Josh Plovanic's Writings and Thoughts

For  a lot of my life, when the topic of leadership comes up in conversation or in classes, the concept of servant leadership was often held in high regard. It was a far less authority-based form of leadership that brought the leader down to the level of his or her subordinates in terms of action and activity while still maintaining the position of leadership.  It is often considered in many Christian circles as the most Christlike form of leadership one can engage in. However, for me there is one form of leadership that transcends even servant leadership while also including it, and that is the form of the "healer leader." The difference between a servant leader and a healer leader is that a servant leader is focused on service that doesn't always include acts of restoration and repair, while a healer leader actively and consistently looks for opportunities to repair brokenness within the system they lead and within the missions and objectives they are trying to achieve....

Human life is a special phenomenon in the universe. All the experiences of love, truth, joy, victory, glory, and reality in general have been experienced to its extreme depth by humanity and the human experience is all we know. There are a lot of things that make human life valuable, and many ways to measure that value. There are different opinions and different perspectives on the issues, and I debate with some of my friends as to whether intrinsic worth is legitimate.  From my perspective, what gives a person intrinsic worth comes from their individuality and the unique identity of each person, but it goes deeper than that. It's not just individuality and uniqueness that makes people priceless and infinitely valuable. My main foundation of why I think human life is sacred comes from our sentience and our awareness.  The philosophy I am about to explain is complex, but if understood it gives a different clarity to anyone reading this why it is so egregious and atrocious to ha...

"And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”  -1st Corinthians 12:21       One of my favorite topics to talk about is hierarchies and systems. Complex systems fascinate me, and my interest is perked significantly by human systems like agencies, institutions, and governments.  My other favorite topic to talk about is ideas and ideologies. One thing I've oberved in the world is every single grouping of people, whether a government, agency, political movement, or any particular organisation of people is systemized into a hierarchy by ideas. I'd bet you twenty bucks you won't find an exeption to this. Ideas form the purpose and foundation of pretty much all human organisations and movements. They are the reason they exist. As I've observed people in the community, I've noticed how really passionate and zealous people seem to be almost taken over mentally by ideas that they end up acting on be...

       People have a hard time extending grace to others, especially people they don't like or people they think they are better than. It's hard to extend grace and mercy when you think someone doesn't deserve it, but in all honesty grace and mercy are never something someone deserves. Then they wouldn't be grace or mercy. Grace by definition is something you could never earn.       Because of our poor ability to extend grace, many wounds are never healed and many relationships are broken permanently. We fight amongst ourselves over selfish desires and ambitions and damage our friendships and loved ones. We don't open doors for people who have made mistakes, and we don't forgive hardly anyone who have violated our boundaries or our sense of correctness.  Gracelessness makes the world harsher and even more brutal than it needs to be, or could be. There are a few inhibitions to our ability to extend grace. The major ones I've noticed are fear, ...

I am your sword and your shield. I will shield you from the wickedness of this world. My sword will strike down those who intend to harm you. With my wings, I will carry you to safety Even in the midst of your sin, I will still protect you Even when hate poisons those around you, I will still shield you. Even in the midst of your failures, I will still defend you. Even if your friends leave you, I will never forsake you. Even if you end up alone in your earthly life, I will be by your side and in your mind always. Even when life strips you of your dignity, robs you of those you love, breaks your will, and puts you in bondage, I will still be there, because I love you. I will protect you from the snares and poisons of the evil one. I am your guide Your guardian Your protector  Your defender Your warrior Your sword Your shield Your armor Your hero Your love Your friend Your guardian angel I will follow you whereever you go. I will scout your path for you. I will watch you and lead yo...

     Judgement is something humans do to react to a perceived violation or offense, whether social in our groups and friends, or in the legal sense where the consequences are more substantial and impactful. Judgement is almost always an exercise in power and authority. It's hand is harsh and its effects can be painful and uncomfortable. As an exercise of power, judgement is more like a flexing of a muscle than a compassionate help.  It comes from an interpretation of justice that has existed since the dawn of man, which is if you do wrong, you must feel the brunt of punishment that is deemed fitting for the violation. It's hard to be judgemental and graceful at the same time. It's also hard to be rigid and "by the book" in judging someone legally and be able to extend mercy.        Judgement is about the demonstration of authority and power, and even when justified it still often comes from a place of (often undeserved) moral superiority. In its p...

    One of my favorite mathematical theories to read about is Set theory. The mathematical study of sets of objects and numbers and their properties. I find it fascinating how complex or how simple sets can be, and set theory forms one of the cornerstones of mathematics.        Since I love to write a lot (and talk a lot), I noticed in my thoughts how you can consider a word, any word, to be a sort of set, but in a different manner than sets of numbers or physical objects. If you were to consider a word a set, the information that makes up that words "meaning" or purpose is what constitutes the contents of the set.       For example, lets say you have a word like truth. Truth would be the title of its own set. The definition of truth-"that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality," or any other definition of that word would constitute the contents of the set.     The major difference between mathematical sets and tre...