Economic, Cultural and Spiritual Declines Are Causing Mass Anxiety and Mental Breakdowns

Getting Back To Basics is the Answer--Easier Said Than Done. Here's My Perspective.

For a long time, I’ve been trying hard to understand and explain how and why our fragile culture is becoming unglued. I started my blog at Google Blogger in 2012 and focused on the decline of our country due to the economic decline from monetary and government malfeasance. These trends have worsened into a perpetual recession hidden by huge govt deficits and easy money, serial crises followed by more serial money-printing. This has now resulted in massive wealth inequality, massive overbearing governments and corporations — all propped-up by zero interest rates. Inflation has once again reared it’s ugly head. Now zero interest rates are gone.

The pivotal event here was Nixon’s abandonment of the Bretton Woods accords in 1971 that ended gold-backed money for the post-WWII world. Once that happened, it kicked off a huge chain of economic & monetary events that eventually caused our culture and our social contract to erode. See 1971: The Beginning of the End—Massive Monetary Disorder. It’s mostly graphs and pictures that show what happened after 1971 to the economy, money and markets. Pictures do say 10,000 words.

You see, after 1971, the USD immediately plunged and US inflation surged due to war. Since Middle Eastern oil producers were receiving devalued dollars, they dramatically raised oil prices (in USD) and eventually imposed an oil embargo to protest US support of Israel. Obviously this kicked off energy shortages, spiking oil prices, spiking inflation for the rest of the 1970s. The economy fell to pieces so the government ran massive budget imbalances that allow massive trade deficits to persist to this day. Massive government deficits were required to offset the slowing economy. We’ve jumped from one crisis to the next ever since.

Now, we’re left with a broken Social Contract with our government, our society in shambles; a giant hulking crooked government, giant crooked corporations, giant wealth inequality, our economy in ruins as millions of jobs and entire industries were offshored by corporations to Asia and Mexico. The end of our very long road of decline is approaching: See We’re Reaching the End of the Road. It’s clear now, that even more crises and unrest lies ahead—perhaps even a “collapse” of sorts.

The rise of bigger and bigger Federal government, in conjunction with huge corporations have joined together and taken a dark turn into totalitarianism and war against it’s own citizens; especially for mild-mannered white persons of a conservative persuasion. James Kunstler says it best at Daily Reckoning:

The current madness has to stop. And it will stop because; Things that can’t go on, stop.

Which raises the question: Which things? The answer is all the things that Western Civ is doing in its attempted suicide: inciting war, recklessly running up debt, persecuting its own citizens and stealing their liberties, subjecting them to medical malfeasance, destroying their goods production and food-growing capabilities and subjecting the public to incessant harrassment in a campaign to falsify and disfigure reality.

A consortium of public and corporate bureaucracies has institutionalized the falsification of reality under the pretense of saving the human race from a pack of phony hob-goblins of climate change denial, racism, Putin-worship and normal sexual reproduction. [the horror!]

They’ve been driven insane by the actual reality of pending economic collapse, which has only been accelerated by their own suicidal activities. What they apparently really want to save are their own positions, perquisite and power.

Their enabling mechanism is the digital computer and its many ways of assembling and controlling information, and thus controlling people, especially those who object to totalizing control.

We Are Being Driven Insane by Insane People

In my post “The Left Are "People of the Lie"--In a Dangerous Spiritual and Psychological Crisis” published in 2018, I said:

“People on the Left are evil because they are full of lies that they tell themselves and accuse others of the very evil that THEY embody. And as a group, they take comfort in repeating lies among themselves because it reinforces their delusions --because if they repeat them day after day, it begins to have the illusion of truth. That's their method of brain-washing their supporters. They live in their own bubbles of delusion in the capitals of Leftism on both coasts. Nearly everything they believe is untrue, phony or a lie--which is a warning flag of mental problems.”

Their embrace of Marxist class warfare has torn this nation apart. Obama, like most black people who don't understand what made America great, was dedicated to weaken and divide this country. He and Hillary, disasters for this country, largely succeeded their intended destruction.

Leftists reject the truth of religion and mock others for their Christian views, but they are the worst sinners. They can't even follow the Ten Commandments prohibition of "thou shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." (that's 3 of the 10 commandments by the way.) 

In my post Democrat Nihilism: Anti-white, Anti-male, Anti-straight, and Anti-Faith from 2018, I said:

Democrats, now Marxist Leftists, unwittingly expose themselves as being nihilists:  a view that deep down life has no meaning or value and that the individual or even the entire human species is insignificant, without purpose and unable to change the totality of existence. Nothing matters. All is empty. Nihilism would reject the idea that there is an ultimate reality that transcends our physical world. There is no God. There is no worthwhile history. There is no transcendental basis for ethical behavior apart what we think (today). Anything goes, nothing matters, nothing has meaning. Religion is just the opiate of the people per the Marxists. \

But, doesn't "nothing matters" and "anything goes" describe our current culture on the Left? The Left is unhinged, unchained from any history or tradition and they reject the very thing that is truly exceptional: white Northern European Christian (and certain East Asian) culture and ideals.   

