Thought for the Week
“It will never be known what acts of cowardice have been motivated by the fear of not looking sufficiently progressive.” ~Charles Péguy
What’s wrong with our world? I don’t know of any nation or society that’s ever been universally improved by a massive single-agenda fix. Not only because cultures are complex, constantly-changing organisms (and not single-purpose machines), but because what ails them is never a single thing, let alone a single scapegoat or group of people.
Nevertheless
Within the course of five minutes, I encountered three massive single-agenda “fixes” on the popular Q&A site Quora, each with thousands of upvotes, in response to the question, “Where did America go wrong, and what’s the fix?”
- Republicans are, by definition, evil. They’re all racist, sexist bigots and child-abusers. The fix: Silence them, make their agenda illegal, and install a new, permanent Democrat agenda.
- Democrats are, by definition, evil. They’re all devil-worshipping communist pedophiles. The fix: Silence them, make their agenda illegal, and install a new, permanent Republican agenda.
- Puritans are, by definition, evil (this one caught me off-guard). They, the early settlers of New England, with their “insane religious beliefs,” laid the groundwork for an “insane nation” with an “insane, racist Constitution;” they also introduced slavery. (Despite this person’s spectacularly inaccurate recap of U.S. history, not one person disagreed). The fix: Silence religious people, make their agenda illegal, and install a new, permanent Marxist-atheist government.
May I Ironically Suggest
…that there is, in fact, a single, transparent answer to the rather simplistic question, “What’s wrong with this country/world/society and what’s the fix?”
We are.
Well Said
Thank you.
You’ve pointed out a problem we have been facing, and will be facing for many years to come. I agree. There is no one single fix. It all begins with respect–respect of fellow humans. We’re all different, but that’s what makes this life so great.
Mitch, interesting comment, I quote “The fix: Silence religious people, make their agenda illegal, and install a new, permanent Marxist-atheist government.”
The people is the organization. What is being taught by the organization the people follow and speak. Some without fully understanding the word or WHY they are following a certain rule. Most of them follow because others are doing whatever it was–taught.
You are right it is up to each of us to FIX our attitudes.
Mitch, should you be silence?
I know why others want me gone, but truth WILL always conquer.
In conclusion, not all are born leaders. It’s just depressing when the people are under rulers whose rules and laws are a burden on the people. Some following in their leaders footsteps to be unkind, selfish, and robbers of the innocent ones.
Have a wonderful day.
You too, Bernadette.
I agree we all need improvement and this is a powerful post. The ‘transparent answer is even more insightful, great job!
Thank you, Ernie.
Amen, brother. I, too, am a little shocked by the Puritan one. The other two are broadcast loud and clear on a daily basis. I shake my head at both of them.
Hear, hear!
I have watched as these three mindsets particularly number three has gained traction in my neck of the woods. I am making myself ready for the inevitable backlash and am praying for the patent endurance of the saints.
Putting the Puritans on this list is a surprise but the definitions given Republicans and Democrats aren’t real kind either. I have recently been reading much about the Puritans and some of their writings. I think the world would be a better place if many more people thought like the majority of the Puritans.
If these are sarcastic remarks, I can understand them to a degree. If not, how have permanent Marxist-atheist governments done in the past? They have a pretty awful track record.
Yep! We are the bigger problem. Happy day to you!
How very true.
“We have met the enemy and he is us.” Pogo
It’s been said before about US politics, that voters look for a superman to magically fix everything.
Therefore, all you get is an actor wearing a superman suit who invarably ‘fails’ because they cant please everyone anyway.
There’s really no point in getting involved in National politics, because in the end, you have next to no influence on the outcome.
It’s very much a huge distraction from what matters -living a good life and making positive changes for the better.
In a roundabout way, reading the answers people gave explains what’s wrong with America.
I understand why people become hermits.
Indeed, Jacqui.
Thanks for your words of wisdom
My privilege, Kathy.
Amen, Mitch!
