Oh America what to do, what to do? Have you noticed that America isn’t the same place that it used to be? People aren’t nearly as nice, kind, courteous and pleasant as they were even twenty years ago. Our twenty four hour news cycle has made us petty and mean spirited, self righteous egotists. In America today it isn’t enough to just punish someone, we’ve got to make them bleed and die a million deaths. I call this cultural cannibalism.
Take for example Michael Vick the football player. I’m in no way going to exonerate his participation in dog fighting, it’s wrong, it’s vile and it’s inhuman. There is no doubt about that. But, isn’t it vile, inhuman and wrong to take a poor kid, who’s greatest gift is playing football, give him a whole bunch of money to do so, give him no tools to cope with his celebrity and then when he screws up…take it all away and throw him in jail? That is cultural cannibalism and that is America today. It is us at our worst and it is awful.
We Americans behave this way over and over again and it is exacerbated by the twenty four hour news cycle. No sooner is Michael Vick destroyed, unemployed and thrown in jail and we’re moving on, as a culture, taking bets on line as to when Britney Spears will die. We ring our hands in glee as the president of the United States falls from grace, whether it’s an affair, an unjust war or declining approval ratings. We as a culture eat people up and chew them up to a point where there is no taste and spit them out. It is a modern version of the games in the Roman Coliseum. Our games are played out on the news which sometimes as if to placate its guilt claims to be “fair and balanced.”
So what is the solution? I think it’s really kind of simple and basic and can be best boiled down to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Love your neighbors as you love yourself and above all love God with all of your heart and mind. I do think that this is easier said than done right now. I can honestly look at the behavior of America and in my mind say, huh, they really don’t love themselves all that much. They rush to judgment, they move too fast, they are self righteous and worse of all, they believe their own press. Where is the humility and humbleness that comes from being simple loving creatures? I’ve often said in my real estate practice and in a lot of aspects of my life, the most dangerous thing that a person can do is believe their own press and that is the danger in America’s cultural cannibalism. We have bought into the hype, lock, stock and barrel.
Well, I for one am done. I decided well over a year ago that I was done with the twenty four hour news cycle. I am willing to forgive anyone anything, who am I to judge? My belief is that no person is beyond redemption and forgiveness. So, I’ve examined my sins, transgressions and behaviors and I’ve decided that I’m worthy of God’s love, grace and forgiveness and so is everyone else…oh if only the rest of the world could get there.
Take for example Michael Vick the football player. I’m in no way going to exonerate his participation in dog fighting, it’s wrong, it’s vile and it’s inhuman. There is no doubt about that. But, isn’t it vile, inhuman and wrong to take a poor kid, who’s greatest gift is playing football, give him a whole bunch of money to do so, give him no tools to cope with his celebrity and then when he screws up…take it all away and throw him in jail? That is cultural cannibalism and that is America today. It is us at our worst and it is awful.
We Americans behave this way over and over again and it is exacerbated by the twenty four hour news cycle. No sooner is Michael Vick destroyed, unemployed and thrown in jail and we’re moving on, as a culture, taking bets on line as to when Britney Spears will die. We ring our hands in glee as the president of the United States falls from grace, whether it’s an affair, an unjust war or declining approval ratings. We as a culture eat people up and chew them up to a point where there is no taste and spit them out. It is a modern version of the games in the Roman Coliseum. Our games are played out on the news which sometimes as if to placate its guilt claims to be “fair and balanced.”
So what is the solution? I think it’s really kind of simple and basic and can be best boiled down to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Love your neighbors as you love yourself and above all love God with all of your heart and mind. I do think that this is easier said than done right now. I can honestly look at the behavior of America and in my mind say, huh, they really don’t love themselves all that much. They rush to judgment, they move too fast, they are self righteous and worse of all, they believe their own press. Where is the humility and humbleness that comes from being simple loving creatures? I’ve often said in my real estate practice and in a lot of aspects of my life, the most dangerous thing that a person can do is believe their own press and that is the danger in America’s cultural cannibalism. We have bought into the hype, lock, stock and barrel.
Well, I for one am done. I decided well over a year ago that I was done with the twenty four hour news cycle. I am willing to forgive anyone anything, who am I to judge? My belief is that no person is beyond redemption and forgiveness. So, I’ve examined my sins, transgressions and behaviors and I’ve decided that I’m worthy of God’s love, grace and forgiveness and so is everyone else…oh if only the rest of the world could get there.
I have decided to daily forge into the world to be the light, to let Christ conscience shine through my words, actions, thoughts and deeds. Here is the kernel that I’d like you to take away, participation in cultural cannibalism is a choice and all you have to do is decide to say no and then do so.
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