When the flames of judgment touched the edge of Sodom and Gomorrah, two cities steeped in corruption and depravity, Almighty God looked upon them with contempt. Their wickedness had reached a point of no return, and so he decided to unleash his fiery wrath upon them, reducing them to ashes in an instant. These cities have long been used as a cautionary tale, a warning about the dangers of sin and the consequences that come with it. And now, as we reflect on the troubled times in which we find ourselves, it seems that our own nation, America, is teetering on the brink of a similar fate. Our own sins and shortcomings threaten to tear us apart from within and bring us closer and closer to our own day of reckoning.
As our nation stands on the precipice of ruin, it becomes increasingly clear that our downfall is caused by our own excesses. We no longer face the struggles of disease, hunger or poverty – rather we have become so comfortable and secure that we have turned inward and divided each other over petty squabbles and trivial matters. In a world where we have everything we could possibly want, we have lost sight of what really matters and as a result we are tearing ourselves apart. It is a tragic irony that in our quest for perfection we have doomed ourselves to destruction.
It seems that in America much of the strife and conflict that we see today stems from a select few groups and individuals pushing their own agendas, often at the expense of others. Without the influence of these radicals, such as the transgender movement, radical feminists, corruptible politicians and criminals, it seems that the majority of Americans would be able to live peaceful, comfortable lives, surrounded by the fruits of our nation’s ingenuity and abundance. We have access to the latest technologies, a variety of cheap and sustainable sources of food and water, and a robust labor market that allows us to build, repair and live healthy lives.
Of course, not every American is so blessed with conveniences, but every American is blessed with opportunity. So why would the Biden administration secretly enlist a transgender person with a history of theft to develop policies that could potentially brainwash children? Why should school officials, who earn exorbitant salaries, push our children toward the edge of crime? And why would Big Tech companies, which already have billions of dollars in profits and an enormous amount of power, continue to steal our data and share it with the Chinese government or censor the views of innocent Americans? It is easy to say that this behavior is simply an expression of a desire for power and wealth, but perhaps it goes deeper than that. Perhaps it is a desperate need to shape the world according to one’s own design, not as a result of a desire for power, but as a result of necessity, formed by the lack of hardship these evil people face.
The root of the problem is not necessarily that people on different sides of the ideological spectrum fundamentally disagree on issues. Most people in the United States, regardless of their political beliefs, care about the well-being and safety of their families and their country. The problem is that we have become a society that only allows black and white thinking, where individuals are judged based on one action or statement and labeled as extreme or bigoted. As a consequence, no one can safely have a productive conversation or publicly state their views without being labeled as extreme by a group of people. This is why we are divided; we are quick to label someone based on a single action or statement, without considering the context or the person’s overall character. We have lost faith in the ability to judge others fairly and to see the nuances and complexities of any situation.
Imagine there are two doors in front of you, one labeled “tolerance” and the other labeled “intolerance.” You are asked to choose which door you want to go through based on which one you believe you embody. How many people could honestly walk through the door of “tolerance”? None; it is likely that no one could honestly choose the door of tolerance, since everyone has some degree of prejudice. So why is it that when we see an instance of intolerant behavior we are so quick to judge a person when we are no better? If we can separate our views from the labels we place on others and have respectful conversations with those who disagree with us, we can work towards a more united and less divided society.
I implore you to gather with those you care about. May the love you share with your friends and family be rooted in mutual respect and appreciation, rather than shared ideologies. These moments of togetherness will soon be few and far between. You can huddle by the fireplace, say your prayers, and cling to hope, but ultimately America will meet its doom—not by divine fire, but by the unrest of its own citizens, desperate to protect all that we hold dear in a misguided, unnecessary and futile effort to save the nation.
If we hope to save our nation, we don’t need a leader to protect us. We simply need people in power to stay quiet about what America really needs. Jumping from one ideological leader to the next will not save us. What we need is for individuals to live their lives freely, without interference from those in power. Only then can America be born again and prosper.
To find out more about Armstrong Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
