A House Divided

I opened up my browser this afternoon to find a comment on Facebook telling of a Congresswoman and several others being shot in Arizona. I visited several other sites including Fox, CNN and Townhall.com, seeking more information. None was particularly helpful, as news was sketchy and confused at the time. More instructive were the comments connected to the story as reported on each site. After wading through a few dozen of them I concluded that politics as practiced in the 21st century is a corrosive eating away at the foundation of this nation which will eventually lead to its collapse, but is also a symptom of the moral rot of our society and its citizens.

Aside from the few comments offering sympathy, prayers and concerns for those shot in this terrible tragedy, the rest were hate-filled opportunities to roundly condemn political enemies, throw wild accusations of blame at political groups and individuals, and advance various political agendas as the final solutions to prevent further tragedies. Speculation on the possible motivations of the shooter, as well as the underlying blame, were laid at the feet of Sarah Palin, the Black Panthers, illegal aliens, drug cartels, and the tea party; all without one shred of information from ANY source.

The speed at which we spin (and mangle) an incident to fit our preconceived political template is directly proportional to our willingness to unquestioningly accept the talking points of either the hard left or hard right. The “true believers” at the far ends of the political spectrum can take anything and use it to score political points, advance a particular agenda, or disgrace and destroy their “enemies”.  Sadly, those most likely to inflict their views on the rest of us do so believing anyone with an opposing view is hate-spewing and dangerous.

Both Hard Left and Hard Right believe with an almost religious fervor they occupy the moral high ground and their opponents represent Ultimate Evil. Although they espouse different worldviews and perspectives, they are more similar than either realize. The Left claims to be peace-loving and tolerant, while at the same time spewing some of the most virulent rhetoric toward anyone who fails to swallow their agenda whole. Their whining insistence on civility in political speech and debate, in comparison to the speech they actually use, is laughable. Christians are an especially frequent target. The favorite accusation against them is intolerance; interestingly enough, Christianity seems to be the one group the Left cannot tolerate. On the Right, conservatives claim to be the party of choice for Christianity, although they sometimes act is ways that are anything but Christian. They wage  political campaigns that are often vicious and couched in violent, war-like language. They claim liberal ideology is the target, but a smug self-righteousness oozes out when a liberal politician gets caught with their hand in the cookie jar. It simply proves the point about how “corrupt” and arrogant the libs really are. And yet, on occasion someone on the Right gets nailed doing the same thing. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as the saying goes, but it also produces political myopia.

The common thread between Left and Right, aside from hypocrisy and self-righteousness, is unwavering belief in their Truth as the correct one. Not surprisingly, both worship at the altar of multiculturalism, which denies any form of Ultimate truth. Both value pragmatism over ethics; a particular action or path which produces the desired ends (i.e., delivering power and influence to Our Side) is the acceptable one, even if it is morally questionable to the rest of us. And both Left and Right believe that government is the ultimate solution to all of our problems, disagreeing only on the level of involvement. Rhetoric about ‘what’s good for the country’ is simply a sop to the masses to get their votes.

That is where we all become complicit. We have allowed ourselves to become self-absorbed, fat and lazy, both physically and intellectually. We question nothing we are spoon-fed by our chosen political party. We regurgitate talking points and call it political debate. Too many have become satisfied with government providing for our every need. We accept the false premise that it is our “right” to have a life of comfort and safety, and it is the job of government to provide it for us.

We have been dumbed-down by educational institutions, so we blindly accept whatever the “government” and the “experts” tell us, and roundly condemn anyone who has the audacity to question them. We accuse anyone who objects to intrusive governmental action of being unpatriotic. We believe that it is all about us, because  in our minds nothing higher exists. Thus, my “truth” is just as valid for me as your “truth” is for you, because neither of us have an external standard of measurement.

We quote political talking points because we have no thoughts or real convictions of our own; many of us have lost the capacity for independent thought. We are a house divided into warring tribes, pathetically grubbing for our own little pile of stuff, convinced “they” make our pitiful lives so miserable. What we fail to realize is “they” are in the same situation, thinking the same thing about us.

Can we continue as a nation, and as a civilization? The logical end to multiculturalism is the eventual disappearance of nations, and emergence of small communities of individuals with common interests. There are voices among us who suggest the inevitability of this happening in the United States and actively promote it, advocating secession and formation of a separate nation for anyone who opposes the over-reaching influence of our federal government. This is heard most commonly among those who consider themselves libertarians.  If we don’t mind being the colony of some other country, I guess we could try it.

So the question remains; Can we survive as a nation, given the political polarity in every aspect of our day-to-day lives? The answer was given two thousand years ago, and echoed by a better President than we have seen in many years: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” We will only survive if we finally ignore the politics, start treating one another as neighbors, and begin to consider what is in the best interest of our nation rather than our own selfish, petty desires. That is our chance, and it is growing smaller with each passing day.