Remembering Sanity and Certitudes
Posted on January 30, 2023 by Robert Ringer
Contrary to what many people believe, the American Empire is still alive, but not well. Sex-change mutilation of children, an unchallenged invasion of its southern border, smash-and-grab theft rings running wild, taxpayer-funded drug-injection sites, violent criminals back on the streets the same day as being arrested, politicization of the law, crackdowns on free speech, drag shows aimed at children, a war against police, men competing in women’s sports … the list goes on.
Watching the moral decay of modern-day America makes me feel blessed to have lived during a time when the country was a symbol of stability, freedom, and goodwill that people around the world admired. Now, as America continues its downward cultural spiral, I find myself increasingly saddened by the fact that none of my children will ever have the opportunity to experience the America of my youth.
There’s no question that computers, smartphones, and all the other space-age technology we take for granted today are wonderful tools that make life much easier and much more enjoyable. However, as with everything in life, there’s a tradeoff. Actually, there are many tradeoffs, but the most glaring one is America’s loss of certitudes.
It would be impossible for today’s youth to understand, or even imagine, the innocence of a much younger America. In the fifties, there was no such a thing as political correctness, and heterosexuality was a biological axiom. Commentators reported the news, not their opinions. And institutions of higher learning, professional sports, and government agencies were generally held in high esteem.
Then, along came Elvis who laid the foundation for the sexual and cultural revolution, culminating in Woodstock in 1969, and things have never been the same. But those of us who were raised with solid Western values tended to ignore the steadily increasing base behavior of the hippies, because we were too busy getting ahead in life.
Finally, by the turn of the new century, American youths had become so overprivileged that they took the good life for granted and became bored, so bored in fact that they became true believers in every half-baked social cause. Every law, every institution, every certitude became a protest target.
Today, entitlement is the religion of choice, and the number-one product America produces is grievance. The in-vogue collective demand of spoiled suburban kids is for more “equity and diversity,” with setting fire to cop cars being the preferred way to express their anger.
As to the left’s obsession with diversity, while it may sound like a noble pursuit, in actual practice it does not produce good results. This is especially true of diversity of values, which are anathema to any stable civilization. There was relatively little diversity of values in the era of the greatest generation, and the result was that America was a prosperous and generally peaceful place. Whether an American was born in Italy, Haiti, China, or India, he assimilated into American culture because he wanted to be an authentic American.
I’m not advocating that everyone should think alike. What I am saying is that when a large majority of a population believes in a generally accepted code of conduct, it results in a more peaceful, more civilized, more stable nation. Within a society’s generally accepted code of conduct, however, it’s fine for everyone to think their own thoughts and have their own opinions. But to maintain a peaceful and prosperous society, the best foundation for those thoughts and opinions is a broad-based consensus regarding values and certitudes.
That said, as much as I appreciate the life-saving benefits of modern medicine, as much as I love computers and smartphones, as much as I like having knowledge at my fingertips via the Internet, I would give them all up for the country I grew up in — a country with a mostly sane population grounded in objective certitudes.
Perhaps someday the American Empire will rise from the ashes of decadence and make a comeback that will take it through another long period of societal sanity and life-giving certitudes. Stranger things have happened, but under the best of circumstances that day is a long way off.
In the meantime, it’s up to sane people who believe in objective truth to carry on the fight against the wicked barbarians from within who are intent on destroying the certitudes that made America the strongest, freest, most civilized nation in the history of the world. It’s a daunting task, to be sure, but the alternative is worse. Much worse.
Everything you have written is sad, but unfortunately true. However, I continue to have one fundamental belief. I can't change the world around me or stop the decadence and decline you rightly pointed out, but I can control how I will react to it. I can control (to a degree) how much exposure I will allow myself to it. I can choose to be upset and angry or not. In other words everyone that wishes for the America you talk about can't bring it back, but they can still choose how to live their own lives. I got rid of all main stream news channels about a year ago. I realized, as you pointed out, they aren't reporting news. They are creating a perverse form of entertainment that angers and depresses people no matter where your cultural or political beliefs fall. Fox News for the right and CNN for the left. Take your pick, but know they are two sides of the same coin. I choose neither. I have become a lot happier not seeing all the b.s. they pass off as "news". I choose to spend my days working on my various businesses and investments, reading great books, and associating with people that matter and ignoring the rest. I can't change THE world, but I can change MY world.
We need to get back to a place where some things are WRONG. Flat out wrong. Sexualization of children is WRONG. Fascism (and I mean you, progressive democrats…dictating what we're allowed to think and do) is WRONG.
Honoring independent thought is right. Removing barriers to starting business is right because competition is good (and it's time to get rid of the bloated companies that dictate thought and action)
You are absolutely right, Robert. Things are not the way they used to be and it's getting worse. I blame parents, schools, the media, the government, and society in general for the ever growing moral decay in society. You said it all in your masterpiece, "How You Can Find Happiness During The Collapse of Western Civilization" you released back in the eighties. What was once good is now considered to be unacceptable and bad, and what was once bad is now considered to be acceptable and good. It is the fact that values are changing and I try to shield myself from it as much as I can, because the only one whose thoughts and actions I can control are mine.
Madonna, looking like hell spawn, introduced Sam Smith and Kim Petras performance on the Grammys last night. I didn't watch it live but someone posted it on Twitter. It is outright Satan worship with Smith mimicking the Devil himself. This is proof that the end is near, IMHO. Our government is bankrupt, financially and morally. Hollywood, in order to create new movies, keeps foisting new perversions upon the public. The music industry, every year since the 60s, keeps leading young people to embrace violence and decadence. Sad to say, but if a meteor hit the Earth today, I would welcome it. Our world needs a big reset and not the kind the WEF wants.