Watching the world each day, I am struck by the absolute lack of any critical analysis or thinking among large swaths of all segments of society. I admit and recognize there are elements of this on the ‘right’; diehard MAGA folks that believed Qannon was real and that Trump had a plan. However, I suspect, that is not really a very large part of the population. I am also aware that while this group has been susceptible to believing many theories that did not pass the reasonableness test, they had many things right in their memes.

What has become increasingly disturbing is the elements of society that when presented with clear facts, facts that any reasonable person would look at and draw similar conclusions from, yet, many vocally and doggedly support a version of the story that comports in almost no way with reality. Oftentimes the major news outlets are complicit in these events through dishonest, biased and misleading headlines and perhaps a picture taken out of context becomes the only snippet of the story many every look at.

The situation in Michigan yesterday where three women essentially stalked, harassed, made verbal threats of violence and then blocked the car of a couple attempting to leave are the latest example. Most mainstream media outlets carried headlines such as “white woman in Michagan points gun at two balck women and a teenager”. If they included a video clip is is only of the last few seconds of the incident. Their stories have not included a full description of what went on before.

On social media, there are droves of people claiming the most absurd things related to this event. “The man tried to run the women over”, “the white woman threatened to kill the black women”. None of that is in the video. We have to always be careful judging events in videos, but several facts are clear enough to anyone that analyzes that situation honestly and with critical thinking.

But, that is not where we are. The event in Michigan is just the latest in what is beginning to appear to be a pattern. Videos that begin after something has happened, the filmers in the video make bold proclamations about the ‘wrong’ the person they are filming just committed. As in the case in Michigan, most of the folks subject to these events initially looked either shocked that this is occurring because they have no idea why the other person seems so upset OR, the person in the video seems upset as if they have been threatened in some way. Several videos of this nature that have appeared recently are later reveled to have begun after the one filming said something that was threatening, only to resume a calm and cool voice once they begin filming.

It all seems very organized, it seems very much like there are guidelines out there that tell folks how to do this. Does that sound like a crack-pot theory? Rules For Radicals listed instructions for the use of ridicule to achieve political objectives. Assuming these events are not just random is not crack-pot at all.

Anyone that spends any time at all truly seeking to understand what is going on right now – stepping away from ideology and the narrative of the world that says we need to listen and understand and relies instead on observing events, facts and reactions cannot help but see how nefarious all of this is. The fact that entire swaths of the public consume the initial misrepresentations of these events ought to be terrifying to any rational man. The reality that so many news outlets are quick to publish stories, most never retracted, that tell thing consistently wrong in a specific way ought to scare the hell out of anyone looking.

Yet it does not.

Something, some force has closed the minds and eyes of many people (a hint that force is Evil). It has turned some into rabid, hateful violent street demons. It has blinded others to the reality and seduced them into willing support of the narrative on the edges. Entire institutions that should be protecting civilization are now complicit in its downfall.

Does any reasonable person want to live in such an uncivilized world where it is perfectly ok to yell at people, tell them you will kick their ass, block, and hit their car? That is not speech, it is not civilized. These are not acts we have ever tolerated. Do we want to live with such hate? Why have so many ran to the banners of division, strife, and hate? These are things a prosperous and free nation can tolerate.

Yet we do. Videoes like described above are just a small part of the disconnect form objective reality we observe. Absurd is all around us and embraced now.

Unfortunately, I know more fools than wise men. “Friends” that are pastors, parents, college-educated ‘Christians’; so many have proven themselves to be fools. This is the biggest test of the current epoch and most are utterly failing the test because they want to be relevant and listen or to be accepted and not make wave – instead, they should be observing and thinking and speaking truth.

I left social media because even so many that I once considered friends are too lost to save. It is for me not an over-reaction to consider these folks former friends. What is occurring is a existential crisis. Left unchecked this will damn America, our kids and grand kids. All Americans for generations will suffer under the anarcho-tyranny to come. If a person says they stand on principles and cannot summon those principles to see this reality, I suspect their principles were always different than mine anyway. We were never friends, I merely thought we were.

These are the saddest days I ever thought I would live to see. It will grow far worse. My greatest sadness is that I was unable to lead some that I love out of danger and that I perhaps invested love and friendship in people that when the world got really real, they were no capable of seeing reality.

I am not sad for me, I am sad for the future.