[548 words]
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Of course, we say that about a lot of what we hear these days. This time I was in a waiting room where health tips were given on a screen—how to lower blood sugar, getting better sleep and dealing with other common problems. Then a lady gave instructions about riding a bike. Always wear a helmet. Never ride barefoot or with sandals. And, remember that bikes have a chain, so make sure you oil it!
That same week some children told me they were not allowed to go outside at school because it was hot and a football player said practice was cancelled because of the heat.
Meanwhile we are told that global warming is a real danger and healthy people with a strong immune system are told to wear a mask, stay away from people, and get one shot right after another.
The message is clear: we don’t have enough sense to take care of ourselves. We don’t know when or how to get in out of the rain. We must have the government and the experts to tell us what to do. Listen to us if you want to live. We know what’s best for you. The only thing sadder than the media talking to people like they are idiots is that many allow it and slavishly comply.
Our condition as a nation reminds me of some brilliant but stifled students in a Russian university about thirty years ago. After hearing a thorough lecture about how to start a small business, many of them quickly responded, “But when does the government give you the money to start?” Their mindset was just what Karl Marx designed and what Joseph Stalin demanded. Now we are getting in the same condition. We have become a people who can’t think for themselves. What happens when a country is this weak? Brutal tyrants take over when men are afraid of their own shadows.
But this spirit of dependence doesn’t stop with our physical wellbeing. Now the government and the media try to instruct, intimidate, and shame the public on moral issues. We are told not to say that homosexual behavior is wrong; if we do we are being judgmental and we will be punished. We are told not to criticize the religion of Islam; if we dare speak against it we are labeled as racists and “Islamaphobes.” We are warned that if we fail to follow every COVID mandate we are selfish and don’t love others. And perhaps the greatest sin of all is not caring about climate change. It is shocking to see many people, and even Christians, blindly following this propaganda.
It is high time for people to take personal responsibility, to have some courage, and to stop acting like helpless children. This is not about being stubborn and proud. It is about using the mind God gave us. It is about having the strength to listen to the lessons of history and common sense. It is about trusting in God and His Word instead of being addicted to the news.
“Let God be true but every man a liar” (Rom.3:4).
“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man” (Psa. 1 18:8).
Kerry Duke
West End church of Christ
Livingston, TN