Day after day we are reminded that all is not right with the world. Those claiming to be our ‘deliverers’ are often our ‘imprisoners.’ While there is no shortage of those delivering speeches and adages ascribing to virtues making us decent and humane, it appears these are only empty words. Too often those screaming the loudest about inequalities and injustices concerning those suffering or marginalized are often silenced or compromised.
The sad part is that we all know who the real manipulators and users are, but we ignore their continuing abuse. The deception is status quo. The most surprising part is while claiming to be a nation built on Christian principles, this country’s history has proven otherwise. You would like to believe that there are enough good people willing to uphold and fight for what we all inherently know is right. But that doesn’t seem to be our reality, and sometimes you begin to question the real motives of some of those emphatically arguing for much needed change.
Sometimes things are not what they seem. Those claiming to be helping may only be sabotaging productive changes. There are a lot of high profile individuals and groups sowing divisive, deceptive racist rhetoric that is accepted and embraced by a credulous base. Indecency, immorality, lies, and deception are vices being heralded and willingly advanced to the public—a public that seems to be accepting these vices by normalizing them.
Acts of immorality are visited upon us every day. Lawmakers guilty of sexual misconduct, sow untruths, division and racism. Hip hop singers bombard us with graphic pornographic songs reeking of misogyny and sexual exploitation. Lending institutions enlist unfair banking practices and exhibit insatiable greed. Corporations kill our environment by fighting deregulation laws. Law enforcement agencies exhibit racist, dehumanizing practices. Education exhibits discriminatory funding practices. The list goes on.
The public has become desensitized and immune to actions and practices once deemed as outright unacceptable, deplorable, and illicit. In fact, many of those manifesting undesirable and divisive characteristics are seen as formidable up and coming leaders. Having the charisma and ability to inundate listeners with deceiving, conspiratorial, divisive mistruths is prevalent among many elected officials, especially some lawmakers in Congress. Embracing and normalizing immorality is becoming a standard in all our social, political, economical, and educational venues.
Morality and decency have been hijacked, and there seems to be very little outcry to recover these precious virtues. This assumption is only fueled when the more change occurs, the more things seen to stay the same for many hurting and trivialized people.
The younger generation seems to feel that getting ahead at whatever the cost supersedes everything—even to the point of excusing the bad behavior of others. Some would even say that immorality is so commonplace it is expected.
It is bad enough that we have a plethora of immoral, shameless instigators emphatically panning their divisive, rhetoric reeking with untruths and hyperboles. But the worst part concerns their credulous base that is eagerly embracing their rhetoric without question or hesitancy. We find too many people who knowingly ignore or support immoral people and acts, especially when they feel they are personally benefiting.
There seems to me no shame or remorse in a growing number of people flaunting their support for immoral people and immoral acts. Immorality is gaining support, partly because of a lack of enough public indignation or condemnation.
The question we need to be asking ourselves is simple: “Are our actions and behaviors pleasing to God? Do our actions follow the divine and universal spiritual laws of love and serving humanity?”
You can rationalize and make excuses if you must, but the truth is that one’s alienation from God makes it easier to embrace immorality. Remember there are consequences for our actions. Let’s choose God over man. Let’s start by embracing moral values.
