America, Are these Your Last Days?

I stepped out of our home today.

Out into a gorgeous sunny Southern California Fall day. And, as I often do, I stood in the shade and let the ocean breeze that floats up the Santa Ana River valley caress my face.

I noted a neighbor as he strolled out to his mailbox and I let out a friendly, “Hello!”

We chatted for a bit and as always I enjoyed our conversation.

However, as often happens in these last few years, the conversation went on and the pleasantries faded.

The conversation began to take on the same dark tones that seem to overwhelm social media and the so called “news organizations” websites and channels.

This wonderful man. A fellow American. A teacher of our local children was/is struggling.

Like so many of us he struggles with an America that he virtually does not recognize anymore.

We live in a dark day where truth is no longer the most important thing to many people. We live in a day where those who seek to teach our children seem bent on “revising our history” to fit whatever their current agenda is.

This revising of history is what my focus here in this piece is really about, and as always too, my focus is on the right (at least in this country currently) to free speech.

First, let’s unpack revisionist history.

That in and of itself is absolutely an oxymoron. There is no such thing as revisionist history. History is a closed book. The facts are the facts. The events happened.

As we have seen in fantasy stories about altering the past events in time, we can see the danger if we look carefully enough in revising our own real history now.

Something with great value will be and is being lost.

History just as failure is one of life’s greatest teachers.

If you look at the microcosm of American History since just it’s European colonization, there have been many wonderful things that occurred as well as many tragedies, atrocities, and painful periods too.

What I’m getting at is this. You cannot just sweep history away. The good and the bad must be viewed together in order to make a correct assessment or judgement to form opinions.

We do an incredible disservice to our children, grand-children, and future generations by avoiding real talk about the things that happened here.

The things that happened in our country have left indelible marks on all of us and they have long term consequences and effects that ripple into the future to create change.

In order for a society to grow and get better, it must be able to factually look back on its past and make correct judgements only if the facts are all on the table. When we remove a few of the facts it risks a total misread on what really happened and how future generations will make decisions when placed into similar circumstances.

America stands in one of the most impactful and dangerous places that it has ever been.

By remaining divided, as has been shown over and over again in human history, we will surely fall. And when we fall, so will the American dream. So will fall the dreams of millions who have flocked here over the generations looking for hope and opportunity.

So I ask those who read this just this one thing.

Please. Never allow anyone to alter your opinions without providing you solid evidence for you to take on their worldview. You must research things for yourself. And research them thoroughly. You owe it to yourself. You owe it to your children and generations to come.

If we do not correctly view the lessons of history, then once again, Rome will burn!

I am deadly serious as I write this.

Now, on to my second topic.

Free Speech.

It is dying in this country. And, quickly. Soon many of us who espouse free speech will be more than just vilified and bad mouthed.

Soon, we will be sued. Soon we will be silenced by those who seek through the “laws” that they put in place, to have us thrown behind lock and key. Soon, we will be portrayed as those who need to be killed in order to rid our society of the poison that we try and pour into those who will listen.

You may scoff.

But, it’s already happening. Just watch carefully what occurs on any college campus that attempts to have a conservative speaker come to monologue before any that are willing to listen.

We must bring back tolerance to America. We must destroy the edifice that has become what we know as “political correctness.”

Political correctness is a terrible lie. It is the epitome of intellectual dishonesty!

Our constitution has guaranteed us the right to free speech. Over and over I have said this.

It doesn’t matter how hateful it is. It doesn’t matter how much you disagree with it. If we attempt to regulate people’s ability to freely share what’s on their mind, where will it all stop?!

A growing and strengthening society must allow open and honest dialog to occur in order for real, well thought out, solutions to be forged.

Our poor nation has been through a lot over the years. None of us if honest, can ever say we have always done things right. To do so is to overlook the lessons of history.

History has its lessons to teach us. We must be willing to bear witness to the good and the bad. We must be willing to talk through the ugliness and reach the other side of the badlands that we are travelling in right now. We must be willing to celebrate the beautiful things we have accomplished and brought to the world too. History forgotten brings a nation great peril.

Compassion and understanding need to be where we live now. Only brotherly love can help us to forgive the misunderstandings and set us on the paths of healing for our great nation.

I truly believe that America can be great again, but it must come under the umbrella of unity, peace, and regained national pride.

I for one am going to be praying that we can cross the lines that divide us and seek God’s wisdom for guidance to move into a brighter future.

If we are not willing to do this as a nation, then I believe we are living in the last days of America.