Civilization tends to go in cycles, to rise and fall.
In hard times, men become spiritual, they fight for freedom, and they work hard. This describes America in 1776. It was truly “the land of the free and the home of the brave”. But they had to fight for their freedom. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death!”. The signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged their Lives, their Fortunes, and their sacred Honor.
This commitment, this righteousness, this spiritual intensity, this zeal for truth and honor, this love of Liberty, this hard work – these things bring success and prosperity. America has become the richest and most powerful nation in the world. These virtues bring wealth and power, honestly earned.
Now here we are, two and a half centuries later, and Americans are throwing it all away. Americans have become pleasure-oriented, indifferent to evil, and lazy.
The hammer of hard times is about to fall on America.
We don’t have to call this “the wrath of God”, but we certainly could. If God is watching us, keeping an account of our virtues and vices, He can certainly find plenty to complain about.
But we can just as well say that this is the natural, obvious, and predictable result of what these damn fool Americans are doing. And not doing. Americans are like the prodigal son. They have spent their inheritance. They have dedicated themselves to wine, women, and song. To sex, drugs, and rock and roll. They have slept, as if in a drunken stupor, while their enemies prepare to invade. Americans are like the prodigal son, but they won’t have Daddy to bail them out.
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