(9/11 First Responder)

Some people believe that the 9/11 attack on America was the beginning of the end for America. Some people believe that everything is just fine with America. Others hold still different opinions. For me, I think, the collapse of America started in the early 1960’s when God was removed from our schools. Now before you get your panties in a wad, I am not just talking about the Christian God, I am talking about all types of faith.

There is an old country western song that goes, in part, “You gotta stand for something or you’ll for anything.” And this I believe is the problem that will lead to the total annihilation of America. Once you have taken faith out of a society, any type of faith, i.e. Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Catholicism, Mormonism, Wicca, pantheism, etc. You remove hope. You cannot hope for a better tomorrow, if there is nothing to hope in.  Are you going to put your hope in that new car you have been lusting after, or that new girl, or a different job. What happens when you get those things is you just want a different one eventually and the spiral continues downward.

Just look at the ancient Greeks, or Romans or Spartans or Nazis, none of those societies, which at one time ruled most of the known world or strove to rule it, sill exist. They had put their hopes in the wrong things. All of them put their hopes in expanding their territories and exerting power over their enemies. They doomed themselves by reaching too far. If they had put their hopes in right living, following their own codes of behavior instead of giving into debauchery, who knows, they might still be here today.

The other problem that will lead to America is the almost total lack of disciple that some children receive. I am not suggesting corporal punishment, however I am suggesting regular, consistent punishments when a child deliberately disobeys an authority figure.  A fair and balanced punishment that fits the offense. Also, another way to disciple a child is not so much discipline but teaching the child that some things are worth working for. That long hours at the gym or on the track will result in rewards worth the time and self-discipline it takes to succeed.

Honestly, if WWIII were to happen today, I am not so sure America would win. Sure we have the weaponry, the funds, the troops. However, I question whether or not those troops have the level of self-discipline, self-sacrifice and the unquestioned belief in authority figures which is necessary to win a war. Our troops had it a generation ago during WWII, but I am not sure they are cut from the same cloth as those troops. For they have neither the self-discipline, the willingness to make sacrifices for the greater good, nor the ability to obey authority figures without question.

Can this trend be stopped? Yes, it can. Put God back in the school. It doesn’t matter which God the child hopes in, just give that child some hope, and put discipline back into the homes. If America were to do these two things, we could change the incoming course. Without it? God only knows.

Photos courtesy of Pixabay