There’s an old saying that goes: A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met yet.’
That’s such a lovely sentiment, but sadly untrue.
When we consider all of the beauty that is in the world around us, we have to wonder why humanity, on the whole, is so ugly.
Across this wonderful republic — that Donald Trump is going to make GREAT (again?), current estimates place the national homicide rate at approximately 11,700–12,000 homicides, with violent Crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault at about 1.2 million reported annually nationwide.
Every city, burg, and vill?
No, fortunately not, and yet still, even within the lesser populated areas of the country, people cast a wary eye at one another.
Statistical indications suggest that trust between individuals is in steady decline year over year as we head deeper into the 2000s:
(https://pewresearch.org, https://gssdataexplorer.norc.org/) et al.)
Contributors and Causes
| Researchers have been studying this for years, and several consistent findings emerge: Political polarization has increased substantially. Americans are not simply disagreeing more on policy; they are increasingly viewing members of the opposing political party as dishonest, dangerous, or a threat to the nation’s future. This is known as affective polarization. Trust in institutions—Congress, the presidency, the news media, and in some cases even the courts—has declined over several decades. As confidence in institutions falls, people often become more suspicious of information coming from those institutions. Media incentives can reinforce division. Cable news, talk radio, social media, and online algorithms often reward emotionally charged content because it attracts attention. Anger and fear tend to spread more readily than calm analysis. Social media has made it easier for people to interact primarily with those who already agree with them, while also exposing them to the most extreme voices on the other side. This can make opponents seem more numerous and more extreme than they really are. |
Is It Going To Pass?
Not likely!
We know this because it’s not unique to this country. The entire world is feeling this same chaotic uncertainty. Why? Because the failure is obvious.
Since the time of creation, group bias has taken over humanity, from pre-flood times when humanity was exterminated en masse, to post-flood living, when the people had to have their languages confused, forcing them to separate.
People have set so many boundaries for themselves:
- Nationality
- Ethnicity
- Race
- Religion
- Political ideology
- Language
- Social class
- Wealth
- Education
- Geography
- Culture
We sit here in front of our televisions, watching the news, and we say, “Why can’t we all just get along?”
You might pose that question to your local, state, and national politicians, AS WELL AS your religious leaders!
More Importantly, There Is This:
“But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power.” (The second letter to Timothy, chapter 3, verses 1-4)
What Do You See?
Perhaps what we need is another election? No, that would only affect this country.
Maybe we need to develop a new form of Government, like G.W. Bush said, “A thousand points of light! A new world government!”
But then, who would rule over it? Donald Trump? Bernie Sanders? Or perhaps the Pope, or the Ayatollah?
It doesn’t work, does it? Regardless of the configuration. By all appearances, it is impossible for humanity to rule itself!
“It’s a sure sign of insanity when one repeats the exact same process, and each time, expects a different result.”
I need you insights! Please feel free to comment.