Our Daily Passive Battle, by H.G.

I’m firmly in the “meek” category along with most of the attributes you would assume go with it: introverted, passive-aggressive, quiet, content, peace-loving, hard to anger, patient, etc.  I can put up with a lot, get along with anybody.  I have strong opinions but I know that nobody wants to hear them. My daily intake of news consists of scanning the mostly-local headlines of one of the city television stations, reading a couple stories of interest to get a deeper picture, and relying mostly on headlines for the gist of the national happenings.  I’m not completely head-in-the-sand but I know myself well enough to either limit my knowledge of what is going on or face the same depression and frustration I see in other people.  I go to work and talk to the same handful of people each day, talk to some neighbors, family and friends, never get a wide range of opinions outside of my local bubble.  I’m not on social media, I have a hard enough time with the real thing.  I “lurk” on some sites but never comment.

Begin rant:

What I’m having trouble with is keeping up with the flurry of groups/people/businesses/brand names/entertainment choices/candidates/influences that I should not be associating with, supporting, following, listening to, voting for, or even reading upon.  This business has this flag in their window… can’t go there anymore.  This business is owned by a guy that is a you-know-what… can’t shop there.  These people kneeled, these didn’t.  I saw her wearing one of those hats, not talking to her anymore.  I heard he went downtown for that event the other day.  Hmmm, didn’t know he was like that.

The more trusted and supposedly like-minded people I talk to, the more I find I can’t add to my mental list fast enough who I’m supposed to be taking a stand against.  And this is on top of all the ones I was already supposed to be against before March of this year.  From what I do gather from the news, there are certain groups of people that are supposed to hate me because of something I can’t change.  At the same time, I’m lumped in with the group of people who are supposed to be dead-set against the people who are against me.  This is all very confusing to me and I wish there were a way I could sort this out.  Should I spend more time reading the news each day?  Which news?  If I had my choice it would for sure be this national news outlet and that one only.  Actually what would be better is to surround myself with right-thinking people and we can feed off each other, maybe join a local protest or counter-protest.  Forget it, the safest thing for a person of my particular personality nuances is to just go full isolation and stay in my own little world.  Being anti-everything is just easier.

There, rant over.

Okay, show of hands- as you were reading this were you desperately trying to figure out what category to put me in?  Race?  Religion? Political party? Gender? Geographic location?  Urban/rural?  Liberal/conservative?  Leader/follower?  Trump supporter? BLM supporter? Mask, no mask? Were you getting frustrated as you were already forming your comment to the article in your head without knowing exactly who you were either about to support or rebuke?

This is exactly the problem that I have noticed taking root inside myself over the past four months.  I only used to do this in mild form and only on very critical issues.  Now, I can’t even read a blog post about onion harvesting without trying to figure out what the author’s agenda is.  I suddenly notice myself on alert at work listening for keywords from someone I know very well to figure out if that person is hating our governor or not.  Should I start questioning my patriotism because I’m fine with watching baseball even though some are kneeling for the national anthem?  The “me” of March 15 would not believe the angst and discontent of the “me” of today.  How did I get like this!?

Here is how I would read my own foregoing rant.  If your brain operates in a similar way, good, maybe you can help me:

First of all, I’m reading this on survivalblog.com.  Okay, mostly male, conservative, independent…that will be my starting assumption until proved otherwise.  Got the word “meek” right off the bat, no non-Christian would use that word.  Goes to work and has neighbors… maybe a suburbanite?  Says something against someone wearing a “hat”.. is this an anti-Trumper?!  Called it “event” instead of “riot” or even “protest”… a conservative wouldn’t call what’s happening in the crowds an “event”.  I can’t figure this guy out.  Maybe it’s a tree-hugging, love-everybody old lady?

