When the Troubles come

My wife says that I think too much about what's going on in this country and she's probably right. Because what has been going on for the past couple of years cannot be understood through reasoning, unless one succumbs to conspiracy theory. As an engineer I know alot about system failures, I've dealt with them for 27 years. It's difficult to make a robust system collapse completely on it's own without high level tampering. In the case of our economic collapse, the question becomes was the tampering accidental or malicious.

Unfortunately I'm leaning to the belief that something sinister has occurred, and is continuing to occur. This theory is shaking my belief system, with regards to my relationship to fellow americans, to it's very core. I take this change very seriously as it will have severe ramifications regarding the almost certain coming Troubles.

I have watched as far too many good men, who did the right thing their entire life, are systematically being destroyed. These men, who went to work every day, earned modest wages, bought homes, paid their bills, lived modest lifestyles, paid their taxes and raised families are being looted then tossed in the trashcan by their fellow countrymen, corporations and government.

Corporations and government say that these men should go back to school to learn new skills applicable to the "new economy" so they can become employable. Who's kidding who? These mostly 50 year old men will lose a lifetime of accumulated wealth while trying to maintain a minimal lifestyle and never do meaningful work at a living wage ever again. They will retire and die in poverty after a lifetime of work.

Now, nobody ever promised that life is fair. Bad things happen to good people all the time. But it is different when powerful people conspire to destroy men's work, loot their modest wealth then toss them into poverty to age and die. This suggests that all bonds between men are broken and evil has descended on the land. Historically this scenario always ends badly for the people of the land.

My late 50s neighbor lost his job two years ago and hasn't found work anywhere. His wife and daughters left him, seeking some future elsewhere. He has stopped caring about everything. He no longer bathes, cleans his house or mows the grass. He rarely leaves the house. This week we learned that his house will be auctioned in a sherriff's sale in September. He will be evicted by americans, at gun point if necessary. He will live only God knows where while his house sits vacant, rotting two doors down from mine.

How does this serve society? For a man to become garbage and his home to become a crumbling ruin in two years. Meanwhile the leader of this society goes on seven vacations, golfs daily and eats lobster, lobster and more lobster.

As I wrote earlier, there are ramifications when the bonds between men are torn asunder. Is there still a Constitution in this country? Is there an economic relationship between citizen, corporation and government? Can a relationship exist if it all is predicated upon lies? Does a fair system of justice and law exist in america anymore? Do individual americans have any value at all in modern society? Are there any valid relationships in america anymore? Is modern american society moral?

I'm beginning to ponder these questions and am troubled by my conclusions. If the answer to all these questions is no then what are my obligations? If society will put my neighbor on the street and take a lifetime of his possessions then go eat lobster on vacation while his house sits empty and rotting, am I obligated to such a society in any way? Is such a society moral?

Apparently we are all on own now. It doesn't matter if you paid into the system for decades or never, tried all your life or never, are old or young. It is just you against society. And you have no value at all, or at least, less than some obscure fish species in the California central valley.

This will all matter when the Troubles begin. Men will have to make horrific decisions about their obligations in a crisis. Many will ask God then understand that their only obligation is to their own family. When food and shelter becomes the only things that matter then the decisions made about obligations will have terrible consequences for this country.

Law is fungible absent moral authority. Once moral authority disappears then we revert to State of Nature with all it's implications. God will hold us blameless if we behave within His state of nature, absent moral State of Law. In the US I believe that we are losing moral authority and our State of Law is crumbling. Every man must read Hobbes Levithan and understand man's obligations under God.

So I am still thinking and asking God about what I shall do when the Troubles come.