In an article today about the pathetic side of Osama (Usama) bin Laden, I was reminded of many of the recent lessons we learned in Bangkok. A place where image is priority number one, and saying one thing while doing another is a cultural norm.

What it reminded me of is that this is NOT an American norm. In fact, it is pathetic in our view. Good word ABC news. Pathetic. Osama bin Laden was sculpting his own public image to completely misrepresent who he really was. We expect this from companies, like Apple Computer, and Microsoft. We accept this as product marketing. However, when individuals do this it is just pathetic. It is not culturally acceptable. However, what’s with Facebook? Twitter? Our own celebrities? Is it becoming less than pathetic? Are we going to accept this un-American value of perception being 9/10ths of reality? I pray NO!

What sets America apart is a history of seeing the forest and the trees. Looking past mere appearances to the heart of matters and of people. In John 7:24 Jesus says: “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” So much for those that stop at “thou shalt not judge”. Jesus commands us to look past the lies. If you don’t think our politicians are saying one thing while doing another you are not watching very closely. Even the POTUS Barack Obama declared that he would cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term, and here we are watching him fight to raise the deficit beyond the record level he has already achieved. Raise an eyebrow when you hear a promise like that, not only is it unlikely, it also speaks volumes about the integrity of the person willing to make such claims.

Let’s not become Bangkok, where caking makeup over our blemishes becomes the entire aspiration (both literally and figuratively). Instead, if we can fix the blemishes then fix them, for real. If it’s not possible to fix them, then we will wear them and we will confess our imperfections. When you see someone who does that, when a politician comes along that doesn’t promise to send you a check if you vote for him. When their past demonstrates success and sincerity simultaneously. Then maybe we will get a winner. In the meantime, let’s stay reminded of our cultural heritage. Calling a spade a spade, beauty is only skin deep, and the Bible.