I do really have two problems.  First,  my rant (although crafted somewhat generically) and my brief self-description are authentic.  I feel pressure to be against people based on what groups they support or don’t support.  Can’t we all just get along?  And second, I don’t like how I am analyzing people instead of accepting them these days.  Perhaps “accepting” is not the best word to use here but maybe you know what I mean.  To help you help me diagnose this I will fill in one blank for you:  Christian.  A couple other tumblers probably fall into place knowing that label, the other categories I will leave you guessing.

How am I supposed to love my neighbor when “taking a stand” against all these sulphuric issues requires me to take part in the cancel culture?  If I remain silent about (or at least don’t vocally poo-poo) the advance of Marxism, Communism, anti-police, anti-church gathering, abuses of power, rise of anarchy and the rest of the long list, I feel like I’m not doing my part in joining with those who are “right”.  If I do make these things a focus of my thoughts and conversations, then I so easily slip into a grumbling and bickering attitude that is not Christ-like at all.  There has to be a balance.

I believe my therapy (vaccine?) begins with Scripture.  If you are a regular at this website and routinely skip over the quotes from the Bible, I’ll make this short and sweet but hopefully pique your curiosity enough to do extra credit here and look some of this up for yourself.  If I start “taking a stand” for things I will make enemies. I know well about being an enemy of God himself.  How did he treat me?  Colossians 1:21-23.  This is the Gospel.  In light of what he has done for me, what should I do?:  Hebrews 10:22-25.  In the perspective of eternity, what should I do about my angst?:

 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”  2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

There is so much more in the Bible that confronts me and helps me with this I could go on for a while (the Beatitudes, many Proverbs, Christ’s example for us to name a few).  To right the ship of my sinking attitude, these truths need to be on my mind daily. Each morning before I go take on the world I need to be reminded of who Jesus is, what he has done for me, and what his Spirit can accomplish through me.  Somewhere in the inconvenience and eroding freedoms of the recent happenings I let this slip and my attitude toward others eroded as well.

So now, from a point of view of preparedness and survival, what am I daily learning from this experience?  As I look around me I do not yet see or smell any shreds of Schumer that have been propelled from the fan.  I know many people are not working right now but I am yet. I can still buy gas and groceries, there is much to be thankful for. I believe it was only sulphur that hit the fan in March.  Colorless so we can’t see where it is invading or how it’s getting on the inside, but certainly not odorless. Division and downright hate has most likely been inhaled by us all and it smells horrible.

Now take a good look at what breathing the sulphur has done to us on the inside and extend that out as far as you think this will last.  Not a pretty picture.  We’ve had sulphur hit the fan, we still expect Schumer at some point, and our cure can only come from a Savior.  If we have a huge pantry stocked for a five-year supply and mold or critters take over what are we going to do about it? We’ll clean up, restock and defend.  If our hearts and attitudes get in a similar condition we need to do the same!

So where does this leave me?  It’s a daily battle. I will still be downwind of the fan unfortunately, still breathing in the sulphur, but I resolve to fix my eyes on what is unseen, trust in the one who saved me, repent of being grumpy, and strive to love others despite differences and difficulties.

I respect the wisdom that comes from the readers of SurvivalBlog and look forward to reading the comments.




36 Comments

  1. How does one have compassion for someone/something that they know to be wrong ? How can you render aid to a fallen fighter from the other side?

    Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

  2. “If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them.” – Sun Tzu

    We are under attack from people using these tactics. They seek to foster division within the United States. They seek to irritate and fragment.

    “Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.” – Sun Tzu

    Ask yourself: do we have the same resistance to external aggression today that we had two years ago? If you’re actually reading multiple news sources, you know we do not. Our enemies are attempting to drive wedges between all aspects of our society: military, government, social, economic, political, religious, race, gender. Everything is under concerted assault.

    What can we do as small families and groups? Maintain familial ties and group bonds. Grow and develop them. Expand them where possible. In addition to being prepared with bullets, beans and band-aids, we must also be prepared to eventually rebuild our towns, cities, counties, and eventually states and the nation. We must be prepared to muster a concerted response to the eventual foreign aggression which will manifest when they feel we have been sufficiently weakened.

    The barbarians always come. Always. There is only one solution: to repel the aggression.

