Last week we mentioned that, sometimes, the cosmos tries to tell us something. For said cosmos, today was not a quiet day either; not at my house, anyway.
There are always issues that make us want to bury our heads in the sand, stay in bed under the pillows, or run for the border. Historians, political experts and activists are best collared for discussions about the state of our nation right now, but that doesn’t stop lots of parrots, puppets and amateurs from discussing it anyway ... nor should it. We are all entitled to our opinions, even when they are based on nothing past the total absence of information and/or are merely the repetition of the nonsense of uninformed or misinformed others. It doesn’t, however, take much information to simply look around and assess our current American situation and understand that we are in deep trouble.
Right now, people who associate with any party, or no party, can all agree on one thing albeit for different reasons: America is in a situation that isn’t just nearly impossible, but volatile as well. When people of all bends of opinion and all parties are unhappy, things must be bad. Whether we want to, are willing or not, we’re just going to have to work, cooperate, compromise, sacrifice, put up and, maybe even hush up. No one from any political mindset is going to be completely happy and that will mean we’ve reached a jump-off point of some sensible moderation.
None of us needs to have the democratic paradigm iterated. Most of us know how it’s supposed to be and we all know it’s assumed to supposedly work; perhaps, not perfectly, not all the time, but to some degree most of the time, just the same. None of us needs to be sold on the Bible either; we either believe, are unsure, remain open-minded, or ignore it ... we get it. Still, sometimes information, observation and scripture come together via separate roads for us. For me, today was one of those days that make many of us scratch our chins and wonder.
For America, this is an election year. Often, many of us try to stay abreast without really getting involved, but these days, the human connection and the political situation in this, the nation which so proudly we once hailed, seems to be going asunder in a way unprecedented in recent history. So, one can only remain minimally connected so long. Many, if not most Americans, are very aware of, the conditions of chaos and separatism being tolerated among the general public today in America.
From experts to avoiding all politics always, few Americans can ignore the dangerous level of divisiveness being fostered among our people today. Even more importantly, we must recognize that it is being intentionally induced by nearly unprecedented levels of purposeful misinformation (that’s a modern euphemism for the dangerous tool of propaganda). Much of the public displays indoctrinated zeal based predominantly on this rhetoric. Sadly, it’s usually accompanied by insecurity due to an absence of familiarity with facts or a lack of facts altogether; that absence results in their escalated defensiveness that can only end in increased belligerence. Rather than formulating informed opinions or simply remaining impartial, fired-up individuals pick a corner.
Divide and conquer is a tried and true formula that cannot end well. The world has seen this technique used often; it’s very old, yet still very effective tactic. Pre-World War II, it led the world through great ruin. We, finally, regained good stead, but at a very great price.
Whatever we may believe, we know this: Many good souls gave their lives for the promised democratic ideals of America. We must be sure they didn’t die in vain, and that cannot be argued. Most people who live and work here in this could-be-great-nation, or those who hope to, practice and believe in that which stands as the ultimate goal: a country where all people are treated equally, without the rigged system, without the hurdles ... a country where there is no screen strainer to allow only some to rise to the top.
Ironically ... or sadly ... perhaps slightly ominously ... today, I was reminded of the Biblical quote “ ... Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.”
Then, perhaps as a light to follow, this fell in my lap: Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
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