Memorial Day, 2018--Fighting A Different Kind of War
I have often wondered whether the greatest time to have lived as an American might have been during the 1940’s. It was during that time that my parents and others of their day earned the title, “Greatest Generation.” They were the generation, who as fate determined, found themselves tasked with the purpose of defeating powerful Nazi and Imperialist aggressors, in the end preventing, or at least postponing, enslavement of the world. The state of the world then was far from ideal, which is largely my point. Relative to their time in history and the conditions of life they entered, that generation advanced the ball. They defeated their day’s enemies overseas and returned home to build a life, work on social problems, raise the next generation, my generation, and now they are practically gone.
And I still wonder whether the ‘40’s might have been the greatest of times to live as an American.
But over the last several years, it has been my pleasure to get to know so many people who are called to concern today, just as our ancestors were then, and I am now, so concerned that my patriot friends routinely drop what they would do otherwise, leave the comforts of home and family, and involve themselves restoring our republic, at every jurisdictional level, and every manner of calling. I am grateful to stand among such fine Americans, which perhaps shifts my thinking.
Of course, the dangers the Greatest Generation faced were grave. Hundreds of thousands of citizen-soldiers suffered and died so that succeeding generations might live free. Fitting and proper it is that today we honor them, and all who came before and since, and think of them during this celebrated weekend.
But in many ways, the dangers our present generations face together are even greater than those conquered by my parents’ renowned class. I say that because the dangers then were largely abroad. Enemies wore uniforms and carried flags. They issued press releases airing differences. During those days the tools of war were physical—guns, ships, airplanes, bombs. We knew who the enemies were and where they would likely be found. And it was relatively straightforward for Americans to understand their roles in defeating those enemies. Personal sacrifice of precious resources better suited to equip fighting forces overseas was something all Americans could claim in their individual arsenals of responsibility. Conserving available materials, consuming left-over left-overs, purchasing war bonds with whatever dollars remained from meager paychecks, those were all ways in which every American, even those not directly involved in the war effort, could contribute to defeating our enemies. In short, defeating our enemies and winning World War II was an understandable, rational, national project. That’s not the project American patriots undertake today.
The enemies we face today are more calculating than those of the 1940’s. Today’s enemies do not wear uniforms. They wear a suit, or a pair of jeans. Today’s enemies do not inhabit foreign lands. They walk among us. Today’s enemies fight not with physical weapons. They wage wars of misinformation, disinformation and deceit, resulting in societal distrust and confusion. Today’s enemies do not insult and revile us. They charm us, woo us to believe as they do. Today’s enemies provide us creature comforts. They soften our resolve. They divert our attention toward seeking entertainment rather than satisfying life goals through personal achievement and helping others to do the same.
On December 7, 1941, our enemies attacked every American in a very personal way. Everyone felt it and felt a need to respond. Today, Americans have been attacked so subtly for decades, and are so used to the assaults that being assailed has become normal, expected, even missed if overdue. Our enemies’ attacks are systematically programmed to destroy us mentally and even spiritually. And I believe it is that spiritual attack against the American people that is more dangerous than any physical attack the Greatest Generation ever repelled or defeated.
You see, it is from the spirit that we receive those subtle warnings when deceived. It is from the spirit that we devise righteous responses to those who wage wars to deceive us. But when the mind is overwhelmed with daily urgencies, titillated with entertainment, dulled by sensory deprivation when tools of mental stimulation must be left to charge, the synapses connecting the spirit and mind become dulled as well. They then cease to effectively transmit the warnings of purposeful deception our enemies launch against us in the war we fight today. It’s that kind of war.
If we are going to win that kind of war, a war for our minds, we must snap out of the customary. We must construct a new purpose based on a focused, concentrated mental and spiritual effort to understand all that the enemy constantly uses to defeat us. We must adjust and train to fight this new kind of war, one pitting the truth against everything that is not.
But to do that, we must first relearn and reappreciate what truth is. Truth is life itself. Truth is recognizing the roots of evil and the path to survival. Truth is that Which created us and His purpose in doing so. To fully appreciate the truth, we must always pursue His purpose. When we do, and accomplish that purpose, we will fully honor those who during their times preserved our opportunities to try, and we will accomplish the same for those who follow. Perhaps then, those who come later will wish they had lived during our time.
And I still wonder whether the ‘40’s might have been the greatest of times to live as an American.
Of course, the dangers the Greatest Generation faced were grave. Hundreds of thousands of citizen-soldiers suffered and died so that succeeding generations might live free. Fitting and proper it is that today we honor them, and all who came before and since, and think of them during this celebrated weekend.
But in many ways, the dangers our present generations face together are even greater than those conquered by my parents’ renowned class. I say that because the dangers then were largely abroad. Enemies wore uniforms and carried flags. They issued press releases airing differences. During those days the tools of war were physical—guns, ships, airplanes, bombs. We knew who the enemies were and where they would likely be found. And it was relatively straightforward for Americans to understand their roles in defeating those enemies. Personal sacrifice of precious resources better suited to equip fighting forces overseas was something all Americans could claim in their individual arsenals of responsibility. Conserving available materials, consuming left-over left-overs, purchasing war bonds with whatever dollars remained from meager paychecks, those were all ways in which every American, even those not directly involved in the war effort, could contribute to defeating our enemies. In short, defeating our enemies and winning World War II was an understandable, rational, national project. That’s not the project American patriots undertake today.
The enemies we face today are more calculating than those of the 1940’s. Today’s enemies do not wear uniforms. They wear a suit, or a pair of jeans. Today’s enemies do not inhabit foreign lands. They walk among us. Today’s enemies fight not with physical weapons. They wage wars of misinformation, disinformation and deceit, resulting in societal distrust and confusion. Today’s enemies do not insult and revile us. They charm us, woo us to believe as they do. Today’s enemies provide us creature comforts. They soften our resolve. They divert our attention toward seeking entertainment rather than satisfying life goals through personal achievement and helping others to do the same.
On December 7, 1941, our enemies attacked every American in a very personal way. Everyone felt it and felt a need to respond. Today, Americans have been attacked so subtly for decades, and are so used to the assaults that being assailed has become normal, expected, even missed if overdue. Our enemies’ attacks are systematically programmed to destroy us mentally and even spiritually. And I believe it is that spiritual attack against the American people that is more dangerous than any physical attack the Greatest Generation ever repelled or defeated.
You see, it is from the spirit that we receive those subtle warnings when deceived. It is from the spirit that we devise righteous responses to those who wage wars to deceive us. But when the mind is overwhelmed with daily urgencies, titillated with entertainment, dulled by sensory deprivation when tools of mental stimulation must be left to charge, the synapses connecting the spirit and mind become dulled as well. They then cease to effectively transmit the warnings of purposeful deception our enemies launch against us in the war we fight today. It’s that kind of war.
If we are going to win that kind of war, a war for our minds, we must snap out of the customary. We must construct a new purpose based on a focused, concentrated mental and spiritual effort to understand all that the enemy constantly uses to defeat us. We must adjust and train to fight this new kind of war, one pitting the truth against everything that is not.
But to do that, we must first relearn and reappreciate what truth is. Truth is life itself. Truth is recognizing the roots of evil and the path to survival. Truth is that Which created us and His purpose in doing so. To fully appreciate the truth, we must always pursue His purpose. When we do, and accomplish that purpose, we will fully honor those who during their times preserved our opportunities to try, and we will accomplish the same for those who follow. Perhaps then, those who come later will wish they had lived during our time.
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