The Consequences of Being a Shortsighted Nation

Shortsighted:  Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: unmindful of future consequences
Synonyms:  astigmatic, blind, careless, foolish, headlong, ill-advised, ill-considered, imperceptive, impolitic, impractical, improvident, rash, stupid, unsagacious, unwary
Antonyms: careful, longsighted, prudent, thoughtful, wise

We have become a myopic nation, a nation that is so divided against itself that civility, respect, strength of character, honor, and decency are words that have become almost obsolete in our quest for instant gratification (we want what we want-when we want it). There is only the “now” and how it benefits us. In our shortsightedness, we have refused to see the “forest for the trees”, with no thought for the future.

Some watch cynically as our government opts to play the blame game, choosing sides, pointing fingers, and calling names, ducking back and forth with their lies-as if they were involved in a vicious game of dodge ball–with our President as the captain. Others cheer or boo from the sidelines, as each point scored by “their side” convinces them of victory over their opponent.

Then, there are those who watch these machinations silently, in a state of futility.

Look again at the definition of “shortsighted”.  Being shortsighted is not a matter of  “unknowing” future consequences but rather  being “unmindful” of them. It is a choice. Why would anyone knowingly choose to be shortsighted? There are those that simply don’t care as long as nothing upsets their gravy train. Others turn their heads in an effort to avoid seeing anything unpleasant.  Don’t be fooled for a moment that our government and its leaders are unaware of our calculated blindness. They, in fact, count on it. The evidence is in their decision-making and their ridiculing, sweeping condemnation of anyone that disagrees with them.

For far too long, we have watched as our moral compass became unhinged and replaced by greed, selfishness, and above all, “self -love”, instead of “love one another”.  We lost sight of the ideals this country was founded upon and we became filled with a complacent apathy.

Why?

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths”.  2 Timothy 4:3-4

There has been a permeating distortion of commonly shared values and morals for years. Tell us what we want to hear. Show us what we want to see.  Our leaders justify their lying, cheating, stealing, aborting babies, condoning (by overlooking) horrendous acts of violence by applying situational ethics. They excuse their morally bankrupt actions and decisions-dependent on the most expedient circumstances. No more is  “sin” called sin.  No more is  “wrong” called wrong.  Again, don’t be fooled. It is all about their ego, their self-esteem, and their self-gratification- an attitude which has slowly seeped down into the collective American conscious. We deserve what we want when we want it.

When did we become so blasé about our foundational principles and traditions?  It began when secular humanism became our national religion. We watched as the tools of humanistic propaganda were surgically applied to our core principles in an attempt to convince us that there were no moral absolutes, to reject religious teachings, and to embrace reason and empirical evidence as “our god”-at the expense of the one true God. (Perhaps one of the greatest fallacies perpetuated by the humanists is that religion and science are exclusionary-that one must obviously deny “reason” and “empirical evidence”, if one espouses a faith-based worldview.)

Our institutions, including our schools and churches, must be commended. They have done an excellent job in leading its sheep into following these same unbiblical principles, while we looked the other way–either unknowingly or unmindful.  For decades, we have allowed the theology of “gradualism”-the belief that change is brought about in small, discrete increments rather in abrupt actions -to work its insidious charm into the mindset of a blind, foolish people. If our eyes had been opened, President Obama and his ilk would not have been as successful as they have been in changing the trajectory of an entire generation so rapidly. Our country was oiled and primed to accept the fashionable doctrines of “progressivism” and “secular humanism” because of the verisimilitude of our past and present leaders.

In a moment of clarity, many of us have seen the delusional effects of these false doctrines. Many of us have removed our blinders; we have stopped falling for the lies, and have started praying for the reformation of our country. We have realized that, as a nation, we have lost sight of what should be most important -our heart. It is the heart of our nation that will determine our future-not Washington.

We do have a choice.  We can refuse to be “shortsighted”. We can refuse to have our “ears tickled”.

Ours is not a battle for today, but a war for tomorrow. We must have hope that America will once again be that “shining city upon a hill”–or there is nothing left to fight for.