It’s getting to be that time of year. Harvests across the Heartland are in full gear. Leaves are turning red and gold and Thanksgiving is less than a month away. One of several symbols of Thanksgiving is the Cornucopia. In Latin Cornucopia means horn of plenty. According to mythology baby Zeus was being cared for and fed by the goat Amalthea. Zeus broke off one of her horns. That horn began supplying him with food everyday. And from that myth the “horn of plenty” came to symbolize prosperity, wealth and abundance.
We live in a country of abundance. When compared to the rest of the world, as a country, we are blessed beyond comprehension in many, many ways.
Unfortunately, when I think of that symbol my mind does a complete 180. Our country is not filled with the goodness of the Thanksgiving Cornucopia. It seems to me it’s filled with:
- Division through ideology
- Media cannot be trusted or trust at your own peril
- Hate and ignorance permeates many of our college and university campuses
- A wide open border, leading to crime and a massive drug problem
- Corrupt, lying, greedy politicians who lack integrity
- Inflation is eating away at the paychecks of our hard-working Americans
Frankly, I could go on and on, but the Cornucopia is already overflowing. We do have abundance, but it is abundance of enormous challenges and uncertainties.
We are in a time where civil discourse is rare. Seems to me we can no longer agree to disagree. If we disagree one of us is wrong. This division grows larger as world events occur. The middle ground no longer exists and it is destroying the fabric of our society.
So many media outlets are major drivers of this division. Video, audio and print mediums are all to blame. People watch, listen or read what reinforces their beliefs and allows them to fortify and embolden their views. Reason and logic seem to have disappeared. Sound bites, headlines, chants and rhetoric override facts, Frankly, it is nearly impossible to believe anything you hear, read or even see. Not being able to rely on media for truth makes everything worse. It divides are society and our country. Maybe to the point of no return.
The media has had a huge hand in shaping our country’s education system. From Kindergarten all the way through our colleges and universities we have watched changes taken place for years. The long term affect to our country has the potential to be devastating to our future. Every generation looks to the next generation with hesitation, trepidation and concern over where they will lead the country. I know my parents were concerned and now it is my turn to carry that same concern. Sadly, I think my concern holds far more grave consequences than ever before.
Without getting political, I believe it is safe to say the southern border is not closed. It is open and out of control. As Americans, we have no idea what this is doing to the backbone of our nation. Statistics tell us what the drugs flowing into our country are doing to our people. The loss of life and the present and future cost to our country is incalculable at this point. This predicament certainly brings to mind a haunting phrase we may come to rue, “The Enemy is within.”
So who can we trust to stop and turn around many of these problems? The first response is usually your government. But in the case of the United States, I’m afraid that’s not the answer or the solution. We’ve known for a long, long time, politicians cannot be trusted. All too often they come into office poor and leave office extremely well off. Immediately, I think of the late Harry Reid as a prime example. I know there are dozens more just like him. Other politicians are already wealthy and that wealth propels them into office. Wealth not only generates more wealth, but also breeds something far more insatiable…power.
We see that power in politicians who stay in D.C. too long, who are beholding to far too many special interests and who ignore their constituents in lieu of their own insatiable desire for more and more power. As with the media, I personally do not feel comfortable trusting my government and its leadership to have my best interests in mind.
To top all these issues off, we are now dealing with inflation that is stifling growth, small business expansion, home buying, and without being dramatic…the American Dream. Pensions are not meeting the inflation rate for retirees. Wages for the average workforce are not increasing to meet mortgage rates, the high price of food, gas and utilities. Increasing property taxes, insurance premiums and higher education tuition are additional crushing levers to Americans.
Yes, this cornucopia is overflowing in a very bad way. Can we rely on the media, our education system or our legislators? I want to believe we can, but I don’t want to be naive and my gut and my wallet tells me we cannot. So what can we do?
- We need to do our own research. We can’t rely on others to feed us their side of a story
- We have to think strategically. Whether it is financially in our own homes, or at the ballot box. What is best for our family and our country needs to be a guiding principle.
- We need to hold our local, state and federal officials accountable. We need to ask hard questions and follow those up with harder questions. All too often we aren’t bold enough to hold others accountable. That must change.
- Above all else, we need to have Faith. There are reasons we are where we are in this world. Only our deep and rock solid Faith will pull us through this “Cornucopia of Despair” to one of joy and abundance.
If it’s got to be it has to be up to you and me….
Until next time…