The Fabric of Civilization

     How do you destroy the fabric of a civilization? It's very simple, actually. Regular people tend to go with the flow. It's not that they're cowards, or stupid, or anything like that. It's just that between meeting the bills, getting to work, and feeding the kids most people expect the government to do what it was hired to do, i.e. pave the roads, protect lives and put out fires. Since most people would never knowingly break the law they don't worry about how the police operate, what congressmen do, or where the money comes from or goes. Pay, pray, and obey. 

     Human beings have a little thing called a moral compass. I think it's God given, and  I know there are those who would differ with me, but no matter. People tend to know what is inherently right and wrong. You get married before having babies. You obey the law. You don't take, or even think about taking someone else's property. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai the children of Israel already knew pretty much what was on those stone tablets. Rules by which civilized men and women live by have been constant for millennia. This is the fabric of civilization. 

     You can't just rip this fabric apart. You must find a loose thread and work from there.  Something as simple as this. No one in their right mind would take a baby, crush its head, and toss it into a trash can. Add a Supreme Court ruling, a clinic, and a white coat and that's EXACTLY what you get! See how that works? No one with any comprehension would sympathize with a robber. Add a few fires, an out of control wannabe preacher and a little CNN and right away you have a black Davy Crockett. See the fabric unravel?

     And what is Mr. and Mrs. Middle America doing? Why they're sitting there quietly, watching TV, confident that the government is honest and true, and everything will be fine in the morning. But the fabric is unraveling. Then take sacred institutions like say, marriage, and redefine them. Then force this redefinition on the public in such a way that if you oppose it you stand out from the crowd, and good Lord, nobody wants to do THAT! That's the main rule of BEING the PEOPLE! The people want to remain anonymous.   Then remove all means of self defense so just in case some of the people DO begin to see the fabric of civilization coming apart at the seams there's nothing they can do about it anyway, so there!

     To be honest most people will muddle through their mundane lives and drink the Kool Aid. Only a few, a very select few will stand up. If the moral compass is reset then their children and grandchildren will read about it in history books. The people who stood up will be called "Patriots," but who they really were, and what they really stood for will be sterilized. A generation later their image will be scrutinized and their very humanity will be brought into question until the nay-Sayers will find that loose thread again, and the whole process will be begin again. 

     You will never change this. Civilization is dynamic, not static. People want to just be left alone. As long as the moral compass points reasonably north most people will continue the march.  There were a few soldiers of the Pharaoh, but there were thousands of workers building those pyramids. A newly married couple in Kansas would never kill a baby, break a law or be late on their taxes because they simply cannot believe the government they voted into power would ever do anything to upset their lives. You will never convince them otherwise. It is only when the moral compass goes completely off the rails will a very small, very special group raise its head. The three percent!

     Three percent of the population will recalibrate the moral compass  Ninety-seven percent will sit by and wait for new directions. This is the way of the world. Don't be discouraged when you see only a few standing up with you against tyranny. Be confident knowing that as small as your numbers may be are they are larger than the tyrants. The people will not fight on your side will certainly not fight on the other side either. It is our duty to fight and defend these people. That's moral compass. We need them. You can't love your country while hating ninety-seven percent of the people in it! 

     We at Raging Elephants know the fabric is unraveled and lying on the ground. We know that it will take an apocalyptic event to stitch it back together again. The people who tore it know this too. They know they're riding on a crest of deceit now, and this ride will not last. We live in great times. Small groups can change history. Just remember Jesus went to Jerusalem with twelve guys, two loaves of bread and one jack ass. Guy did pretty good, I think!