GOOD vs BAD
if it were only that simple.
There was a time you could tell the good guys from the bad guys, black or white hat, law enforcement or criminal, soldier or terrorist, preacher or drug lord and nun or prostitute. I know there are bad cops, soldiers, preachers and nuns but today if you watch entertainment media these are usually the bad guys.
I'll agree the old good vs bad plots get predictable and in a way boring. In the rebellious 60's the bad guys started to win and the good guys started losing. At first it was an interesting twist but eventually it became even more predictable.
Today American flags are symbols of hate, preachers are perverts, being a virgin is a laugh line, Santa Claus is a serial killer, war veterans are deranged and police officers are all corrupt.
This began in movies and television and soon oozed into news opinion. Virtue is not expected or valued, in fact it is mocked as old fashioned or conservative.
I've noticed popular shows like Breaking Bad, Ray Donavan, Dexter and Deadwood have added a new twist. There are no good guys, everyone is compromised. Half way through we realize we are rooting for the hero of the story but they are a drug dealer, murderer or thief.
DEADWOOD
RAY DONAVAN
DEXTER
Over the decades the value of virtue or any sense of shame have been eroded. It is more then a sense of right and wrong, it is the idea that right and wrong no longer matters.
Diverting responsibility, a sense of entitlement, justified envy and the right to feed our cravings is deemed normal. Once these basic principles have been devalued we drift further towards tyranny or anarchy.
The bar has been lowered by a double standard justus system, corrupt government, bias media and a move away from the acknowledgment of God.
This has not only effected the individual but it has effected us as a free nation. It is assumed that all of our leaders are tarnished and the few that are practicing virtue are mocked or discounted. We have lost our heroes, at least the virtuous ones.
John Adams was one of the signers of the Constitution. He had a couple quotes I have found insightful.
I may sound old-fashioned or naive but an acknowledgment of God and a sense of virtue must be restored before it is too late. I see a pendulum swing in our country.
Not Republican or Democrat, left or right, liberal or conservative, pro or con, man or woman but a turning back to the basic foundation of freedom and liberty, virtue. Virtue is a yielding to our conscience to do the right thing when no one is looking.
I'm just a guy on a bicycle but observing the people of this amazing country over the miles has taught me not to discount the love for freedom and liberty of it's people. I do not lose hope because I have met the American people.
Most organizations or movements are pulled along by a very small percentage of the people involved. Our country was established and founded by a very small minority at first. It is always possible for things to change no matter where it begins. It is already beginning in the hearts of virtuous people who yearn to remain free, it is contagious.
With this and with God's blessing tomorrow will be a brighter day.
