Matthew 10:34-36.
As this definitely became my 'Scripture of the Week', I was relieved when it all died down a fraction, and we could get to what I was really yearning for: The Truth. My journey through the soup of turmoil and confusion led me to the conclusion that I couldn't rely on anyone or any source, and ended up using Grok as a sifting tool. Not a perfect one, but nevertheless another tool in my arsenal on my quest for the 'holy grail' of Truth. (Minus the coconut shells.)
What have I learned from the Past?
I've learned that very few want to hear the Truth rather than face it. Or fear it, and cover it up. This has been the pattern since the beginning of Time, and has grown into a beast that I personally think cannot be slain. Too large, too crafty. Dirty deeds done dirt cheap, even for free! Our complex system of laws and legislation have evolved to where someone can lie under oath, get away with a myriad of crimes, and the judgments of "felon" or "offender" are rendered useless. Used to be that when kids asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, most would say a policeman, a fireman...or a mailman. Now I wonder if anyone wants to be president!
In my quest, I am actually glad my approach has been largely through the eyes of a child. Some might call that "naive", but I call it a deprogramming process. I've already been through the hits of taking the good with the bad, the truth with the lies, already experienced several of the abuses this world can dish out. I can forgive...but can I forget the truths I've learned through my own history lessons? Never.
Because of the government shutdown, I couldn't tour the National Museum of the American Indian. But my tour of the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., impacted me (sometimes to the point of tears) with many truths I never expected to see or hear. I wasn't even born when WWII happened, so as I walked through the Timeline that wove throughout the museum, from beginning to end, it taught me that people can be so blinded and programmed by wolves in sheep's clothing that the infiltration of that evil can destroy entire flocks. (Matthew 7:15) Genocide. Slaughter. Point blank rape and murder. The definition of what "a great nation" actually is was shattered when I saw what just one person, Hitler, had done.
Even if you're not a believer in Jesus Christ, the warning signs and consequences of choice is scientific. Prophecy is like an "if/then" flow chart: If you touch a hot stove, you risk getting burned. If you climb to the top of a wobbly ladder (or walk too fast on ice) you risk falling. If you ingest alcohol or harmful substances, it will affect your brain, body, and behavior. If you say or do something bad, the ripple effect will be bad. There is risk in everything, and you can choose wisely or not. But you cannot choose the consequences, or the effects.
As I look back in history, I often wondered: What if those with evil intentions weren't even given the opportunity to play them out? What if Abraham Lincoln, JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lennon, etc. (insert your own martyr) weren't shot and killed? Love is a choice. But so is hate, greed, and hypocrisy. We cannot go back in time and right the wrongs.
There will always be bad and evil in this world, regardless of who sits in the the seats of power. But choices made for us before we were even born have brought us to where we are now, where the scales have drastically tipped. Choices that were made by the one or few, affected (and infected) the many.
There is no balance...and the suffering continues.
but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones"
What have I learned from the Present?
I've learned that nothing has changed.
I may be pro-life, but I also have friends who have had to make the difficult choice to have an abortion or D&C. I may be pro-law enforcement, but I also know that there are good cops and bad cops, and know there's corruption and grave injustices in our legal system. I may be pro-military, but I also know within those ranks are those who have been sexually assaulted and are silent. I may be sober, but I know that there are those who suffer deep hurts inside that they don't know what to do with, and choose to drink them away. They may not want to hurt others in the process, but end up doing so. I may not agree that war is the answer, but I have every right to question the strategy and approach, how we get to the point of conflict again and again, and how it affects the planet we live on.
I didn't come to my present beliefs and convictions blindly. I have to face the harsh truths of the past and present in order to make wiser choices for the future. Sometimes I don't get a choice; I didn't choose to go blind, that was a God-thing. When decisions are made behind closed doors, we don't get to choose whether we go to war, whether we get affordable health care, whether there will be food sustainability, or whether there will be a future where we call 911 and an ambulance will arrive.
But we can choose with the one thing we have left: Our vote.
That is what makes America great. That is what can change the course of history. We the People.
Is there hope for the Future?
I love Star Trek!
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me."
We're all survivors of something. Proof? We're still alive! Resistance might be futile, but resilience? Ah, resilience is love, faith and hope! Everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs, has faith that the sun will rise and set. (Matthew 5: 43-48) But I've learned, often the hard way, that not everyone has unconditional love in their hearts. There is division, partiality, jealousy, gossip, bigotry, greed, abuse, bitterness, anger, and rage that impairs discernment and clouds wisdom. Sticks and stones that break bones; names, labels and words that do hurt. What is the strategy against these kinds of things?
The past is the past; we cannot change it. Both good and evil have evolved together. All the wars and conflicts, the lies, the cover-ups; the polished, partisan memes and narratives, the media and entertainment junkets, meetings behind closed doors...those who are doing the thinking for us might not think we can even handle the Truth. Try me! The complexities and obstacles I've experienced in merely searching for it hasn't panned out too well, which made me resort to Grok. But nothing has been more effective in my search than learning from history, living in the present, and being resilient enough to hope and fight for a better future.
But even still, there is no "magic wand" that can shed the scales from one's eyes. Only the truth can do that. So my advice? Visit a museum and learn from the past, and in the present chaos, remember those lessons. Live and speak in truth. See the good that is being done in the world, surround yourself with people who really know, love and care about you; join and build those teams! (Matthew 6) Don't make time...take time for the things that bring you joy, peace, and reflection; enjoy the moments of silence. Teach the children and our youth to do the same; teach them to stand up and say "no" to the bullies on the playground. Learn to forgive so you can heal and move forward in strength, not weakened in bitterness. Pray unceasingly. Then vote wisely at the polls and make the right choices about the Nouns--the people, places and things--that can change the course of history.
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