As I reflect upon the decadence of the last several decades, I think America would be better served by a Humility Month than a Pride Month.  Certainly, there are some loud voices dominating the culture right now, but no one group has cornered the market on moral decay.  We all bear some responsibility.  The shamelessness and depravity permeating our culture are on a scale far beyond that of previous generations, so we must have gone wrong somewhere.  This depravity is the result of, not the cause of, our problems.  Our misplaced priorities have led us into a snare.

One by one, the things we have given ourselves to instead of God, family, and community have hoisted the banner of pride, asserting their sovereignty over our lives.  Whether it is sports, film, music, shopping, or dining, the enterprises we have pledged our allegiance to have seized the reins of the culture and are driving us like cattle.  Over the years, we've been seduced and manipulated to compromise our values and rationalize selfishness.  Pride turns life into a game that coerces us to abandon the essential and pursue the frivolous.  Putting points on the board becomes more important than relationships with people.

Hastiness has become a virtue under the guise of efficiency.  Writing checks is easier than getting involved.  Printing money is easier than building a strong economy.  Finding a hero is easier than self-reflection, contrition, and doing the work to rebuild a broken culture.  Leadership is important, but delegating our hopes, dreams, and well-being to any one person is foolish.  Evidence of our folly is everywhere you look.  Much of wisdom is having the courage to acknowledge the truth.

It's not in our nature as Americans to hand over our fate to the stewardship of others, but we got sidetracked somewhere along the way.  It's no wonder our agency and dignity have been under attack so intensely during the last couple of years.  We haven't asserted them in a long time.  Our forefathers described humility as freedom from pride.  Today we are finding out what a heavy yoke pride can be.

Throughout our history, there has always been a rugged remnant of public servants whose devotion to their communities has maintained the thin strand of liberty we enjoy today.  Still, if we want an America worth living in, civic involvement must be the norm and not the exception.  Being an introvert is chic right now, but if we're going to save our country, we need all hands on deck.  There is a reason that those who wish to tear down our country spend so much money on propaganda.  Our choices determine our future.

The ingredients that made this country great still exist.  We just have to work to rebuild and acknowledge the Heavenly Architect of our previous success.  If we assess where we got off track, we can make the changes that are necessary to make our families and communities thrive.  Then we can resume our posts under a new banner of humility, which will give us a sense of purpose and meaning that pride can never provide.

Image: Pixabay.