One of the recurring questions on the lips of people today is “What on earth is goin’ on?” The question can be examined through many lenses. Here is a perspective for you to ponder.
Studies of civilizations show a recurring pattern: no country has been able to sustain its fame. The great empires and nations of antiquity in Europe, the Near East, the Middle East, and North Africa had a tipping point often in their second century, a time in which the United States finds herself. These civilizations saw their prominence reduced by inward flaws instead of outside invasions. Has America come to its tipping point, and, if so, when did it start?
A society’s ascent to greatness is recognized for bonding, sacrifice, and stability. Included are periods of conflict that help clarify basic tenets rather than collapse the underlying culture. After a tipping point, the years of descent become known for demands, clashes, and chaos. The conflicts convert into animosity and contempt, designed for ruin.
My hope has always been for the United States to break the cycle, that her national constitution, rooted in equality and justice for everyone, and her dependence on the one True God, would show the world a better option. As a country whose pledge is “under God” and whose currency is “in God we trust”, I hoped other nations would witness a society continually moving upward, instead of eventually heading downward. What is presently occurring makes me wonder if the established cycle of history is still intact.
If this nation has reached the tipping point when was it? Did it just happen, or did it take place in an earlier period? Tipping points normally occur earlier and are identified after the consequences surface. Current events look more like the outcome of an earlier decision, a possible tipping point for this nation.
The slide downward may have started in 1968 with the unveiling of the “Me Generation” – rooted in rebellion, selfishness, arrogance, and greed. The values and standards of the United States changed drastically. The days of bonding, sacrifice, and stability were challenged by demands, clashes, and chaos. And the seeds of demands, clashes, and chaos planted in the ‘60s could be what is now blossoming, boosted with composts of ruthless brutality.
What spurred on the change? In the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, the campuses of leading Universities and Colleges chose to establish the study of humanity upon the bedrock of intolerant and assertive liberalism – the notion that a select class can better rule all the lower classes, that only the arrogant and egotistical can manage the wellbeing of the humble and chaste. The generations schooled in this model of learning were indoctrinated more than instructed.
Research reveals changed beliefs and practices takes generations, not just years, to implement. What is being witnessed today are three generations schooled in a train of thought conflicting with the nation’s earlier moorings.
The hatred currently being expressed throughout the land was caused when the voters at the last election reignited the earlier rule of governance – governance by “we the people” instead of by “we the ruling class.” In the last few years, the nation has once again experienced the ideals of her original forefathers, unsettling the agenda of elitism.
In the earliest days of Israel’s history, the leader Moses laid before the nation a covenant of blessing (a type of constitution) and informed them what would occur if they walked away from the agreement. Near the end of the written arrangement, he declared, “I have set before you life and death…. Choose life….” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
When Israel reached her tipping point, God gave them opportunities to remember their legacy through prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah. They were retold their purpose and challenged to stay true to their reason-for-being. If they were willing, the ability for Israel to turn around was possible. The warnings went unheeded and she tumbled into bondage.
Is this where America finds herself? The presidential candidates and political agendas of the two leading parties could hardly be more different; they are poles apart from one another. The outcome of the upcoming election will reflect what the majority of her citizens embrace, and the nation will end up living under the far-reaching outcomes of the ballot.
Is this the tipping point of just another great nation of the world, or is it a defining moment strengthening her foundation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
Everyone believes what they will; they should declare their opinion at
the polls, not on the streets. People must find out what the nation now accepts
and adheres to so they can better prepare for the opportunities or the consequences
that lay ahead. My hope for the United States is for her to still be a nation
under God, trusting in him – in other words, for the voters to choose life. We
shall see!
Pray for God’s blessing and keep your trust fully in him.
