Imagine with me that you and I are comfortably seated in a space ship, orbiting the earth every few hours from high above the atmosphere. We have been doing this for years – two members of a team of elite scientists. Imagine that every seat offers stunning views of the earth from large, unobstructed picture windows.
As we orbit, you suddenly lean forward in your seat, exclaiming, “Look at that explosion! Right there. See it? It looks as though an entire country just blew off of Africa!”
You point, and I crane my neck to follow your pointing finger, but our ship is moving too fast. The site is gone from view. Turning back to my window, I also see an explosion. Clouds obscure the location of this one, but the force of it thrusts the clouds upward in an immense mushroom. Several others have seen the explosions, and an excited debate begins. What caused them? Volcanic activity? Global warming? They seem too large for either. Somehow, entire nations seem to have been destroyed.
For the next few months, we see nothing. Then, as we orbit the skies above the Pacific Ocean, rapidly approaching North America, a sudden, intense, bright light fills the space ship. Every member of our team rushes to a window. Noses flatten against the glass as we gaze transfixed at what appears to be the entire United States of America going up in smoke and flames. Our collective gasp is followed by a funereal silence. By the time we reach the East Coast, there is nothing left. No Capitol. No Pentagon. No Whitehouse. Nothing. The earth below us is scorched.
“How do you destroy a nation?” The question whispers through the ship’s cabin, but no answer is forthcoming as the scene fades into the blackness behind us.
How _do_ you destroy a nation? Does it take an act of terrorism? Does it require nuclear power or a yet-to-be-invented weapon of mass destruction? Could you do it with a MOAB bomb or scalar?
No. It takes nothing so violent. It can be done quite simply. Actually, it is being done as you read this blog. It is being done to the nation in which I live – the United States of America.
How do you destroy a nation? You make a mockery of character – of moral excellence! You scoff at those who exercise it, and weaken its impact by redefining each part of it. You link it to religion, and then fight to keep it behind the “wall of separation” so that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle can continue their non-partisan, downward spiral into the dark slime of corruption. You make an outward show of teaching it in your schools, but behind classroom doors, you refuse to present anything absolute or concrete in nature. You refuse to model it yourself; refuse to give it priority in the curriculum; and refuse to budget enough for a good character education program.
Gradually, honesty and integrity become matters of not getting caught in lies, stealing, or cheating. Diligence in young people is judged by how many hours they can play video games or wander the malls. Financial responsibility is linked to winning lottery tickets and other gambling success, hidden assets, money laundering, and insider trading. Respect is exercised toward others and toward the law only when there’s something in it for oneself. Compassion becomes euthanasia of the elderly, handicapped, and sick. Trustworthiness is made into a joke, and love is directed only toward oneself.
How do you destroy a nation? It’s easy! Just do away with moral excellence! Just do what the people of the U.S.A. are doing – and watch that nation collapse totally.
That’s the view from my chair. What’s your view?