Leave those sidelines, brothers and sisters. In a world of inflamed language, charges and counter-charges, it’s too easy to take that easy path of silence.
Who is right? Who is telling the truth? How can I really find out what is true? Is there truth or only perspective? What should I do? What can I do? How should I do it? All valid questions that take time and tremendous effort to answer.
So, maybe silence is better. Nobody is getting hurt if we just sit quietly.
Silence, my friends, is 100 percent wrong and the sure path to submission and surrender.
Yet, it is exactly what the opposition wants you to do. You are being quieted by the mob and its “cancel culture” system of destruction. This approach to controlling public sentiment is noxious, nefarious and needs to be stopped.
Confusion and chaos reign today. We fight back by mooring ourselves to the fundamentals we know.
This essay is not a call to confrontation, nor to figure out the things I do not know — which are legion — but to recognize, be confident in and to make decisions based on the things I do know.
There are plenty of things we don’t know, but let’s take bold action based on the things we do.
Here are things I know and upon which I can act:
America’s founding is based on eternal principles that apply as much today as when introduced by our forefathers.
The world has benefitted from truths espoused in the Declaration of Independence.
Prosperity accelerated as the world embraced these truths.
Slaves worldwide have been set free because of the path set by our founders and Western Civilization.
America has created more opportunity and offered freedom to more at home and abroad than any other nation, ever.
I am grateful and fortunate to have been born in this nation.
I stand for the National Anthem not because our nation is perfect, but for the ideals which the flag represents.
We are not perfect but aspire to an ideal standard.
Many injustices have been committed in this nation and we need to learn from them and do better.
Proper perspective of the world is critical to understanding America’s overall positive impact on humanity.
We have made tremendous strides in living the creed, “All men are created equal.”
God loves and values each human equally. No person is worth more in His eyes than another.
All of us, endowed with different talents and presented with different circumstances, are to perform to the best of our ability.
Life is not fair, and governments cannot make it fair without being unjust.
We must lead ourselves, first and foremost.
We are to love our fellow man.
We are to live God’s commandments and repent often, as we fail to live up to the standards He has set.
People and nations can improve and we should not be mired in sins of our past; rather, we should visualize what we might become, as opposed to what we have been.
We are responsible for our own sins and not those of another generation.
If you believe that you cannot, you are correct.
It is not for me, nor government, to make all outcomes equal but to do our best to reach our own potential as we help others reach theirs.
Teaching false narratives to fit our desired outcome is evil and destroys people and nations.
The end does not justify the means and in fact the means are the end; that is, the means is what is most important. How we live – and not whether we win or lose – is what matters.
That life goes on after death and we will be responsible for our actions here on earth to Our Maker.
Killing or injuring another human being (including in the womb) except in self- defense or other extenuating circumstances, is wrong.
Liberty is grounded in law, as laws are incorporated into the power granted to the government by the people.
Arbitrary power leads to tyranny and should not be tolerated.
Local police forces are the keystone of our republic and necessary for keeping law and order.
When police are degraded and undermined by their local or national leaders, chaos prevails, and danger intensifies to both police and citizenry.
Legitimate government is set up to protect life, liberty, and property from those who would abuse these.
An ignorant populace will lose its freedom.
I am responsible for my own actions and for taking care of my family.
It is my responsibility to help take care of my fellow man through my own free will.
Controlling an economy from the top will never rival the results of a free- market system.
People will believe you if you persist in telling them they are victims and it is not their fault. Tell a lie long and loud enough and it will find acceptance.
False narratives work on the ignorant, lethargic, selfish, unthinking, or corrupted.
There are still many Patriots who believe as I do.
Socialism and Communism are inherently evil as they are the antithesis of liberty.
One cannot be a socialist and concurrently adhere to the American creed as found in the Declaration of Independence.
We do not live in a democracy but a limited federal republic.
Government is supposed to have limited powers given to it from the people.
Strong family is the foundation of society.
We are to eat by the sweat of our brow.
Although it would be nice, it is not anyone’s responsibility to take care of me but my own.
People come together by finding common-ground; they are separated by exacerbating differences.
Being fearful of expressing myself because of potential retribution should not exist in America.
Having written all the above how does that affect my thoughts and actions? This is to be the subject of Part II of this article.
Chronicling these truths provides a compass such that I might conduct myself in harmony with my own knowledge and standards. I suggest you do the same.