It is lucky to be living in the world in this day and age, because we are entering a new century and the US is assuming the role of the greatest super power to reach maturity as a leader of the civilized world.
Almost a hundred years ago, the US was dragged into the Great War when European nations were struggling to emerge out of centuries of warfare and economic malaise. Woodrow Wilson was an educated man and the President at the time. He worked very hard to form the League of Nations, so the US would not have to carry the burden of maintaining peace in the world. The United Nations was the end result of his work. The Great War was supposed to be the war to end all wars, but there were still some loose ends. The Second World War addressed the issues that were left unresolved by the treaties after the First World War. Twenty million people are estimated to have died in this war, but this figure might be the tip of the iceberg, probably more people died.
What were the issues of these two wars? No two people will agree on this, but the question needs to be answered someday, otherwise what role does history play in the lives of humanity? Is history supposed to only calm the audience it addresses, is history a weapon to control the minds of the people, or is history a lesson to insure the survival of humanity? It could be one of these or it could be a form of literature. Maybe this is too cynical a view.
The US is at the crossroads of history in a big way now. The biggest super power in history has no desire to be an imperialist nation. That means the US cannot allow itself to become an empire. In order to succeed, the US must convince the world, especially the richest countries in the world, not to become empires either. It would be most desirable for the US if the world would operate as a free enterprise system, without nuclear annihilation being threatened by anyone. In order to reach this point, the US needs the United Nations to make this the central issue.
The US has convinced the biggest and most powerful countries in the world regarding the issue of nuclear non-proliferation. This is where the conservatives in the US and the rest of the world can agree. We can avoid major wars as long as the world can remain united on this issue.
The US military is well-trained and best-equipped to carry on the task of ensuring that terrorists and backward thinking people cannot get the upper hand and destroy the peace of the world. This puts a strain on the US economy; but there is no solution to this problem. Still it is lucky to have this capability, and the present administration is carrying out this responsibility extremely well.
The US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have to be commended for performing a great service on behalf of humanity. Their efforts and sacrifices give every freedom loving person in the world a sense of hope.
As long as we have conservative governments in power, we will enjoy relative peace in the world. During long periods of peace, there will emerge new generations that will know how best to deal with political and economic strife.
For the US to remain a super power, Americans need to nurture the values that brought them to this level of dominance. These values are based on morality and they can be taught. US academies of learning and schools need to undertake the preservation of these values, that are reflected in the US Constitution.
These values were not invented by the framers of the US Constitution; they are based on the Scriptures that were recorded at the dawn of history, with the very first form of writing. Civilization cannot survive if the Scriptures are ignored forever. The Scriptures are the root of our civilization.
This is why defending Iraq against terrorists is so important, because Iraq is the land that was called Mesopotamia. In Mesopotamia language, writing, numbers, science, art and literature were invented, and the Scriptures were also written in Mesopotamia. The history of civilization began in Mesopotamia. Why did everything begin there and not another place? Why didn't it begin in Europe? Why can't people make great inventions like in those days? Are people inferior today? No one would agree with that. But why is it that we cannot match the art and architecture of Mesopotamia today?
Also, how did someone like Saddam Hussein and his ilk destroy the land where God created paradise. Surely, Iraq is no longer the paradise that it was when the Ashurai people lived there. There were millions of them, together with Babylonians and Sumerians living in that land. What happened to them? Where are the Egyptians today? Sad to say, they are all gone, gone forever.
The only way to make sense of what happened to Mesopotamia and what happened to the Holy Lands is by examining the Scriptures. The Scriptures explain every issue of what happens to humanity, when reason fails, when human logic revolves in circles, when history is disputed by racists, and when the interests of the present overwhelm the truth of the past.
Will the war against terrorists in Iraq lead to peace in the Middle East? Will Arabs and Israelis reconcile? Does war or compromise resolve the issues of race, religion and place of origin? There are many answers, but more disagreements. The Scriptures have many valuable lessons, but historians and scientists do not wish to consider their wisdom. The intellectuals rely on their own acquired knowledge, based on their senses and observations.
There is a crisis in the US educational system today. We are twenty-sixth in math and science in the world. It does not make any sense to our government. Millions are being spent to address the issue, but there is no solution in sight. Apparently teachers are not teaching what they should. They are certainly not teaching the Scriptures. The Bible is out. Mentioning Jesus is out. Even mentioning God is almost out. It only remains for the Congress to remove the name of God from all the official documents and it will be done. So now, what do we have? Truth? By eliminating all forms of religious terminology from official documents, are we arriving at the truth? Are we creating a fair atmosphere for the American people, where they can thrive in freedom? Freedom from religion, freedom from Christianity, freedom from hearing the truth, or is it lies?
Is the definition of truth, that knowledge that can be verified through the scientific method? Then why are we number twenty-six in the line up of math and science scores?
How is denying that Jesus fulfilled the prophesies of the Scriptures going to help us improve the math and science scores of school children? However, denying them the knowledge of the Scriptures robs them of their cultural heritage. American children cannot develop culturally and therefore intellectually if there is going to be a denial of such magnitude that even what their founding fathers believed in cannot be discussed in schools. The teachers end up as liars, and this the children find out within a few years from graduation. But the corruption of the system of education has spread to such an extent that the young adults cannot do anything about their teachers and the teachers of their children.
We saw recently how Saddam Hussein had enslaved the minds of the Iraqi people to such an extent that they preferred to go back to his dictatorial rule if it meant they could get their electricity back and some form of making a living. It did not have to be fair, but it was better than bombs exploding in the squares everyday. So in the same way, we do not wish to put prayer back into public schools because we have been doing all right for the last forty years without our children having to say a simple prayer to begin their school day. Why burden them with a prayer? It infringes on their rights. It will upset them, make them feel inferior or funny towards each other. Anyway, how is a prayer going to improve their math and science scores?
The real question is that, do we seek the truth or do we seek immediate gratification? The truth is usually hard to take; a lie is easier to discuss and believe in, because a lie can give everyone the opportunity to participate and contribute to the discussion. It makes us feel important to deny the existence of God, for example. Professors are more apt to pass students who write papers on the non-existence of God than those students who have the courage to write something about their faith in God and especially about their faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, there are many Professors who fail students that mention Jesus Christ in their papers.
We have reached a point where we are in control of our destiny, at least we think so. I mean, we are a free nation, are we not? We have almost unlimited freedom. There is no country in the world where people have so much freedom. We are facing a bright future. We can conquer the world with love. We feel a sense of euphoria. If only we could have leaders that lead us to peace and prosperity, we are willing to do anything.
But despite all that, we should also feel a sense of continuity, in order to build on what our founding fathers started just over two hundred years ago, to preserve the character of the American people and to reap the rewards of freedom. We should examine the Scriptures and add to them our story. We have great hopes and our journey will have more meaning if we build on a foundation that goes back to the beginning of recorded history. We need to stay connected to our roots, so we can reflect on our achievements and see them in a broader perspective.