    Despite the strong tendency of modern Americans to think of the “army of one” that is a dangerous myth. One lion will be pulled down by a pack of jackals every time. No individual reader will ever be able to single-handedly repel foreign aggression. We must – must! – maintain our cohesion and united purpose in defending this nation or all is lost. This means we must remember how to build our own alliances and strengths, our own cohesion and purpose.

    1. Kass Andra, you have an excellent attitude.

      “This means we must remember how to build our own alliances and strengths, our own cohesion and purpose.”

      There are so many things beyond our control. What you counsel is within our control.

      Carry on

  3. A very thought provoking article; thanks for contributing your message. Face-to-face you and I could have a wonderful conversation, but for now I’ll just leave a short comment. In the past 25 or 30 years, we (people) have been able to discuss our differences and agree to let the others have their opinions and still be friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. At this time, in some locations, having a discussion on religion, education or politics or expressing an opinion may get you fired from your job, banned from your school, and physically attacked by those who think differently. The only safety is with God; every morning put on the armor of God and walk courageously in His ways.

  4. Kass, “The barbarians always come. Always! There is only one solution; to repel the aggression.” These are words of iron – friend. But also true is the fact you pointed out first – “Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemies resistance – without fighting.” – Sun Tzu
    Our weakness is a symptom of laziness and spiritual depravity. 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (KJV)
    The enemy is always always always present. Saying, look over here! Look at your circumstance. You deserve this, you will be like god and surely won’t die. Truth mixed with a lie is not truth.
    Saturday the 26th is set apart as a day o fasting and prayer. I strongly recommend we are all on our faces and crying out to our Creator God to bring healing to our country though a repentant heart.
    LuvYerBro

    1. Even peaceful Jesus took a whip to the backs of the bankers and moneychangers. How would he judge those who $billions in campaign donations have dumped so much deceit, poverty, sadness and death upon both America and upon the world?

  5. Good insight, good points. For many Christians we see it a little differently. We see current events as the beginning of the end times. So much instruction is given in Scripture for end-time prep. Yes, 1. the Word of God 2. prayer 3. thanksgiving 4. helping others…..but also preparing provisions, safety, security of family and neighborhoods….Jesus said, when giving the disciples instructions for end times: “There be ready….who then is a faithful servant…to give them meat in due season?…blessed is that servant whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing.” What is the Lord ‘finding us so doing’? What are we doing? Yes we are to have faith, trust the Savior. Yes we are to be ‘so doing’. It’s a balance. The US does not seem to be a player in end time events — either taken out early (Babylon?) or just simply irrelevant. Jesus says over and over: WATCH AND PRAY. Watch what? He knew there would be something to ‘watch’. We still love our unsaved fellow human beings. We still hope salvation for them. But we must be ready to ‘come out from her’ o my people.

  6. Jesus said; “Watch and pray” “blessed is that servant whom his Lord when He comes, shall find SO DOING”….to many, the times are short…..watch, pray, do.

  7. 1) The vast majority of your fellow Americans –regardless of their political registration, ethnic or religious group, sex,etc — are not your enemy and deserve a fair hearing. At worse they may be mistaken — understandably so, given the dishonesty of our massive corporate News Media.

    2) But there IS a small faction that is our enemy and which must be destroyed. They are the ones constantly promoting hatred and trying to turn us against one another — “Divide and conquer”.

    3) This cabal is worse than any foreign enemy we face. In part because even our foreign enemies would be content to remain on the far side of the world. In part because part of the actions of Russia, China and Al Qaeda have been driven by our cabal’s aggressive drive to conquer the world and create a world government. One in which they would rule and the average American would be an impoverished slave along with everyone else. The lying News Media never reports the cabal’s actions that have provoked counterattacks from abroad.

    4) That cabal is a group of billionaires supported by a larger mass of paid liars –on Wall Street, in politics, in the News Media, in Hollywood, and in our universities. The prostitutes are easy to spot — look for anyone whose job is NOT producing a product or useful service but rather is producing stories. I.e, Lies. Someone who therefore can only earn a living by promoting the interests of wealthy masters with deceit.

