America is in crisis.
We're seeing evidence of it every day--news of crime and corruption, images of decadence and decay, loss of faith in the institutions we used to trust and admire.
I find myself in a constant struggle to avoid the temptation of falling into hopelessness, depression, and despair.
And, evidently, this feeling is widespread. An NBC News poll published in August 2022 showed that a record number of voters (74%) believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. Only 21% of voters believe the country is on the right track. Even more troubling is that over half of the respondents expressed fear that America's best days are behind us.
So now what? It feels like there's nothing we can do to stop the downward spiral.
Earlier this week, I was feeling VERY discouraged about the state of our nation and the justice system. Special Counsel John Durham, who is investigating potential misconduct in the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, appeared to be thwarted once again. News surfaced that Igor Danchenko, a Russian analyst involved in the attempted takedown of President Trump, was acquitted. In typical fashion, the left-wing media is celebrating "another major setback" for Durham. This all transpired after we had just learned that the FBI had offered British ex-spy Christopher Steele an “incentive” of up to $1 million if he could prove the allegations in his since-discredited anti-Trump dossier.
The whole situation appears to be hopelessly corrupt and dark.
But then, I came upon another article that shed a completely different light on that news. The author, Clif High, believes that Durham's "loss" is not a defeat at all, but rather just one more step in the journey to bring light to the murky shadows of the swamp. The article makes the point that, as Durham exposes each of these characters, he lights another candle; allowing him to venture further into the ever-deepening, darkening recesses of the corruption.
That got me thinking about everything that's going on, and the darkness that I know most of us are seeing (except for that 21% who say they believe things are good!). What I realized is that there ARE candles being lit--a lot of them. Principled, courageous people are standing up around the world and shining their light as candles for all to see. In so doing, they are inspiring others to do the same.
We just have to be patient with the fact that we can't light up everything all at once. It has to be done one step -- one candle -- at a time.
Here are just a few recent examples of people who are lighting the way...
This past week, former U.S. Representative, Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) made the incredible announcement that she was rejecting her affiliation with the Democratic Party.
What makes this announcement such a gut-punch to the Democrats becomes evident when we take a closer look at her background. According to this article, Tulsi Gabbard was quite the rising star in the Democratic Party. In addition to being a military veteran and an Army Reserve officer (having served in both Iraq and Kuwait), she was a young, attractive woman of color, she was "cool" and could surf really well, and she could speak thoughtfully. Even before she was elected to Congress in 2012, the Democratic Party was promoting her as their new shiny object. She was being heralded as the leader for a new generation of Democrats. She checked all their boxes. The party leadership saw her as electoral gold and as a way to attract young voters to the polls. She subsequently ran for the Democratic Party nomination for President in 2020.
Hawaii's surfing congresswoman
However, on October 11, 2022, Gabbard announced that she could no longer remain in today's Democratic Party. Here is her statement:
With her announcement, Tulsi Gabbard lit a candle that created a LOT of light … and heat, to be sure.
A few more candles were lit when U.S. Representative and progressive media darling, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes, (a/k/a AOC) held a sparsely-attended town hall meeting in her home district in the Bronx. Even in friendly territory, she found out that the progressive agenda is not playing well.
The people in attendance at AOC's town hall used their collective candles to shine a light on her duplicity and misrepresentation of the issues. It demonstrated what Democrat progressive figures look like when they aren't being propped up by corporate media.
So what do you do when your constituents are screaming at you? Of course...you do a little dance. If you haven't seen what happened, watch this:
In the race for governor of Arizona, there is another bright, shining candle of hope. Her name is Kari Lake. Kari was a news anchor for KSAZ-TV in Phoenix AZ for 22 years. One day, she decided to walk away from a very successful career because she felt she was living a lie by being a part of what mainstream media had become. This is an example of what it means to live your truth. Please watch her inspiring story:
There are few among us who wouldn't deem our children to be the light and hope for the future. Chaya Raichik, the owner of the site Libs of TikTok, is lighting as many candles as she can to stop the over-sexualization and exploitation of children. [Note: if you take the link, click on the "Let me read it first" text to enter the site.] Raichik has withstood countless threats and bans from social media for simply reposting the very same "sex and gender ideology" content that the liberals had already publicly posted themselves. The vitriol coming from the "Libs" who don't like their own activities being exposed is nothing short of incredible. It's like seeing cockroaches scatter when the lights come on.
I've written about Libs of TikTok in previous blogs, but here's a sample of the work that Ms. Raichik does to expose the depravity that is being shown and taught to our children in many public schools. A California high school teacher was placed on leave after giving an assignment which included an essay that graphically described 9-year old girls watching a grown man masturbating.
Our children deserve all the candles we can possibly light to protect them.
Those who live in the dark will run from the light when they're exposed. They retreat further and further into their shadowy realms until the light ultimately overtakes them. And overtake them, it will.
Light wins. Always.
In closing, I'd like to share a personal story. I grew up in a church that celebrated a special ceremony at its midnight Christmas Eve service. When people entered the sanctuary for the service, they were given an unlit candle. At the end of the service, the lights in the church were all turned off. In the darkness, the pastor held a single lit candle. His light was barely visible in the darkened sanctuary. As the congregation sang Silent Night, that single flame was passed from one member of the congregation to another, until the entire church was bathed in light.
And that's why it's important for EACH of us to light our own candle. This will illuminate the path for others to follow and, collectively, we will overcome the darkness in our world.
“Light can devour the darkness but darkness cannot consume the light.”
-Ken Poirot
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