A Full Moon, A Lasting Peace

I've been sitting here under a brilliant full moon pondering those unanswerable questions reserved for the night when I happened upon the concept of the moon's phasing, constant vigil over our horizons...this Creator's Peace, if you will, is something we should always seek. Of course, our human flaws will prevent us from ever finding an eternal peace on Earth, it is in the quest for a lasting peace that we must find our purpose.

Here the lyrics of a country song come to mind: "Somewhere in the race we run, we're coming undone...." We strive, more and more, for personal gratification; socialists and liberals who subordinate a man's entire meaning to his economic position will tell you we, in our greed, strive for economic prosperity and personal enrichment. I've never understood why this is bad...economic gain is a tool, the use of which is very diverse and very individual. Broadly, however, we use our economic wealth for personal gratification in one form or another.

The Xbox game that costs $60, buying processed wood to construct a piece of furniture, smoking, "tricking out" your car: all examples of personal gratification purchased through economic welfare. Where I propose we are 'coming undone' is in the progressive expression of this prosperity. At this point, you are shaking your heads saying, "I buy what I want with my money!" and that is all fine and well. But we are losing our way, 'coming undone,' by being idiot consumers in our quest for gratification.

I, myself, fall victim too often to the powers of laziness and disregard the impact of purchasing something small from a company that abuses its workers overseas. As a conservative (oh jeez, a political word), I am committed to a lasting peace, my fellow man, and the idea that a rising tide lifts all ships: prosperity. These are all undermined by ignoring the ripple of buying shoes from an Indonesian Reebok supplier refusing to put finger guards on sewing machines or picking up jeans from a Levi Strauss supplier which employs children (both abuses have been targeted and solved). We dont think much of it, but when you and I empower the belief in state-run living by buying the "Made in China" label, we add to the growing mountains of lead-ridden plastic crap piled on our vessel of peace, pressing our hull deep into the dark waters of war.

We are, even now, embroiled in a cultural and military war with radical Islamists; they fight against what we have allowed ourselves to become: conformist, slavish, Tickle-Me-Elmo, YES-WE-CAN maniacs. I am weary of this war. A lasting peace with Moslems and the world comes not from Washington nor from any of the powers that be. Our endowed freedom comes with the responsibility of self-determination: we have to decide who we, individually, are going to be.

This is the rendezvous with destiny of our time: when people are tired and hungry and scared, they turn to liberals, socialists, and fascists who promise them food, freedom, and power yet deliver none. Free markets and free enterprise always deliver prosperity, but it is up to each of us to decide that it will be the right kind of prosperity to make people free and to promote a lasting peace on Earth.