What's it all about, Alfie?

I can judge my level of angst by the amount of chocolate I bring into the house to eat.  Secondary to that is the actual amount I consume in one sitting.  And, thirdly is the actual measure of my ever increasing girth.  I am maxed out on all accounts.  Trying to make sense of the turmoil being generated by our president and the ruling Democrats is enough to make the Pope swear.  However, trying to unravel the backlash we've all created and place blame is nearly impossible.

It's like trying to figure out why you are homosexual.  It is a learned behavior, but the complexities of the etiology  (assignment of cause) could extend back many generations and is therefore not readily apparent.  Thus trite questions like, "Which came first, the chicken or the egg?" are appropriate.  We may never be able to unravel the cause of our troubles, but we can know that certain things that should have been done were not.  The line wound neatly around the reel was properly installed, and the reel functioned as it should when the weighted line was cast.  So, what caused the problem?  More than likely it was operator error.  The careless, or inexperienced fisherman failed to stop the reel from spinning when the bait hit the water, therefore  the "bird nest" with its convoluted pattern of loops and knots was formed.

When you get a backlash, the only thing to do, short of changing the reel, is to work on each little loop one at a time to free it up.  This takes time and can ruin a day of fishing.  How does this relate to our current problems?  Well, this current group of politicians has just junked the old reel and put on a new one.  This reel is entirely different than the old one and other fishermen who've tried it have attested to its unreliability.   It might be wiser to try and unravel the old reel and not get in such a big hurry the next time we try and use it.

The original makers of the old reel built it of high quality material and tested its function over many years.  They printed detailed instructions on how to use the reel, and also gave pointers on what not to do.  Over the years however fishermen put the original instructions in the bottom of the tackle box and ignored the printed warnings.  They got in a big hurry to catch the big one and failed to practice the techniques for making a clean cast.  Someone should see if they can find the old instruction book that went along with the old reel.  The point is we all share in the failures of our republic.

Men who are not guided by the restrictions placed on their behavior by a Holy God will not last long when they achieve great wealth and power.  They will so pervert the system God intended, that those less fortunate will come to hate them for their success.  God's plan puts God at the top, others second, and self last.  We can't go back for do-overs, but we can start living right today.  The cure for our problems today is for individuals to go back to the old instruction book.  Our priorities are so out of phase with the God's order for the universe that everything seems wrong.  We must change our perception by putting aside the wisdom of unrepentant men who tell us what life is supposed to be, and work on trying to make it what God in his word, the Bible, told us it can be.  Laying blame and changing the fishermen without going back and relearning the process will only result in a repeated series of backlashes.  The U. S. Constitution was written with the supposition that men would follow the principles of God.  The founders and writers acknowledged the republic would fail if these principles were not carefully adhered to.

It's a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation.

Roberto Benigni, in Newsweek
Italian actor, comedian, and director (1952 - )