Back in August of 2015, I wrote a blog post, “He never means anything serious till he talks about justice and right”, explaining how I saw Trump’s emerging campaign and appeal much like Sarah Palin’s populist appeal. I think that 2015 post is still relevant to where America is at today. My blog started as a place where I bloviated on politics and vented about how much I disagreed with the Obama policies. And, while I’ve tried to get away from that at times, I do read a lot about politics and history, so that’s where I seem to end up.
To save you time, if you don’t want to read my opinions, I’d like to recommend some free online courses I found at Hillsdale College. I started a course on American Citizenship and Its Decline taught by Victor Davis Hanson last week and there are some other free courses at Hillsdale I want to take. I have not agreed with Victor Davis Hanson on some of his pro-Trump viewpoints, but he’s an excellent instructor and I have no reservations about learning from him. I believe I can learn things from people I disagree with, not only from “like-minded” people.
All around us are signs in America that American culture has changed dramatically in the past few decades and I suppose future historians will be trying to puzzle out what happened to America and why did it happen. Experts, politicians, pundits, social commentators offer all sorts of explanations, usually about how opinions became more slanted by political belief systems and less by religious belief systems. Headlines abound blaring about how fewer Americans now hold strong religious convictions and more and more Americans hold much stronger political viewpoints, that serve as a very shallow secular religion foundation. Even speaking openly about some very basic Christian moral beliefs can lead to calls from the far-left crowd that you should be banished from polite society for “hate-speech.” However, these sort of echo-chamber spaces have been growing on the right too in recent years, even in many traditional Christian American churches. Just watch how quickly Trump goes from praising people around him to branding them with disparaging nicknames and casting them into the RINO pit of hell – banished forever, to get a feel that the “cancel culture” is on both sides of the political spectrum in America.
With all the bad things happening, I still don’t believe we are doomed or should give up, if the “other side” wins and my preferred candidate loses. I believe God gives us all the power to work hard and try to face challenges and I refuse to ever buy into our destiny rests on one man being elected. I have always rejected the belief in thinking “one man on a strong horse” can save us, because God gives us all the power to do many things to save ourselves and frankly, if that “one man” you’re depending on dies or is incapacitated, do you just give up?
Even small daily efforts can reap huge benefits over time. I started working at building up my pantry storage and working at container gardening. It’s the getting into that belief system that these small personal efforts really matter and staying committed that has made me a true-believer in slow and steady wins the race. Don’t give up hope – no matter what happens.
My beliefs on leadership were really fully-formed when I joined the Army in 1979 and learned that it’s all about “the team” and no matter what happens in battle, whoever is still standing regroups to fight another day. The American team in the Army was filled with people of all nationalities, all sorts of political and religious beliefs, but they were bound by their oath to protect and defend the Constitution and a set of values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, personal courage.
I believe we can all be warriors for American principles and being committed to protecting the Constitution. That’s why I reject the belief that “America’s future hangs on this one election” type thinking, because America’s future depends on all of us – today, tomorrow and in future generations. We need more Americans to learn about US history and especially about the Constitution. These free Hillsdale College courses are an easy way to learn more about American civics.
I hear so much about finding “like-minded” people and that’s the way to survive, but honestly, I think being open to talking to people who disagree with me and who hold differing viewpoints is the only way to get America back to any semblance of a free and functioning pluralistic society. “Saving America” isn’t about getting everyone to march in lockstep with my beliefs and indulging in this constant Us vs. Them divisiveness, it’s about finding common ground and trying to expand on that. That common ground should start with cultivating a belief in the Constitution of the United States.
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