There are now, as there have always been, times in my life when I need to stop what I’m doing and take a good look around me at where I am in my life journey, and consider where I’ve been, where I’m headed, and what kind of human I am being. There are no written rules that tell me I have to do this, as anyone knows me can attest, if it’s a rule, I am here to test it.
But I think there is an instinct built into all of us that signals once in a while that it would be a good idea to slow down and consider our lives, and the impact we might be having on our own health and well being, and perhaps even more importantly, the impact we might be having on those within our sphere of influence. We happen to be in the animal category in the science books, but we are a very different type of animal than those who cannot speak and think well into the future. We have the unique abilities to be compassionate and empathetic, but also conniving, cynical and corrupt. These things are not exactly instinct, as we can selectively make them come and go depending on how we feel at any given time. And left on our own without some kind of boundaries within which to live, these particular attributes can send our lives spinning wildly out of control to one extreme or the other, most times affecting not only ourselves but those around us as well.
1In America, there has always seemed to be a sense of community that is supported by the simple fact that Americans have each others backs. We have our own property and come and go as we please, and we have diverse opinions about the way things should operate, but each of us understand that in this unique country we call home, the line is drawn at our actions being detrimental to the well being of those around us. It seems that’s exactly where laws come from. A good honest effort to put some boundaries around our actions for the benefit of all. Or at least, that’s what we used to think.
I’m convinced that there are generations of people in America now who have not been taught just how special our country is, and why the word freedom is so important in our language. I’m certain the word freedom has an entirely different meaning to those who have fought in wars defending the concept of a free society, and to those who were simply born into such a society and haven’t had to work to defend the concept from those who would just let it slowly give way to lofty ideals of utopian splendor, which of course, does not exist and never will. At least not as long as we remain in the animal category.
It would be easy to be angry with current movements to change America into a country where everything is free and easy, where everyone was guaranteed to have everything everyone else had, and there were no boundaries to keep us in or keep us out. But perhaps a more constructive way to look at the world around us would be to try and understand that those who think America is in need of drastic change are simply terribly misinformed, and probably are not getting all the information they need to make any kind of reasoned judgement of the current state of affairs in America.
To those of us who consider all sides of the news, it’s apparent that news media in America is terribly inept at best, and completely corrupt at worst, in its portrayal of the world we live in. And media has become quite good at working groups of people into frenzies in obvious efforts to sway them to a particular line of thinking. What most people don’t seem to stop and consider is the why. Why does news media do this? And who is driving the ideals they each seem to be working to implant into the heads of Americans?
To the informed who pay attention to ALL the media, it doesn’t take long to figure out we are being played by the ruling classes of our country. As well as by the tech companies who haven’t been elected by the population, but find themselves with gigantic platforms from which to wield incredible influence on those who might be gullible enough to be led by twittered sized encapsulations of current affairs. And for the vulture-like politicians in our country who seize every opportunity to circle around money and votes, this media-government coalition has become an incredibly dangerous phenomena in our culture.
In fairness, the masses of mostly younger people in America who have jumped onto the bandwagon of progressiveness, have little to no idea of how dangerous this movement is to their very own way of life, and how damaging it is to those around them who enjoy the freedoms that are uniquely American and are there only because generations of Americans before them gave life and limb to fight off these same kinds of overly progressive ideas in the past. History has shown over and over again how civilizations crumble when their pursuits become selfish and unrealistic, and on the horizon in America, we can see the beginning of the end of freedom as we have known it. It is a very real danger, and needs attention now.
This land is my land. But it is your land as well. And it is also the land of those who are joining the efforts to change it. It would seem the task at hand then is to reach out to those who may not understand what is taking place, who are being used by ruling classes to advance these dangerous progressive ideas, and to do what we can to help them see that America is great not because we keep trying to change it, but precisely because it has stayed the same for centuries. Free people, who presented with the opportunity, will have each other’s backs for the benefit of all.
I’m at a reflection point in my life at the age of 60. I don’t want to do anything that will have a negative effect on my family, my friends, my town or my country. But I also want to do my part in defending the wonderful country I call home, and in doing so pay my respects to those who came before me and defended this way of life I so dearly love. Make no mistake, there is an effort to completely change America into something it was never intended to be. There is no better time than now to make the effort to help those being used to change America see just how corrupt those using them really are. The best disinfectant has always been sunlight.
Hawksbill Crag (Whitaker Point) - Buffalo National Wilderness Area in Newton County, Arkansas