Wake up America! Forget About World War III, the U.S. is About to Erupt into a Civil War
What's happening now has been happening for centuries.
We practice a religion or a way of life until it becomes stale enough to rival a married couple seriously thinking about going through with a divorce.
We ask ourselves all those questions we're supposed to know the answers to, but for some odd reason, we keep questioning them.
We say we have faith, but we're just not sure. We say we believe with all our heart, but our minds say otherwise. In these cases, there are two main reactions most people have: (1) doubling down and becoming more fanatical in order to justify and strengthen what we fear might be wrong, or (2) completely letting go.
History will tell you that most people choose to double-down, for many reasons. It's here where we begin that downward spiral, though, as we cling to anything that symbolizes our faith, even if it makes no sense at all.
Our need to be right trumps all other human needs, culminating in a passion comparable to the defiant young woman who insists on loving that young man who beats her to a pulp. The more that any outsiders push to change us, the more we deepen our allegiance to those beliefs, and our hatred toward anything, or anyone, that goes against them.
In this regard, we have all been radicalized in our own right.
Far removed from the middle ground, the polar opposites have become the new regression to the mean, and the only thing that may end this tragic spiral is a modern day civil war.
In fact, this is what has already begun happening, which only complicates anyone's ability to be able to differentiate the radicalized killer from the mentally ill.
Halting an influx of individuals from foreign lands won't fix this, voting in a new president won't fix this, making congress work better won't fix this, bombing people and their lands won't fix this, and taking away guns won't fix this.
In fact, nothing external will change until we decide to internally change first. Change what? I'm so glad you asked.
As a whole, we've become so accustomed to trying to fix and perfect everything and everyone around us, that we've forgotten about ourselves.
Now let me be very clear here, this is not about us looking to fulfill our every desire, as this is something we all do very well. Instead, it means having the ability to look within ourselves and ask a poignant question:
"How have I perpetuated the hate that exists toward Americans, and what can we do, individually and collectively, to stop this deadly cycle?"
If you're waiting for some magic bullet to appear in this text, again, I ask you to stop looking outside of yourself and start looking inward for the answers.
You see, only you can answer that question. Only you know what you can do to become a better citizen of the world, and only you have the power to make that happen.
Need some direction? How about this -- stop telling other people what to do, how to live their lives, and what to worship. Stop making your priorities the same priorities you impose upon others.
Take the time to appreciate a different point of view, a different belief system, a different race, different customs, and a different religion. Stop playing the victim, too. This is not about you. This is about humanity. Stop feeling the need to be right about everything, because people are being killed over a fundamental argument about what is right.
How did we allow things to get this far?
You may think this has nothing to do with our dilapidated roads, crumbling infrastructure, rotting bridges, and run-down neighborhoods, but it has everything to do with this and so much more.
In the pursuit of the American Dream, the greatest dream in the world, we have elevated ourselves so high above others that we cannot even see or smell all the shit that lies right below us.
We demand things, feel entitled, and complain about issues that make no difference at all when you're head is being decapitated. The absence of rational thought will always be the outcome of a highly emotional experience, for this is the human way.
We cannot, though, allow our emotions to cloud our ability to find solutions to an ever increasing problem unfolding on our doorsteps. And the first step to addressing any problem is to first admit it and fully understand it.
If all Muslims were completely annihilated from this Earth, there would still be terrorism. If all White supremacists were gone, there would still be terrorism. If all Black inner-city gangs just disappeared, there would still be terrorism. If all illegal aliens were sent out of the U.S., there would still be terrorism. If all mental illnesses were cured, there would still be terrorism. If all religion was abolished, there would still be terrorism.
Get rid of all these factors, and we would have no more Earth.
That leaves one thing left -- you.
You have to change, and you have to start now. Stop waiting around for someone else to fix it. All the guns, laws, political strategies, wars, and bombs in the world might make you feel a bit safer for now, but it won't do anything to solve things.
That has to come from you, and you alone.
Things don't have to be this way. We can stop an all-out civil war from happening if we do something now. We can blame a president and his administration for all the racial, religious, economic, and ethical strife in our country, or we can take personal responsibility and blame ourselves for this mess.
Stop the downward spiral before it stops us all dead in our tracks, because we as Americans have so much more to live for. Extremism in any form is unhealthy, as it clouds our ability to see how we can assist others, or where we may stand in the way of progress.
Extremist views are what create belief systems and attitudes that form into judgments, which in time can turn into disgust and hate, which results in violence and death.
Extremist views are a dangerous ingredient, and when ingested, it turns love and humanity into radicalization and terrorism.
So why are we fighting against each other, when what we sorely need more than anything else in the world is to come together as one united voice? Please don't let the civil war in America brew on any longer than it has.
No one is asking you to give up your guns. No one is asking you to stop practicing your religion. No one is asking you to stop being a Democrat or a Republican. We are simply asking you to stop having to be right, feel the need to dictate other people's lives, and continue polarizing this nation. Just let go. Accept. Love.
Some may feel that it is too late, and they must fight to the bitter end. Refuse to allow this to happen to you. Do it for yourself. Better yet, do it for the sake of our children and their children's children.