    5) Note that when I say universities, I am not referring to engineers, scientists, mathematicians, or doctors. Or even to business or law. I am referring to departments of humanities and social studies — which have been corrupted by the Rich. Similar to the corrupt priests of the Middle Ages who preached the Divine Right of Kings to starving peasants.

    6) Our economics has become a vicious religious cult that practices human sacrifice like the Aztecs — and if you don’t believe me, look at the soaring number of US suicides after the 2008 subprime crisis and Obama/Joe Biden/Pelosi/Schumer’s Big Bailout.

    7) The Democratic leaders who prate about Hate Speech obscure a fact — that they deserve the implacable hatred of all Americans for what they have done to this country. We need to explain this to the average independent and Democratic voter. Explain why they will always be betrayed by their leaders and will always end up suffering sadness, poverty, betrayal and a deep depression.

  8. “…introverted, passive-aggressive, quiet, content, peace-loving, hard to anger, patient, etc. I can put up with a lot, get along with anybody. I have strong opinions but I know that nobody wants to hear them.”

    Hey H.G., wow, after reading your opening paragraph I had to scroll up and make sure this wasn’t an article I had submitted and forgotten about. Thank you for this submission, it gives us a lot to think about. The “sulfur hitting the fan” will definitely become a new part of my lexicon. 🙂

    The single biggest thing that helped me with all the issues you bring up is when I saw the light and became a certified libertarian nut job after being a republican all my born days. Unlike the Bible which is 1,000+ pages of rules, regulations and history, and very open to interpretation, the principles of libertarianism, of which there is only one, is super easy for my pea brain to understand and makes a single yardstick for me to measure all things by. I’m not trying to convert anyone here, I gave up on that years ago when I realized that people want nothing whatsoever to do with liberty once they discover it has consequences, even though those consequences are one 1,000th of the consequences of every other form of government that’s ever been tried. But for me personally, it’s the only thing that makes any sense on how to govern people and how to interpret what goes on around us. Once I finally realized that people want nothing to do with freedom, I spent a long time trying to get a handle on why that was true. I wrote a book, the title of which I won’t mention, explaining why people don’t like freedom and why very few of us DON’T have a problem with, and are guilty of, Group Think. The groups we belong to, beginning with the male/female grouping, determine way too much of how we believe, how we opine, and which side we’re on. Since we are by nature very social creatures, it couldn’t be any other other way for the overwhelming vast majority of people. So we go along to get along and believe all sorts of crap and nonsense in the process of fitting in.

    The one principle of libertarianism, that private property is sacred and the only right that actually exists, determines how I look at the world. That one principle is often clarified with the addition of “nobody has the right to initiate violence” but that’s just another way of saying that private property is sacrosanct. With that understanding, and being a loner who has a very low need to belong, I can have any opinion and not have to worry about what others think about it. I mentioned the other day that I side with Iran because from a Freedom standpoint, they are 100% correct and the U.S. is 100% wrong. I’ve mentioned plenty of other similar things that offend a lot of people but based on the idea that private property is sacred, everything I have said agrees with that. By not having to worry too much about group think, I am free to believe whatever the truth happens to be. I can recognize the truth much more easily now than I could when I was a republican. All I can do is smile and shake my head when friends and family say things that are just plain nuts and which they only believe because of group think. Many of the comments I read on SB posted by obvious republicans fall easily into that group. It’s fun to beat up on democrats because they are blind followers due to group think. But it’s just as easy to beat on republicans for the very same reason and on just as many issues. But to keep the peace, I try not to do that here. I also have a strict policy to never discuss religion. It gets in the way all the time with family members and friends and I have to leave discussions hanging in mid air many times because of it. On the religion, all I care is that people are happy so I don’t care what their religious beliefs are and that is their right to their private property, in this case their mind. There are a lot of benefits to religion and church groups will survive SHTF scenarios much better than us lone dogs, but I just choose not to participate.