Marxism is basically their substitute religion --- with their "faith" in man and his institutions-- especially "government."  But the truth is that government is inherently evil. It is force. It is coercion.  It is, at best, it's a necessary evil. That's why our brilliant founding fathers were dedicated to keeping government small; to limit the scope of it's damage. We must have a government but also understand that it's a necessary evil.

Lack of a faith is a very real problem with The Left and therefore our Nation. They denigrate people of faith while they don't have a good answer. Instead, they dangerously put all their faith in "man"-- or man's institutions -- which lead to inevitable disappointment and even disaster.  Look at China, like any communist country, it wants to stamp out any religious faith and substitute faith in "man"  and his institutions (the Communist party collective). It leads to disaster every time and no change is allowed!! If you don't like it, tough.

Lack of faith is what makes Leftists fundamentally haters, not lovers. They aren't happy people. They tend to be angry, frustrated, sometimes hysterical or cynical busy-bodies who want to control YOUR life because they think that they know best. They are cynical and pessimistic--even Malthusian. Cynicism and unhappiness are the fruits of a lack of faith. 

Finding Our Way Back To Basics: a 21st Century Faith, Community, Compassion, Love and Ultimately Joy

Here’s a novel idea. How about embracing our history and our religious heritage that informs, inspires and stabilizes our lives and culture? I’m writing this because people may have lost sight of our cultural gifts that are pretty remarkable. Yes, history is a sordid affair for all, but Western Civilization has achieved amazing feats of artistic, intellectual. philosophical, political and religious achievements.

Please click the highlighted link in the paragraphs below. I believe that I have pulled together a fairly comprehensive analysis of where we’ve been and where we could be.

Paul Tillich, perhaps the greatest Protestant theologian in the past 100 years said that, among the definitions of God include: "that which you take seriously without reservation" or "that which is our ultimate concern" or "that which is at the heart of things, or the "really real."  These definitions leave open the possibility that a person's God might be something like wealth, fame or power. After all, for those who "worship" money or power, accumulating money or power would indeed be the motivating or energizing "power" in those person's lives. It's what gets them out of bed in the morning.

Religion is about our reason for living, it is about that which we dedicate our lives, or that which gives our lives meaning and what energizes our life force and directs our energy. Belief in "God" by whatever definition, and in it's broadest definition, is what we live for and is what strongly motivates us. What do YOU really believe in? What is your ultimate concern at this moment?

People who say they are atheists fail to understand that they are actually theists in the broadest sense of the word as nearly everyone believes something and has something near and dear to their hearts. They have a God whether they know it or not. In fact, I would say that only those who kill themselves are truly atheists (excepting mental illness or drugs) since they are proclaiming that there is no meaning in life, that nothing is worth getting out of bed in the morning and that there is nothing worth living for. Suicide is an extreme exclamation point for this lack of faith in a God. Many suicide victims would be clinically depressed, but the lack of a belief in God may be a root cause of that depression and a pastor might be more helpful than a psychiatrist to diagnose the root of the problem. Belief in God is not only what motivates us, but it's a life or death issue.

Obviously materialism is not a very authentic God in terms of Tillich's other definitions such as "what is really real" or "what is at the heart of things." Christianity and Judaism have a lot more to say about what a more authentic God might look like. If I asked randomly of people on the street about the most important thing for them, I think most people would say family. To their credit, that's pretty close to an authentic ultimate concern. Others might say love. That too is great.

To non-believers and atheists, I need to remind you that you already believe in something. And you probably picked it up from parents, your culture or elsewhere where you live. Our entire culture, whether you know it or acknowledge it, is based on Judeo-Christian faiths, ethics and law. Our Western cultural, legal and political systems are largely the result of thousands of years of our Judeo-Christian heritage. And western civilizations and their descendants have created the most advanced, democratic, prosperous, lawful, orderly, and civilized countries the world has ever known. (In contrast, see my post "Why Trump is Correct: Most Places are Shitholes" to learn of just one culture without our Judeo-Christian heritage. It's not pretty.)

Such success is ultimately based firmly on the Christian (and Jewish) religions, civilizations and cultures as recorded in the Bible, and later adopted and incorporated into Roman and European cultures. More recently, we enjoy a 1000 year history of Anglo ideas and philosophies, dating from Pre-Norman times to the Magna Carta and beyond, that ultimately culminated in the exceptional US Constitution and culture. These outstanding ideas, based ultimately in, and combined with, the work ethic and Judeo-Christian ethics of mostly white European immigrants to the US, led to the most successful and vibrant political, economic and social "experiment" ever seen in world history: the USA.

