Of Lies And Entitlement

 

We are living through a blizzard of lies. Hoaxes reign supreme. Gaslighting is the order of the day.  The truth is everywhere ignored, obfuscated, reviled. Those who tell it are scorned and threatened. And called liars.

“Experts” and “authorities” tell us what to do…and what we can’t do. And what to think. They blather on and on, on radio and television, news and talk shows, and online forums. And they are usually wrong. Almost always, in fact. About everything. Whether speaking of The Coronavirus, Climate Change, The Russian Collusion Hoax, Hunter’s Laptop, who the best Fantasy Football player will be this week, or just about anything else.

This is of a piece with the fact that people who think they know it all are the most ignorant, while truly intelligent—and wise—folks realize they know next to nothing, cosmically speaking. How could they/we know it all? Or even a measurable percentage of what’s to know? We don’t even know most of what we don’t know. We didn’t create the universe or ask to be born, so we’re at a bit of a disadvantage in this regard. Ergo, perhaps a little humility is appropriate. Perhaps a great deal of humility would be even more appropriate.

Yet, many, particularly on the left, blame others for every alleged slight, reject the concept of a higher power-- especially the Christian God—and refuse to believe in objective truth. All while denigrating the Judeo-Christian work ethic and the capitalist system that has made us-- and indeed much of the world in more recent times—wealthy or relatively so. And they do this to the detriment of themselves and society as a whole, especially “the most vulnerable among us.”

In such a fashion, a nation, too, is set on the path of destruction. If a country is extremely prosperous and wealthy for a lengthy period of time, it, too, typically becomes soft and entitled along with its inhabitants. Indeed, the rulers relish the softness and entitlement of their charges, as they use that weakness to solidify their power. It is easy to chastise the rich and promise everyone else more of their lucre. It is extremely hard for a nation to recover its virtue when that point has been reached.

It is fatal if it does not.