    As you mentioned, people don’t want to allow us to have our opinions. A lot of people become totally irrational if your opinion disagrees with theirs. I have family members that won’t talk to you for a month if you express an opinion counter to theirs. They make the mistake of thinking that their opinion is fact, and the worse mistake of thinking that they can make a gnat’s worth of difference in the world and change all of mankind to their point of view.

    Once I realized that one of the most important things to me is truth, the world took on a whole new view, like in The Matrix, but even more so. People talk all the time about “patriotism,” a term I am very uncomfortable with and never call myself patriotic. The root of the word refers to “father” and patriotism to me is obedience to the Fatherland much like we were forced to obey our fathers when we were young. Too many people are blindly patriotic and do whatever the government wants them to including blindly marching off to war that the U.S. had no business meddling in. Again, for me the decision is a no-brainer because it violates the idea of private property. Drafting me is violating the right of directing my own life in the worst of ways and Uncle Sam would get an envelope containing the ashes of my draft card, a very strongly worded letter with a lot of words beginning with the letter “F” and a postmark from Peru. Blind patriotism is group think on steroids. If there are any true patriots among us, they would have stormed Washington long ago with torches and pitchforks instead of blindly following our leaders to the hell they have created in this country. Public property is not private property and was all created via funds stolen from We the People. I more or less agreed with the few protesters (not the scumbag looters) in the 12 hours after George Floyd was killed, but beginning about hour 13 I have disagreed with just about everything they have done since.

    We Humans only rarely are guilty of critically thinking about things. I’ve done a lot of dumb things and even injured myself in the process sometimes, because I don’t give a rat’s behind about what people say about things I can test for myself. While I lose many times, I also come out ahead more often that not. “Can I reuse canning lids,” is a very common question if you google it. And 99% of the response will say, “Of course not dummy!” The responders are people who don’t know crap from shineola, regurgitating things they’ve heard but have never tested themselves or even really thought about. Whenever I can test it, I test it with an open mind. Also with critical thought, it amazes me on SB how many people will rant about red flag laws, then the next day advocate forced wearing of masks in public. Red flag laws (which I adamantly oppose) are at least using probabilities in determining someone who may be a risk. Mask laws are worse than red flag laws and they assume I am guilty just because I’m a Homo sapiens and they violate my rights beyond belief. If my local grocery store wants to bar my entrance without a mask, that’s their right since it’s their private property. For the government to force me is a whole different ball game. Due to group think, anything to do with the 2A has an immediate knee-jerk reaction from SB readers, but that’s all forgotten by some folks when the same principle isn’t applied in the same way to other equally important, or more important things. Again, my body is my most important piece of private property and no government should be able to tell me what to do, or not do, with it as long as I am not violating the rights of others.

    Which brings me to the last point in this overly long response, an open mind. Because the vast majority of us lack critical thinking skills and don’t care about the truth due to group think, people only rarely do honest research when trying to figure things out. If you question one of their beliefs, or if they are researching a new topic, the general rule is to research things that will prove their point, rather than having an open mind and being willing to go where the truth will take them. Learn to say, “I used to believe that but now I am better informed.” I had some suspicions about the JFK assassination all my life but had never done any hard-core research until about 15 years ago. I first researched what was considered the absolute best “lone assassin” book, which was the best for “Deep State did it,” and then I ordered each book. I read both with an open mind and afterwards, was able to come to a genuinely educated opinion about what happened that day in 1963. 9/11? I have a an opinion which I assign a high probability to but I’m not wiling to bet my life on that probability. I try to do unbiased research with everything that I want to form an opinion on. I belong to very few groups so I don’t have group think affecting my research and I don’t need to come to any “approved” opinions to maintain favor with the group. Why I have I never done any research about global warming? Because I belong to the third group, the don’t-give-a-crap group. It has no bearing whatsoever on how I’m going to run my life and I don’t care if Humans go extinct in 10,000 years because of it. 99.8% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct, why should we be any different?

