Two kinds of Americans

By Anna Githens

Lately, it's been more than difficult to watch the news and it is becoming even harder to bear witness to our country's slow and agonizing destruction. It is as if we are passengers on a plane that has been hijacked by a group of intruders who resemble nothing American, and we are sitting in our seats, mouths agape, in utter shock and disbelief that we put ourselves on this freefall flight to oblivion.

While it is true that our current government has accentuated the lines of class warfare and amplified racial divide, an even more ubiquitous divide currently exists in this country. It exists not only in our government, but also in our towns, our schools, within our businesses, amongst our corporate executives, entrepreneurs, welfare recipients, and even in our own families.

This division is a deeply held and indelibly formed bias embedded within the psyche of every American. It is a personal worldview conceived within the constructs of one's childhood, life experiences, and beliefs; one that either subconsciously or consciously views America as a valiant defender of freedom and gracious world leader, or an intrusive, arrogant bully that imposes itself on the rest of the world.

Evidently there are Americans who truly believe they are victims of somebody, a mindset that fuels the drive to get the guy responsible for their predicament, one unequivocally exhibited by the recent IRS scandal. These victim-minded Americans also believe they deserve retribution for their plight and are therefore entitled to receive subsidy from their errant rivals. On the other side of the divide are self-sufficient Americans, those who consistently look within themselves to be the change they wish to see in our country, a mindset that has been well demonstrated through history by our many great leaders.

There are those who view America as the land of the free and the home of the brave; and those who view another man's freedom and bravery as a threat to their being.

There are those whose hearts leap at the notion of America's abundant opportunities; and there are those who seek to destroy opportunity by eliminating any potential competition in order to secure their own self-worth.

There are those who gaze in captivated wonder upon her glistening city skylines; and there are those who glean vicarious satisfaction from watching their destruction.

There are those who overcome impossible odds to become American citizens so that they may achieve the American dream; and there are those who make it their mission in life to live among Americans and destroy their dream.

There are those who have finally achieved that dream, who look with pride at our glorious flag, and with a hand on their heart and a tear in their eye passionately pledge their allegiance to that flag; and there are those who through illicit means have established permanent dwelling on American soil, yet recoil in disgust if they catch a glimpse of that same splendid flag.

There are those who look at the American flag and see unified states in her bright stars and recall the wondrous birth of her colonies in her colorful stripes; and there are those who flinch in envy at its extraordinary symbolic meaning.

There are those who proclaim their fidelity to God, who understand that without Him this great nation would not exist and her establishment would not have taken place; and there are those who wince uncomfortably at the mention of His holy name.

There are those who view themselves and their fellow citizens as children of God and continually seek His guidance in matters of morality and justice; and there are those who view themselves as gods of other men who believe they possess gifts of superior intellect and high merit that are necessary to infallibly condition those men.

There are those who uphold our constitutional laws and humbly strive to honor and obey the Ten Commandments; and there are those who are blind to the wisdom of those laws and commandments, whose inflated pride will not permit them to acquiesce to such sound reasoning, especially that which was inspired by our Divine Creator.

There are those who believe in The Natural Law and regard it to be God's Law; and there are those who believe they are the sole arbiters of conscience, independent dominions unto themselves, who stand above and outside the law and all creation.

There are those who respect every human being individually created by God as a unique gift to mankind; and there are those who view others with contempt, indifferent to the dignity and uniqueness of the human person.

There are those whose feet hit the ground in the morning and say to themselves, "What can I create today?" and there are those who say, "What or whom can I destroy?"

There are those who respect the creative potential inherent in each individual, who wish to foster an atmosphere that encourages creativity; and there are those who feel threatened by it, who wish to oppress human expression and stifle creativity so they may conceal their ineptitude and preserve their own deluded sense of importance and wretched existence.

Each day we are faced with a choice and that choice is rooted in the decision to live one's life as a parasite or a host. If your life's purpose is oriented toward the abolishment of religion, morality, highly esteemed American laws, or reputable private persons, institutions, and enterprises, then you just may be parasitically inclined.

Do you obtain a sense of importance from a mission to destroy another person or entity? If the answer is yes, what exactly is it that drives your ambitions and supports your convictions? Are your convictions derived from your own personal feelings or are they rooted in 240 years of enlightened insight fortified by the American Constitution? Do your convictions have the backing of two thousand years of Canon law procured by ecclesiastical authority?

As you walk on the pathway of life, what governs your decision-making? There are only two answers here. One is oriented toward the greater good; the other is oriented toward the self. One will lead you to eternal life; the other will result in a spiritual death. Suffice it to say one is Good and the other is Evil, for if we are not walking with God, then with whom are we walking?

In the words of the great Saint Augustine, evil exists as a privation of the good. It is a parasite. He explains that there is blindness where there should be sight, and there is deafness where there should be hearing. Evil, specifically moral evil comes from the abuse of human freedom. He asserts that there is One Being that is good, besides which there is nothing (but parasites trying to suck the life out of the good).

Recently our Air Force decided to throw out his sage advice by rejecting the Just War theory. Their reason? It comes from a priest. And we must not espouse advice from any religious representatives in our unbiased military, regardless of its sagaciousness or relevance to the security of American soldiers and citizens. After all these years why have Christian principles, those that are pure and family oriented, become so problematic during this administration? This shift in consciousness should deeply concern any American, regardless of their religious affiliation.

While the nefarious and narcissistic regimes of Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, and the like continue to haunt our memories, we need to remind ourselves that their ideology is not a twentieth century novelty. In fact, it goes back thousands of years as revealed within the pages of the Holy Scriptures, and is most cogently expressed by the following axiom: They wished to be like God knowing good and evil (cf. Gen 3:22).

In one of the earliest biblical narratives Cain slew Able out of envy. God favored Abel's offering over Cain's, thus envy incited him to murder. Instead of seeking God's good judgment and aspiring to achieve his favor, he succumbed to evil. God had warned Cain of this danger when He said, "Why are you so angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it" (Gen 4:7). Cain chose not to heed the Lord's warning or look within and improve upon himself, rather he chose to slay his own brother so he could rid himself of the one whose offering God favored. He even said in response to God, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen 4:9).

Fear fills the heart of the evil dictator, a fear that dreads ones personal insignificance and lack of control. Most of all, it is a fear rooted in vanity and fueled by envy. The tyrant is terrified of the thought that his or her utopian ideology and chance to achieve distinction will never come to fruition.

Our Creator has set before us life and death, blessings and curses. It is up to us to make life-sustaining choices and reject choices whose implementation will eventually lead to death – death to freedom, death to America, and death to our own and/or one another's souls. We must stop resenting and start rebuilding what we once had before it's too late. Those Americans filled with resentment seek to take down their brother and our country with them, those Americans who want to rebuild seek to revive others and restore the values and principles that once held us together.

Which kind of American do you want to be?

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not been perfected in love" 1 John 4:18.

© Anna Githens