Tuesday, March 14, 2017

it takes time

 If you are unwilling to change yourself, how can you expect to change the world ? That is what came to mind as I sat at this keyboard this morning. Am I willing to change ? Well that is a big question to grapple with at 5:30 in the morning. I'm thinking this will take a few cups of coffee. The real decision to be made is do I need to change ? From that I would have to ask change for what reason ? Would that reason be to the benefit of myself, or to the society in general ? Weighty questions indeed ? It doesn't take much thought to know that I should make some changes, nobody is perfect. But, what to change ? I can't abandon my basic beliefs and tenets. It has taken 63 years to gain them after all. It is a bit of a catch 22 isn't it ?
 I see folks wanting change. I also see they want government to make those changes. Those folks are on the left. Their concept of change has little to do with personal accountability, and everything to do with government. They are obsessed with legislation making everyone equal and other noble causes. They attempt to legislate away racism, sexism, and all manner of ism's. Many don't actually take personal responsibility for any of that, viewing it solely as a social issue. That is always the way of the left. The problem with social change is that it must happen one person at a time. Social change is a gradual process. Like spoiled children the left want it now ! And will throw a tantrum when they don't get it, calling it activism. The left are experts on ism's you know.
 Now I am a bit more conservative in my values. I do base my decisions on those precepts that I  learned from my Bible. I'm not a Bible toting evangelist, that is certain. Nor do I regularly proclaim my Christianity to the world. I really feel no need to do so. The Bible, as many of our founding fathers agreed, is the most important book of all. Yes, it is a book that should be studied and lessons learned from that study. The first lesson is personal accountability. God gives us free choice and it is in that choice that accountability lies. What was Jesus trying to accomplish ? Social change is the short answer. He certainly advocated for all the things those on the left are so riled up about today. It has been a couple thousand years and man is still working on those changes. Notice Jesus didn't advocate for social activism ! He didn't teach that you should riot and make demands upon the society. No, he was all about accepting personal responsibility. That is also why many on the left try to exclude Jesus and the Bible from the conversation altogether. And short of that, they reinterpret the Bible to suit their purposes.
 We have to do as Jesus taught. We must change people one at a time. Without getting too preachy he did say, " no one comes to the father unless by me " , and that is one at a time. That is what I believe anyway. The United States of America has always been known as the melting pot. What is it that we are melting ? Culture is what is being melted. Cultures being transformed into a common culture. At least that was so in the beginning. That was back when folks emigrated to America to become a part of the American dream. They were willing to change, to discard pieces of their culture in favor of the American ideal. Just what is that ideal ? To live freely in a society and work for the common good . It has little to do with government, but everything to do with personal accountability.
 I don't believe anyone can deny that we have made progress in America. Everyone does have equal rights. Many on the left fail to understand that equal rights and equal opportunity does not mean equal results ! Again a matter of personal choices made. Freedom does not mean you are free to just do as you please. There are moral standards associated with a society.  Virtue is also of paramount importance if a society is to survive. Abandon either of those and the society will degenerate. And where do we derive those morals and virtues ? What Book can we learn that from ? “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” (John Adams, October 11, 1798.) It was true in 1798 and remains true to this day. You can not legislate morality or virtue. Those must be taught and then adopted by the populace.
 To answer the question I poised at the start of this piece, If you are unwilling to change yourself, how can you expect to change the world, I would answer, you can not. How easily can you change ? In my experience the things you believe deeply in your heart are very difficult to change. If you find something quite easy to change, it wasn't that important to you in the first place. So it really isn't a matter of being unwilling, but the effort you are willing to put forth to affect that change. The change must begin with you. Are you willing to riot and cause a big fuss for a short time ? Or will you spend your life trying to set the example and teaching your children the lessons contained in the Bible ?  When it comes to morals and ethical behavior that must be taught, not legislated.

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