    Apologies for the long post. I write these almost every day, then save them in a folder before hitting the “Cancel Comment” button on SB. I’m sure most are grateful for those days when my patron saint, St. Funogas, is doing his job and helping me keep my trap shut and my windy opinions to myself. 🙂

    1. @St Funogas

      1) The problem is when private property becomes deeply concentrated into the hands of the few, those few decide that they must use tyranny to protect it, and then use part of that property to wage political warfare upon their fellow countrymen.

      2) I would have no problem with the Rich if they had stuck to buying big yachts , drugs and Gulfstream jets. My problem is when they buying TV networks and newspapers to use deceit to destroy anyone –like Trump — who suggests the billionaires have a duty to the country which enriched them.

      Including hiring Americans instead of bringing in cheap foreign labor.

      3) Last time I checked every American man has to sign up for the military draft. With the Congressional prostitutes of the Rich claiming the right to send us and our sons to die in foreign lands to protect the “property rights” of our billionaires there. And maybe steal some more private property for them.

      4) The only reason Americans had rising living standards and decent wages in the 1950s-1970s was because the Rich were scared of the Soviet communists –especially after the Rosenberg and Cohen spy rings gave Stalin the detailed design of the plutonium implosion bomb. As soon foreign threats to our Rich — Nazi Germany, Soviet Union, Maoist China — vanished our Rich were back to the policies of the Robber Barons and American real median wage leveled off for the first time in 200 years and has stayed flat in the past 30 years.

      1. Being wealthy is not intrinsically a bad thing. It is those who choose to use their wealth to accumulate power and achieve evil ends that is the problem. A few recent examples include Bill Gates, Rupert Murdoch, Michael Bloomberg, and George Soros. Many wealthy people are generously charitable and altruistic. But a few 21st Century billionaires have begun playing The Great Game — a game previously reserved for nation-states.

        Here is a key example: https://bigleaguepolitics.com/billionaire-mike-bloomberg-pays-16-million-in-fines-of-black-and-hispanic-felons-to-enable-them-to-vote/

        1. I read a really uplifting story recently about a billionaire who’s goal was to give it all away before he died.
          He just got down to his last 2 million and closed his philanthropic org.

      2. Hey Don,

        Thanks for the feedback and I respect your opinion, but I do see things differently.

        On your point 1, tyrranny on this planet has been rampant throughout history exactly because governments don’t respect the principle of private property and we’re rapidly headed for total tyranny as I’m typing this. Can we try a government based on respect for private property just once before we go extinct?

        Your point 2, since 1776 the majority of those rich people you are referring to only got that way because they were enabled by their buddies in government. If the concept of private property had been enshrined in the very first paragraph of the constitution, the government never could have grown to be the behemoth it is today, and politicians would have no way to enable their rich friends to get richer.

        Point three, if the government respected private property (my body) there’d be no draft and they’d have no funds (my private property, money) or any way to enable those rich to protect their sons from war because the gov would have no money to wage endless, pointless wars. They certainly couldn’t raise the funds via charitable contributions like worthy causes can.

        Point four, “The only reason Americans had rising living standards and decent wages.” Standards have always been adequate. I’ve researched hundreds of my ancestors in American since 1608 and never once came across a sentence saying, “Gee my life sucks! I need more money for toys!” People want too many toys and gadgets and are not satisfied with a simple life. It’s not anyone’s responsibility to provide those for them, especially via stealing my property and redistributing wealth. Americans want too much money for doing very little and the basic concepts of true capitalism would be far better than the pseudo-capitalism we’ve always had in this country, only enabled by government not respecting private property.

        Kind regards.

      3. P.S.

        “2) I would have no problem with the Rich if they had stuck to buying big yachts , drugs and Gulfstream jets. My problem is when they buying TV networks and newspapers to use deceit to destroy anyone –like Trump — who suggests the billionaires have a duty to the country which enriched them.”

