| (Copyright 2006) by Richard Markland (London, Ohio) |
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| Personal Comfort Zones Have Created A False Sense Of Security It’s another day in America. People are once again doing what they normally do. The average person on any given day lives a life that is basically predictable. If there is one characteristic that describes the United States, it is complacency. We are a nation lacking in urgency about the problems we face and have resigned ourselves to talking and complaining about what bugs us, but beyond our normal everyday gripes and groans, nothing more-nothing less. Americans have a love affair with everyday routines. Overall, the average person has each day planned. Some people don’t even plan, they simply go through the motions of what they believe is going to happen. There are of course personal problems that can come out of nowhere, but overall, each day seems like the day before. The car that just passed looks like the one yesterday. Each day at work consists of the same employees next to one another. The local Wal-Mart hasn’t moved. A trip to the grocery is routine. America is still fighting in Iraq. Gas prices go up and down. Days simply blend in with one another and daily routines are just an accepted part of everyday life. Could everyday routines be a national curse? Is it possible to live life and not realize a personal and national complacency has made us apathetic, yet we don’t see how bored we are? A case in point are holidays. They bring out a totally different mindset in people. The Christmas holiday is the greatest example of all. If people wonder why reminders of December 25th start in late August or early September, it is for economic reasons of course, but it also helps people to be distracted by something to cheer them up and look forward to. It’s quite a different story after January 2nd, however. It’s a cold and dreary winter and all that’s left is the Superbowl later in the month. Holidays are a gauge of the American spirit. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that people are basically bored and in need of a distraction to make them feel better. So much of the news is depressing. The War on Terror is the same 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Dead soldiers have become an everyday occurrence to an America that feels helpless to what is taking place. Gas prices go up and down and can give the average driver mental whiplash. It may or may not be warm or cold. Life is simply one big routine and America is showing just how much it is, by resigning itself to the status quo. Anyone who speaks out is not accepted. Ruffling feathers is not appreciated. We have convinced ourselves that things really aren’t so bad or if we don’t accept the status quo as a fact of life, we don’t say anything because no one seems to care. People are cynical of politicians yet keep voting for the same candidates. Personal freedoms are slipping away daily, yet people have resigned themselves to accept security measures without questioning if they are constitutional or not. The weather is discussed without realizing how much it is a part of our daily conversations. Asking “How are you?” is a cliché, because the person asking doesn’t really want to hear the word “lousy”. Why have we lost the ability to think? Why do we simply go through the motions of everyday life without asking why we do what we do? We have a love affair with the comfort zones we find ourselves embracing. As long as our personal worlds are undisturbed, we don’t care about what is happening to someone else or somewhere beyond our personal realms. Many people have spent years building personal comfort zones and they will not permit anyone past the “No Trespassing” posted on their turf. Because most people don’t inform themselves of problems taking place beyond their self-created worlds, they will be blindsided when problems become personal. We are spiritually void, yet believe we are a Christian nation. The Bible has a lot to say about the American condition. God spanked America on September 11, 2001, yet most people scoff at such a possibility because America’s churches are asleep, and they don’t have the courage to tell members that God isn’t pleased with the way people are conducting their daily lives. Political and spiritual correctness is a cancer. The longer everything stays the same, the more satisfied we are with the way we are. If there is something wrong, it is always someone else who is the problem. It’s a generation of godless kids, yet people reason it is just a phase they are going through. We are overweight physically yet search for a pill to take off the pounds because of a lack of self-discipline. We are mentally complacent because we are stressed out, yet don’t realize it. God is going to show the true condition of the American spirit. He sees an America that gives Him the spiritual finger every day because it only calls on Him when there is a crisis. He has taken a back seat for years and is continually told to mind His own business. America has too much time on its hands. We are not thankful for what we have. We constantly say “God Bless America” without realizing He has. God has become a spiritual blob and a grandfather figure out of touch. America loves to talk the spiritual talk but doesn’t know how to walk in the steps of obedience to the only One who has the answers to personal and national problems. |
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