Again, thank you. You make me think, which at my age is a good thing and in the company I keep all too rare.
Values. and how they ply in socio-political arenas.
Something the left blew way back when, I guess when "socialism" was distancing itself from the other "isms", it became important to first, kill God, then kill the family concept. Every utopian scenario from Orwell to Asimov to Huxley, they all remove the family along with any form of faith...and they all end up in hell.
Meanwhile, as you note, man is wired to care for his kin. We are the only species that does so at the community level. We are wired to the "social contract". Widows were first to receive care of any kind by the Hebrews, who were commanded by a very pissed off God. Our Godly compassion was then hijacked by the most formidable of institutions, the Roman Catholic Church and compassion has never recovered. Hospitals, orphanages, schools etc., all fell away from local control and decision making and moved onto a centralized model with one guy, allegedly infallible at the top. We surrendered our right to care for our neighbor. And now that we have as a society fired God as our moral guide, surrender that right of caring to....government.
Which demonstrates man's psychosis. The same institution that steals your money, misues it, lies about the need for war can suddenly be trusted with the health and welfare of those who cannot fend for themselves, all within a clearly corrupt, vote generating environment. I know people on very serious medication for duality thinking like that.
Today, it is a purely political fight and based on a simple human trait. Throughout history and documented in the Bible is there a division of people, one that says "our government/church/kingdom has to look after [them]. The other says no the Good Samaritan is where it's at. But the answer is at the beginning with the unanswered question "Am I my brother's keeper?"
The only problem is the Good Samaritan died when they killed God. There aren't any anymore, it's the government's job. The end result of all social programs is there...a transfer of the duty/right to care for your neighbor to the hands of a bureaucrat whose career path will be determined not by his compassion, but for the exactitude of his widgets. So of course the family as a concept is as dead as God in the minds of too many. An adult suggesting to a youth who is trying to skateboard down my mountainside and across two lanes of heavy beach traffic out of control is going to hear a very excited "**** off!"
the utter irony is that true compassion extends from values, core values about the sanctity of human life and right to the pursuit of happiness. While socialists preach compassion, they reject the values which lie at its core substituting bureaucracy for true caring. The results can be seen in the eyes of any high school graduate in America today.
You mentioned how America appears to an outsiders eyes. I think to mine we as a society are very sick right now-and I am NOT religious, I merely try to be virtuous, failing often.
Ive read about how the soviets, despite living amongst some of the most fertile land on earth could not even feed themselves. And when a calf was sick and crying all night, it was left to die-why bother? You dont get any benefit from helping, and so would be a fool to do so. It turned ethics and morality on its head. As you state the Good Samaritan can not exist in this state.
Theres NOTHING virtuous about destroying the institutions of society (family, etc) and the state ripping initiative from the minds of people in order to assure a supplicant culture of the entitled, disaffected, and dependent. That is what the left is doing here, case in point the war on poverty and its resultant welfare state. And it was done for votes.
The same lefties teach children everyday how bad Americans are throughout history (we are histories bad guy), without context. In college its stepped up. Our universities should be about the free discussion of ideas, but instead are merely a pulpit and a means to sanction the right.
And our media paints a biased picture intended to elicit an emotional response, one that paints the left as good, and the right as evil. The left denies this even happens or suggests its equivocation (fox news!!!!!)
And then hollywood blasts presents warped views of morality, always wrapped in a shiny-cool wrapper. That guy MUST be right because he's cool and hip and gets the ladies. Conservatives are irrational, and mean. Its all about feelings.
One can hardly wonder why at the end of this onslaught "joe six pack" is left angry, resentful, and frustrated. And THATS where the left lives, like a jealous kid who didn't get as much candy on Halloween-there to rectify things-just vote democrat. They will be your family. They will be your God.
The decay of this nation has been something to behold, and its come from within. China and India dont yet hate themselves, it will be interesting to see where they are in 50 years. Like I said, we are quite sick.