Stemming the Tide

"We're going down folks. I'm afraid that all we can do at this point, barring a moral awakening the likes of which has never before been seen, is slow our descent." A pretty depressing statement; I know, I made it. This is a quote from my previous post and one which has caused me some restless evenings of late, and here's why. If what I have stated is correct...if our society is slipping further and further down this slope slouching ever closer toward Gomorrah, then am I not, are we who wear badges and carry guns, not fighting an ultimately winless battle? Flood the streets of any city in this nation with cops and you know what you will have? A crime-riddled city with a lot of cops is what you will have. So why in the world should we try? Why should we try and win this fight against evil? Why should I take an interest in a community which seems to be destined to be plagued with crime regardless of what I do? Why should I concern myself with taking a crack-pipe-toting addict to jail when there are 30 more waiting to take his place? Why waste my time with the street-level narcotics dealer, when he will probably be let out on bond and keep dealing his death of choice? Why should I let that five minutes that I have just spent explaining to the drunkard how I don't want to see him get ran over as he falls flat on his face in the middle of the street...why should this bother me when in a matter of time, some of them will continue their destructive lifestyles? All very good questions and quite honestly, tough questions. I honestly hope that I am not biting off more than I can chew here (I probably am), but I must get this out of my mind and those of you who know why I write will appreciate this fact. Please listen very closely to what I am about to say.

It is my belief that human nature is evil. It is also my belief that mankind is by our very nature, self-serving, hedonistic, vengeful creatures and that if left to our own heeding, we would have long since destroyed ourselves and this ball that we call home. I don't believe that there is a single person, who if left to his/her vices, would be deserving of their next breath. Now, before the masses call for my lynching, allow me to expound. Are there some people who are less evil than others? Think of it this way...If you could see into my heart and my mind since the day I was born, you would agree that I have not always been a "good" person. But am I, or have I ever been as evil as Saddam Hussein? Never. But why? Why are some of us "less-evil" than others? Why are there some who would not choose to give in to this nature that we all have?

I believe with all my heart that it is because I was nurtured. I was taught by loving parents what is right and what is wrong. Every day this is what I see...I see a generation of kids who are growing up lacking the nurturing necessary to fight their nature and do what is right. I see parents who are not fit to be members of a free society - much less mothers and fathers. I see these parent's children detesting law, discipline, self-respect and any semblance of order. And this, this is what is nurtured. This is what is nurtured by their parents, this is what is nurtured by our media and this is what is nurtured by you and I when we do nothing to stem the tide. And that my friends, that is what I believe will be our society's undoing. When we as a society stop caring for these kids who cannot care for themselves.

The drunkard, the crack dealer, the career criminal...most of them are lost causes. But I will take as many of them to jail as I possibly can because parents are allowing them to raise their children. And as I see it, every miscreant that I tote off to jail, at least for a time, will be one less to spread their evil on to the next generation. And it is just that...a generational battle.

We have three different groups of people in our society, to piggyback off Chuck Holton's theory whom I give total credit for this idea...There are those who have already given up. They have asked themselves those same questions that I asked earlier, and after scratching their head, they came to the conclusion that all is already lost and they choose to prey off as many as they can before they reach their demise. There are those who will lock their doors at night and do nothing, and then there are those will fight tooth-and-nail to not only fight for themselves and their families, but also for those who are being preyed upon.

In the end, this is what we have to ask ourselves...Do we wave the white flag and blow the whistle in the hopes of being picked up by the rescue party while our own families and the whole of our society go down, do we stick our heads in the sand and pretend that all is well, or do we fight to keep us afloat for as long as we can? I know what my parents did, and I plan to do the same...not only for my families sake, but for yours as well.