Thursday, June 14, 2012

Is America Finished? - Part 1

Seems like everybody is talking about the decline of America, especially if you are watching the news networks. Every night, there is a parade of gloom and doom—out of control deficits, trade imbalance, wars, talk of wars, financial collapse, and oil prices. And those are just a few of the ongoing topics. So is America Finished? Are the glory days gone?

I recently watched an old television mini-series from 1987 that gave me some insight on this topic. You probably don’t remember “Amerika”. It was one of the most controversial mini-series ever produced. In fact, it’s never been aired again. And it’s almost impossible to find it on DVD. Amerika is about the collapse of the United Stated as we know it. It starts ten years after a bloodless coup d'état, which leads to Soviet occupation. The mini-series follows the final days of the breakup of the United States. What emerges are several new countries, which are created in the image of Eastern Bloc satellite states.

What strikes me about this mini-series is the basis for the American decline. Colonel Andrei Denisov, the KGB Soviet administrator for the Central District, describes to Peter Bradford, a local county administrator from Nebraska, the reason why America collapsed. He says you lost your country before the Soviets ever landed on your soil. America had lost it's passion and it's willingness to sacrifice. You were self-absorbed in your own world. He goes on to say how could we not win.

So what does this have to do about current events? Yes, we no longer have to worry about a Russian or Soviet invasion. In fact, there is no military power on the planet that can challenge our capacity for military supremacy. And contrary to what other people may tell you, we are still an economic powerhouse. There is no nation on this planet that can match our wealth. But there is something inside of us that is destroying the very fabric of our society. It’s like a virus that’s eating away at us from within.

This isn’t about Obamacare. And it’s not about whether the Democrats or the Republican control the Congress or about a $14 trillion deficit. Of course, these are important matters that must be addressed. But the issue I speak about concerns the soul. It’s in the spiritual realm and where it is being manifested—the basic family unit. It is the destabilizing, the fragmentation, and the disintegration of the family that has the potential to destroy America. Have we forgotten the most important roles in life—to be a good husband, a good wife, a good father, and a good mother.

You can start all the companies you want and make all the money you want, but if your family is a mess, you have nothing. You may not agree with my conclusions. But I believe we are consumed and infatuated with materialism and consumerism. Today’s media machine is nonstop in its description of the so-called American Dream that has been redefined. Here are the things you need and must have to be happy and content. Thanks to television, this is the message that’s been drummed into us for over 60 years.

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