180th Edition
Who controls the narrative?
Peggy Noonan makes an interesting point in her recent essay, “Socialism Is Here – and It’s Serious,” that “Socialism’s most enthusiastic promoters are quick and clever – comparatively well-educated, very online. Their talent lies primarily in media, having been immersed in it from birth…” Hard to argue with any of that. What could be missing within these promoters of socialism that might be meaningful as we evaluate their worthiness as national political leaders? How would you rate them in terms of their overall knowledge of history? How about their understanding of economic principles? What about their obedience and devotion to the two greatest commandments Jesus gave us? – Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And Love your neighbor as yourself.
It seems our country is struggling with all three of these questions. Let’s dig into them. First, how important is a knowledge of history? Our Founding Fathers studied history before they came up with representative government and three equal branches as a system of checks and balances. For whatever reason, young people know very little about history and our schools no longer emphasize it. So, the valuable life lessons from history are completely foreign to most young people today. That isn’t a good thing.
Second, in terms of understanding economic principles, most young socialists are functionally illiterate. They have no concept of how the private sector works, or what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Trying to become an influencer on social media is unlikely to teach a person how to manage people, develop budgets and forecasts, and interact with customers. It seems clear that the young socialists are full of resentment. They don’t feel part of the most vibrant economy the world has ever known. Neither do they know how to engage and be part of it. So, they want to abolish it. Turn everything over to an all-powerful state. That is their end goal, as explained recently by Megan Romer, national co-chairman of the Democratic Socialists of America. For anyone with knowledge of history or an understanding of how the economy works, this isn’t a good thing.
Third, a focus on the two great commandments should be discussed in this context – we don’t get to choose whether we worship, only what we worship. (paraphrased from a speech by David Foster Wallace at Kenyon College). What or whom do these young promoters of socialism worship?
To counter the momentum of the Democratic Socialists of America, perhaps the opposition should establish a new political party, with a title that would stand in stark contrast to the DSA. How about Free-Market Advocates of Christ? The Free-Market component would signify a commitment to free-market capitalism. Keeping in mind that what we have today is crony capitalism, as I have written about several times. In Christ signifies a commitment to the two great commandments. Essentially, promoters of this political party would be living in Christ. What does that mean, exactly? It means embracing and modeling servant leadership. It also means living spirit-filled, exuding the Fruit of the Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
One last very important point to all this. None of us are perfect. We all mess up from time to time. Do we want to worship, follow, and be led by a perfect God, or do we want to worship an all-powerful state led by elites who worship the state itself? I find all this rather unsettling. How about you?
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Michael Kayes
*These views are my personal opinions and are not the viewpoints of any company or organization.