        Contrary to popular belief, we’ve never had an unbiased press in this country or any other country. The only difference was that in previous eras, newspapers were bold in the declarations of which side they were on by naming their newspapers things like the Dallas Democrat and Rochester Republican. If American’s can’t decide which side the various newspapers and “news” stations are on, and that the “news” is biased, they should grab another beer and go back to sleep.

        Case in point, 123 years ago when rich Americans wanted to rape the Philippines of its natural resources, they got their buddies in government, with the help of the press, notably William Randolph Hearst to make it happen via the Spanish American War.

        Hearst’s famous quote: When Hearst Artist Frederic Remington, cabled from Cuba in 1897 that “there will be no war,” William Randolph Hearst cabled back: “You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.” And that’s exactly what happened. “The United States of America” was on Philippine coins until about 1946 and were all minted at the Philadelphia mint.

        1. @ St Funogas

          1) The problem occurs when the People decide dying to protect the wealth of the Rich is no longer worth it. That maybe life under a foreign warlord would be better than a life of poverty under predatory elites.

          2) Historians debate the many reasons why the Roman Empire –upon which our government was modelled — fell. But a Christian priest named Salvinus explained circa 440 AD why the common Roman was deciding it was better to live under a German warlord than be a “free citizen” under the vicious rule of Roman elites.

          ” So the poor are despoiled, the widows sigh, the orphans are oppressed, until many of them, born of families not obscure, and liberally educated, flee to our enemies that they may no longer suffer the oppression of public persecution.

          They doubtless seek Roman humanity among the barbarians, because they cannot bear barbarian inhumanity among the Romans. And although they differ from the people to Whom they flee in manner and in language; although they are unlike as regards the fetid odor of the barbarians’ bodies and garments, yet they would rather endure a foreign civilization among the barbarians than cruel injustice among the Romans.

          So they migrate to the Goths, or to the Bagaudes, or to some other tribe of the barbarians who are ruling everywhere, and do not regret their exile. For they would rather live free under an appearance of slavery than live as captives tinder an appearance of liberty. The name of Roman citi’en, once so highly esteemed and so dearly bought, is now a thing that men repudiate and flee from. . . .”

          https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/salvian1.asp

          3) Most of those Roman elites disappeared in the following decades, although a few survived as bootlicking couriers to German kings.

          4) I suspect the military recruiters will have a more difficult job if the following becomes common knowledge:

          https://wolfstreet.com/2019/09/10/mens-real-earnings-in-2018-below-1973-womens-real-earnings-up-40-percent/

  9. Wow! A wonderful perspective, well written and expressed. Clearly defines feelings I’m sure many of us have and struggle with. I think KASS sums up my feelings very well and CORD7 refines them. As I frequently say, Jesus came to save us with a sword. I love the Sun Tzu quotes.

  10. Thanks for sharing HG!

    I was struck with one question throughout:

    Why are you looking for someone/something else to tell you what/how to think?

    You seem intelligent, thoughtful, and articulate. I suspect your are educated through at least High School level, and appear to have some religious background to give you moral guidance.

    Far as I can see, the only person who you should be listening to is that little voice in the back of your head.

    Stop looking for the easy road and letting someone else think for you. My 9th grade history teacher once told me the greatest gift God ever gave mankind, was between his ears (and this was in a public school)!

  11. “Okay, show of hands- as you were reading this were you desperately trying to figure out what category to put me in? Race? Religion? Political party? Gender? Geographic location? Urban/rural? Liberal/conservative? Leader/follower? Trump supporter? BLM supporter? Mask, no mask? ”

    Actually, my first thought was “victim” unfortunately. No matter what other categories from the above. I felt sorry for you H.G., for to me that statement was one I would expect from a lost soul.

    “Can’t we all just get along?” I would have to ask when in history has this ever happened? The answer is never. In the time before Christ, and in the time after Christ, life has been a continual struggle.