So much of the hard work, sweat, labor (and blood spilt) has been done for us, sort of a cultural gift. People who live in and pick up the prevailing culture and ethics are often ignorant of where it came from. Now, we're so prosperous and distracted by our vibrant culture that we fail to properly give credit to our religious and cultural heritage that made it all possible. It's a pity because it's all being lost now because of this ignorance. All that we have is primarily the result of White, mostly English-speaking, Northern European accomplishments with solid roots in Christianity.  If you read about the phony memes of our day, all of this is being rejected--most often by minorities.  And no, we're not all the same. No, not all religions are the same. And no, not all races are equal. The White race has been in fact quite superior in nearly every way. You will be booted off of Facebook, Twitter or any college campus for uttering any of those words since the speech-oppressive culture described in Orwell's 1984 book has asserted itself.

Many people, sitting in lovely houses and sitting in comfortable luxury, have rejected organized religion or Christianity---including so-called Atheists. They might say that they are more "spiritual" rather than a Christian. Reasons for this rejection of modern Christianity might include: 1) they don't want to believe in unbelievable myths that are found throughout the Bible and no one has explained the symbolism, meaning and value in these myths 2) they think that Christians believe in an "old man in the sky"version of God, 3) Use of religious language and terms like God, Christ, prayer, sin and grace are not understood well by newcomers. These terms become stale and lose their power when they are not continually explained and refreshed using real-life examples and ordinary language, especially for newcomers, 4) how can a person of science be a Christian? (I’m an engineer, for example, but I’ve overcome that “condition.” LOL!) 5) religious leaders speak too confidently about what God is doing in the world even though there are profound mysteries in this or they overuse the word "God" which tends to trivialize it's meaning, (Jews were forbidden to even speak their word for God (Yahweh) for this reason) 6) Religious people speak too confidently about afterlife even though it's the ultimate mystery,  7) Christianity requires you to believe in the unbelievable or believe in complicated religious dogmas. These objections are often valid and based in fact.

The simple truth is that Christianity is dying in places like Europe, where faith in man and his institutions (government) are offered as a substitute for Christianity. Socialism has tried to usurp faith community's role in charity by substituting face-less and impersonal institutional redistribution, leaving less need for the more personal faith community. Communist governments have sought to eliminate and outlaw religious faith entirely and substitute "man" instead of God. The State has gotten into the education "business" too where higher learning began in mostly Protestant and Catholic Universities (see a list here for just the US).

While Christianity is essentially dead in Europe, killed by the State, Islam is allowed to flood into Europe. These Muslims, in comparison to Christians, are extremely confident, even arrogant and supremacist, in their views. They bring their own culture, their own legal system and are determined to overpopulate and dominate any area that they occupy. They don't integrate into their host cultures and they aren't working because these people are incompetent, low to no skill, and have nothing to offer! And they are fighting and murdering 100s of thousands per decade in wars against Kaffirs (any other faith) in dozens of countries. In sum, government and Islam seem determined to wipe out Christianity and Christians once again.

Western Civilization is all unraveling as knowledge of our heritage has evaporated. The State and the Left have chased God out of schools, universities and our society, leaving only fools in charge. Foolish is an apt description of Western culture now.  Our entire heritage of western civilization is under attack by Leftism (Socialism) and Islam. Traditional religious denominations are often failing and ignored. Christianity is dying in Europe and elsewhere and Christians and Christianity are once again being slaughtered into oblivion in the Middle East by Muslims while the West and the Catholic Church just passively look on. Hundreds of millions of Christians are being persecuted in the world today. The leader of Catholic Church, Pope Francis, who is steeped (brainwashed) in all the failed socialist ideas of Latin America and who hasn't learned a thing, is a utter fool.

And now, young people want Socialism even though it's a proven loser. People want to turn to alternative economic systems since our economy is so ravaged by Big Government failures and the Big Corruption that always accompanies Big Govt. Big Government breeds Big Corporations too. It wasn't supposed to be this way. The US Constitution is clear in it's design for limited government and sound money.

In the US, we've strayed from knowledge of God, the Bible, the Ten Commandments, our History and our Constitution. The latest generation and most of our incoming non-European immigrants know even less of these things. So it should be no surprise that our corrupt leaders know nothing and don't care about anyone but themselves. Ever bigger government and debt, unsound money, unsound banking and social, moral, cultural and economic decay and failure is leading to massive societal failures. We're left with nothing but the unwise and fools in charge. Our nation is at risk. Western civilization is at risk.

I’m just a dumb engineer who wasn’t brought up in a religious tradition, but in engineering school I tried to address this “fault” by coming up with my own world view (religion) on my own—as a side study away from my Chemical Engineering classes (45 years ago; geez). Also have a look at my posts "A Theology for the 21st Century," “A Theology For the 21st Century: Simple But Powerful” and "A Theology for the 21st Century: Faith is not Believing the Unbelievable."

Also check out my call for embracing a much stricter Federalism that could save our nation— embedded in my post The 1960s Rebels Are Now Pro-Fascist and Tyrannical.

Click the various hyperlinks above for more detail and depth.