Civil War

      I have always been a fan of series that makes you think. Jericho was one of those shows. While it only lasted two short seasons, I was enthralled with it. I even went to a convention where I bought a couple of the props from the set. By the end of the TV series neighbors are fighting against neighbors, and the country is fighting a civil war. While it made for great TV, I have come to fear we are not too far off of a similar situation playing out. While I do not see 23 nuclear bombs going off in the United States, the hostilities of this country is at an all-time high. With "Black Lives Matter" vs "All Lives Matter" or "Liberal" vs "Conservative" or "Pro-Life" vs "Pro-Choice" or Donald Trump vs America. Whatever it is there is a divide, and we need to be aware. Something is feeding into the Anger of the American people and it is not just Donald Trump. This country is legitimately at the brink. Part of it is we have quit listening to one another. The Declaration of Independence says we have unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The problem is we want our happiness at the expense of others. That was not what our founders had in mind, and because we took these words to mean a personal level, we now hate those who get in the way of our happiness. We are dividing each other. My understanding of the pursuit of happiness is that of a community. We look out for one another. That was something Great Britain was not doing. They didn't care about the colonists happiness. They cared about business. The founding fathers believed that we had a right as a whole to pursue happiness together. We may not be totally satisfied, but we needed to come together for the betterment of the people. That is not happening anymore. The result is you have neighbor fighting neighbor, because, they make the other unhappy.
       At the end of Season 1 the neighboring town of Jericho, New Bern, is upset. A mercenary group called Ravenwood has desolated the town. They were upset that Jericho did not warn them. Jericho on the other hand almost blew their bridge trying to defend their town. New Bern starts building munitions and ultimately wages war on the small town. Jericho gets ready to defend. In a speech Johnston Green, former mayor, says, "Most of you have no idea what to do or what's coming, some of you do. This isn't a fight about land or about this town. It's a fight for our very existence. Pray for each other; while you are at it, pray for the men and women of New Bern. Pray that God forgives us." I may be seeing things, it may be nothing, but I do not see this country as sustainable the way it is headed. We have way too many people who are angry with one another for there to not be anything to happen.  But my prayer is that we will wake up understanding what is at stake. It will not be land, it will not be who will be the next president, it will be for our very existence. So pray for one another. Pray that we can return to a country of civility. Pray that God forgives us for the mistakes we made along the way.