above Their World View
Lessons from Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick recently offered to join the New York Jets as their practice quarterback. No doubt the sudden loss of Aaron Rogers due to a torn Achilles heel five plays into the 2023 season prompted his request to join the club. There was no public statement from the Jets home office regarding his offer. Colin Kaepernick is obviously a man who loves the game of football and, at 36 years of age, still wants to be involved in the sport. He was drafted as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and played six seasons for that club. In 2016, in protest of his views on police brutality and racial inequality in the United States, he took a knee during the playing of the national anthem. And that very public statement of his worldview changed his football career trajectory.
Colin Kaepernick's "take a knee" stance propelled him to be one of the leading activists for racial justice. But it also limited his ability to continue playing in the NFL. To be sure, it is 100% Colin Kaepernick's right to hold his views on racism and to publicly protest to raise awareness for his cause. His stature as a professional athlete defiantly brought attention to racial injustices. But because of the inherently political nature of Kaepernick's protest, especially offending those who show honor to our nation by singing the national anthem, he simply became a less desirable team member on a professional football team’s roster.
Colin Kaepernick was a good enough athlete to make the elite NFL. And because I believe it is in his heart to play the game of football, I am sure he, and other Kaepernick fans, want to know if he could ever become a great NFL player. But as a free agent at the age of 36 with no team willing to pick him up, it is unlikely that he or we will ever get the answer to that question. The lesson learned here is, no one ever rises above their worldview.
Colin Kaepernick's worldview is that law enforcement is inherently racist and, on top of that, that the United States is systematically racist. My point is not to argue the merits of Colin Kaepernick's activism. Like many other topics that are politically divisive, likely my words nor anyone else's, will sway individuals that are deeply embedded on one of the two sides of that issue. My point in bringing this up, and using Colin Kaepernick as an example, is that limited worldviews have limiting effects.
To be a great football player, a great leader or great organization, a broad worldview is essential. We recognize individuals whose worldly outlook transcends divisiveness and look up to them as positive leaders. In baseball, Aaron Judge just received the Roberto Clemente Award. That annual award is bestowed upon the Major League player who best represents baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy, and positive contributions, on and off the field. There are countless such awards for other professions and organizations as well.
Every institution has a mission statement. It generally is very broad, uplifting, and inclusive. But do their leaders’ actions propel them to achieve their mission statement goals? For instance, if leaders of an organization believes that workers are inherently lazy and issue policies to control the workforce based on that worldview, they will find laziness runs rampant through the organization. If a restaurant manager believes his staff, if not strictly monitored, will steal product, he will find a thief around every corner. If a minister takes to the pulpit in Colin Kaepernick fashion, to espouse their political worldview as opposed to God's, the grandest of all possible worldviews, they are limiting the reach of their church. Pope Francis' worldview restricts his ability to apply Just War Theory, the historic tenants of the very church he is the infallible head, thus pitting the Holy Father in Rome on the side of barbaric invaders against his God's biblically chosen people.
If one's goals are loftier then their outlook on the world, they simply will never reach them. If one's worldview is expansive, there is no reason why their goals cannot be achieved. The lesson learned by observing Colin Kaepernick is that goals are limited by worldviews. No doubt, Colin Kaepernick has had a significant impact on racial injustice but his limiting view that racial inequality was at the top of our culture was his "Achilles heel" and it ultimately stop the NFL fans, as well as himself, from knowing if he ever could have become a great NFL quarterback.
We live in an incredibly diverse world and with it, diverse worldviews. As individuals, we migrate towards those who share our philosophies regarding the worldly "realities" we observe and ignore, or shun, those who don't. We are constantly assessing individual and organizational messaging and responding with support or condemnation. Whether watching the television, reading the newspaper, or listening to a podcast, we are connecting to someone's presented worldview.
The limiting achievements of narrow worldviews not only keep individuals from reaching their goals, but narrow worldview projecting organizations are also susceptible to stalling out on growth plans as well. If a company’s top priority is to promote WEF inspired ESG standards as their highest purpose, they will find their customer base limited to only those who believe in that political worldview. It is such disparate and competing worldviews that is driving the parallel economy movement.
If a church is scratching their heads over declining membership, look to the messages delivered in the weekly bulletin and from the pulpit. Does the tone of communication sound like weekly talking points issued from the DNC, or the RNC for that matter, or does the church emulate God’s worldview of undying love and forgiveness? When a church wears its political stances on their sleeves, it will only attract members looking for validation of that worldview.
There is no grander and inclusive worldview than that of God’s worldview. Good players, good companies and good churches with limiting worldviews may operate within God’s Universal structure but will always be capped by the limit of their belief systems. To become a great player, company, or church, they must transcend limited, or tribal, worldviews. The lesson from Colin Kaepernick is not that racial injustice should not be pointed out, addressed, and forever eliminated, but that it should be compartmentalized under the broader biblical worldview and not be the worldview end in itself. There is no doubt that Colin Kaepernick reached the pinnacle of social justice activism, as proven by the 20-million-dollar payout from Nike for using his image on advertising campaigns. But Colin Kaepernick also wanted to prove that he could be a great football quarterback. Sadly, his limiting worldview of universal racial inequity halted him, and the world, from seeing if his goal would ever come to fruition.