    “love thy neighbor?’ Yes, that is what we are taught. But it ties into “Can’t we all just get along?” It implies that others maintain the same moral/ethical base as you, and that is not the case. Many are actively working to enslave you, and even if they are your neighbor, they may be, or, become your enemy.

  12. Have one comment about private property, we figured out a few thousand years ago that without some rule of law and a moral code, the strong would take what they wished from the weak and would make their lives miserable. Why hunt if the cave bully is going to take the fruit of your labors and share it and everything else with your wife? But if you stop hunting, doesn’t pay or achieve anything, and he with his strength sees no need to hunt, I will just take his game, then no one eats and all suffer. So men set up a system to protect every one and it has proven in the long run to work. Yours and mine in the long run becomes your property and mine, each defined in law and culture, and in the end the rules create private property.

    Now when this law is broken, riots, war, political systems that destroy the concept of private property, the bully, with his strength or political force, does not create incentives to work and plan for the future. It also removes the human desire to prepare for the future, to make your children’s life better than yours, and to live in peace.

    1. Duane: Welcome to Canada. We have fought and struggled for years to have some sort of constitution or bill of rights. We do have a “Charter of Rights and Freedoms” but every government has balked at the idea of adding “property rights” to the document. And if they did, the weasle government that drafted it made sure that they added a “Not-withstanding” clause. What it basically means is that you have these rights and freedoms under the law, unless we change our mind or it becomes inconvenient for the government.

      As a result, right at this time, we are fighting a “military-style assault” weapons ban which would involve the forced buy-back (confiscation) of anything that the government deems to dangerous for us to own. And on top of it all you have no idea what they will give you for your property that they are forcing you to surrender.

      Most people don’t realize the slippery slope that this creates. They are all lining up like little sheeple, thinking this only affects assault style weapons, or gun owners. They don’t realize that when they give up their god given rights and allow the government to legislate the confiscation of private property that it won’t stop with guns. Welcome to our socialist utopia on your Northern border.

  13. ” I’d like to buy the world a Coke…”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VM2eLhvsSM

    I hear you, because I’m an introvert too, who really wishes everyone would just get along and mind their own business.

    Sadly, The Enemy, Satan, doesn’t want us singing together and sipping Coke.
    I’m a bit of a student of history, but mostly a student of the Bible.
    Kingdoms are born and kingdoms fall.

    I’d personally, in spite of my introverted personality, rather die fighting for my freedom and the freedom of my family and neighbors, than lay down, stick my head in the sand, and let the godless, Marxist, tanks roll over me. So, how does that translate into my current reality?
    1. I will follow Jesus and His teachings
    2. I will vote for freedom/liberty
    3. I will prepare for the return of Christ, which could include living through the End Times.

    With that in mind, I have specific strategies to safeguard my mental state. I avoid 99% of Mainstream Media. I live far away from crazy people and chaos. I spend my days being as productive and thankful as I can. All choices that I sometimes fail at making.

    Thank you for the article. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

    1. Sara Sue: Couldn’t agree more. Especially that part about, “All choices that I sometimes fail at making.”

      I just remember that our savior didn’t ask that we be perfect, only that we try. So the struggle goes on.

      God bless, and keep you safe.

  14. Every person i meet automatically gets a level of respect. That respect can increase or decrease depending on their words and most importantly their deeds. We are all made in God’s image and whatever respect or lack thereof i have for a person, they will be treated according to biblical standards. Love your neighbor as yourself, do into others as you would have them do into you, love and pray for your enemies. Jesus said hatred is the same as murder. When someone loses my respect, I no longer associate with them I’d possible whether in person or other venues. If I’m in a situation that i don’t like, I will leave, however i will defend myself, family or other innocents if necessary. Some scripture references: Matthew 7:12, Mark 12:28-31, Matthew 5:44, Matthew. Then there is Mark 16:15. Pray, read God’s word and follow what He is telling YOU specifically.

  15. This article sure spoke to me. All I’ve ever wanted in life is the Bible verse about “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”. It would seem that it’s no longer possible, and it doesn’t depend on me.

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