Fixing a Broken Nation

 Things are broken. They are broken everywhere and it has gotten so bad people are burning down their own cities. We know they are broken, we have known they are broken for a long time. We make jokes about them being broken. It used to be called "political satire" and now they are memes. They are both doing the same thing, pointing out where we know things are broken. We tell jokes about corruption and greed and control and abuse. We tell jokes about stuff because we know they are true, but we don't know what else to do. We don't fix it.

The first place things are broken is in the home. Our homes, our kids, our marriages, and our families are broken. We get hurt, we throw things away. We have no idea what marriage is or how it actually works. We have decided that marriage is about two people being in love. Marriage is today's society is for my benefit and I get something out of it. When I stop enjoying it, I leave. Marriage used to be the most foundational part of our society. We built a community of a husband and wife. They came together in a complementary way, had children, and established a family. Things were hard, we fixed it. Things got broken, we fixed it. Children were born into a family, homes were made. That's gone. Children have no stability, one-parent homes are harmful. We know it's true, we make jokes about it. Ever heard a joke about a girl with "daddy issues"? We know it's broken, but we don't fix it. We continue to destabilize the family, people just live together. Marriage has become a disposable relationship. It's broken.

Our schools are broken. The school has become controlled by people who aren't educators and they are making decisions that are not education decisions. I'm not a fan of the United States Department of Education, because I don't want bureaucrats in charge of education. I want the state to be in charge of education, and I want local schools and administrators making education decisions. Education has become a political tool and used for people to get elected and reelected. Until we get politics out of the school, it will be broken.

As long as we are on the topic of politics, our government is really, really broken. We have known that for years. My entire life I have known that politicians lie. Everyone knows the government is corrupt. Each side believes the other side is the corrupt group, but let's be honest. They are all corrupt. There is a reason they have made a system that only certain people can reach the top off. It's not controlled by the people, it's controlled by money. The government has become a business, and it's a dog eat dog business. The people in charge will do whatever they need to in order to remain in power. Our government is probably as corrupt as the Mafia ever was. You know it, I know it. We know the media, both broadcast, and social media have become nothing more than propaganda machines of the political parties. Journalists no longer report the truth, they report what they believe and what they want you to believe. Social Media is controlling the minds and hearts of many in this country. People believe things for no other reason than they have heard it over and over and over again. It doesn't matter if it's true, it only matters if the right people say it and say it loud enough.

Business is broken. Opening a small business today is harder than ever before. Real Estate to have a brink and mortar store is almost overwhelming on its own. If you do manage to open a store, you have to find a way to get your message out. The cost of advertising can be overwhelming. After all this, if you get your storefront and get advertised, you still have to deal with the fact the big box stores and the internet have a corner on the market. There is a reason that Jeff Bezos is the wealthiest man in the US. If you didn't know his name, he is the owner of Amazon. We talk about how CEOs of these companies make billions and the people they work for make very little. People want the government to fix this through taxation while continuing to shop Amazon. If you don't like how much Amazon or Walmart of Target CEOs make, stop shopping there. Shop local, small business. Maybe you have to pay a little more, just suck it up and do it. It's broken, but the number of people who are at Walmart every day proves it's not something we are going to fix. It will stay broken because, like marriage, business is all about what is best for me.

Finally, the church is broken. The church has become more of a business than anything else. It's not so much about making money, but it's about maintaining control.  People who are in leadership in the church love being in charge. They love calling the shots, and they won't let that change. We make jokes about the church not wanting to change anything. We make jokes that it's a fight to change the carpet color or what color the paint the walls. It's true, every bit of it. The church is no longer a community, it's a business, and that business is entertainment. The church today is focused on bigger, better, louder. Backdrops that change color, lights, and state of the art sound systems, projection systems, and professionally created websites. The church members are not just spectators, they listen to the leaders teach or preach or sing, and they just nod along and smile. They leave after they are entertained for an hour, not the least bit different than they were when they walked in. People are leaving the church, many have said we are in a Post-Christian era in our country. The church is broken, we know it, but no one will do anything to fix it.

So, what are we going to do? Realistically, nothing will change. It's too hard, it takes too much work. The only time things change is when things explode. Even then, the change is usually small and not long lasting. We have had race riots in this country, and each time they get worse. The reason is, nothing changes, and the changes don't last for long. A group in the government gets together, they make a change, and eventually, that fades away. Occasionally, a leader will inspire a few and they will get worked up for a time, but eventually, it gets hard and it fades. The reason for this, in my opinion, is we start to big. We try to fix the entire system. I am committed to fixing things first at the cornerstone. My family, my kids. I want to focus at home and fix things. Fix things locally, where you are. A firecracker can't move an entire mountain, but it can make a dent. Enough dents and the mountain will be gone. Do what you can where you live, where you work, where you learn, and where you worship. Stop supporting those who are the problem. Stop shopping big if you can shop small. Stop attending the churches that entertain and find a community of faith. Stop voting for corrupt politicians, and vote for quality people. Do the work where you live and you will begin to slowly make a change.