If only more people could learn to live and let live, to agree to disagree but still respect opinions and care for others.
We’ve been so ridiculously manipulated by media to believe we are each other’s enemies. It’s not true. It’s gotten so much worse in the last decade. There was a great article in The New York Times about it about five years ago. Two books I highly recommend for anyone looking for long-term solutions: High Conflict by Amanda Ripley and Sacred Instructions by Sherri Mitchell.
I’ll check them out, Niki.🧡
The Puritans deserve a lot of credit for whatever has gone right in the last couple hundred years, but historians have mostly noticed the bad things.
Hate and othering is what is wrong with the world…I hear that old song….what the world needs now is love sweet love, it’s the only thing there’s just too little of…everybody needs to put their swords down, please…
Or as Walt Kelly said in his Pogo comic strip, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Interesting. I was on a similar track this weekend.
Amen! I’m constantly surprized by the hatred and vitroil expressed on social media. Maybe I’m naive, but I want to believe that if two people were talking face to face, that there would be human kindness. That somehow the image of God that we were all made in–would come through. Anyway—God bless you Mitch.
And you as well, Katie.
As an outsider, this does seem to show the main problem. There swems to be no middle ground for people to openly discuss and learn the other side’s point of view. It’s either one side or the other. Maggie
Sadly true, Maggie.
You nailed it Mitch!
People tend to create complex excuses disguised as explanations as to our faults.
When, as you state, “”we are” what’s wrong with this world.
Imagine the harmonious life all creatures great and small could live if only we were not here.
🧡
I do have an actionable, agreeable solution as a first start: Public Ethics.
A reassertion of the requirement for public ethics.
1. Everyone can do it.
2. It’s easy list to understand.
3. Organizations can self-impose.
4. Families can make it the standard.
5. Individuals can measure their own compliance.
See if you like these? “List of ethiopian public ethics we should all agree to” (google)…
They emphasize “Abiro Menori” (living together), patriotism (hager wodadinet), and mutual respect. Key principles include integrity, accountability, community service, and maintaining harmony through high moral standards in both private and public life.
and…
These seven Catholic Social Justice principles—respect for the human person, promotion of the family, the individual’s right to own property, the common good, subsidiarity, the dignity of work and workers, and pursuit of peace and care for the poor—summarize some of the essentials of Catholic social teaching from Leo XIII through Benedict XVI.
Get your arses up to Canada, if you don’t mind wildfires to the west, freeze your bahoonies off weather to the north, weather systems as crazy as your Aunt Lou in the east (Maritimes!!) and separatists in Quebec (and sadly now Alberta) and government that in the 1990s had one winter in Ontario see the army come and dig out Toronto!!
https://www.reddit.com/r/toronto/comments/1qcvucf/mayor_mel_lastman_calls_the_army_to_toronto_after/
I shit you not Mitch, but anything is better than USA. 😮
Is is just me or do the voices of reason receive much less coverage on social media, while the voices not-so-reasonable are heard here, there, and everywhere? Truth is getting more and more difficult to find. To make matters worse, evil is called good and good is called evil by some. Without truth we have no foundation for wise decision-making.
So turns our broken world, Nancy.
Truth… Paul lays it out clearly in Romans 1 and 2… we are all without excuse, God judges correctly… We are the reason… Jesus is the Answer
Amen, Jim.
The question remains, will we accept that We Are?
And a big question it is, Iba.
Personally I’d like to blame the media but it’s definitely humans, as we progress we seem to regress.
So it would seem, Charlie.
>> finger tapping the tip of my nose <<
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Probably the one most significant thing in all of humanity is each one of us striving to have it our own way, and crying about it not being the way we want it.
Democrats, Republicans, religious, atheists, what have you?
The real issue is each of our internal eternal issues, when no one has a real answer, and they reject the reality of Jesus, then there is no answer.
That’s my soap box.
With love
Blessings
My favorite brand of soap, Pete.
😊