Unity and Its Three Vital Cords

 

“Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining”

It seems now that the supreme virtue taunted by the media and anyone eager for a return to a lagging economy, an unrestricted border, spiraling healthcare costs, unchallenged Chinese expansion, an assured nuclear weapon for the world’s greatest exporter of terror and rule of bureaucratic fiat is unity. We should all get in line and eagerly show our support for a President Joe Biden and any agenda coming from his administration. It is important that we all accept a Biden presidency and unify behind it for the good of the entire country. You remember like everyone did for the last four years or so.

I am only a mere deplorable. My education has been hampered by an inability to find sense or logic in the pronouncements of Marx. I remain unimpressed by Utopia. There are even some who have accused me of being independent to a fault as if there were such a thing. But I do have what I consider to be some important thoughts about unity and even some experience in its application.

In making my points, I may fall into my coaching experiences. In my simple and unprogressive mind, building a team can teach a lot about what is vital if unity is to prevail. And it will only prevail if three cords of the rope are present.

Any rope becomes strong due to the cords that are twisted around each other, twisted as tightly as possible. For me, the three cords vital to the unity of any group are shared values, common goals, and trust. As strong as the first two may be, it is the third that determines the true strength of the rope.

Although most of those who plea so earnestly now for unity have done little to foster trust, we can first give attention to those values and goals.  This nation has certainly gone through some divisive times in our past. A free, self-governing people have to have an open and spirited debate. When individual liberty and expression are placed at the center of the public stage, differences will abound as well as the emotions that come with them. Political power has shifted several times in our national experiment. We have often seen things differently.

But I believe that for a good bit of that history we have shared some very important views of life in general. There was a time when both farm and city parents valued not just family but the principles of hard work, religious freedom, rising by merit, and deciding one’s own path in life. The expression of these values might take place in the factories and on the prairies. But it was purely American. The theme of limited government to enhance personal individual choices was commonly held.

I content we seen that slowly, inch by inch, change for over 100 years. Our founding values have carried us through these times because they are solid and valid. But the wearing down has changed many of us. When our values change, so do our goals.

What unified us in the past was a common belief in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. We might have seen parts of them differently and even argued endlessly about it but they were our foundation. They were the national statement of not just who we were but what we were to make of ourselves. And because of that, we did not just prosper but constantly improved ourselves as we pushed through crisis after crisis.

“Fundamental Transformation” and “reimagining America” leaves little room for agreement. When a 100 plus page party platform reads more like the Stalinist constitution of 1936 than it does the Declaration, there is little room for unity if one wants to value liberty.

I would contend that it is much more of a  time to chinch up and fight. When your values and goals change, you have become someone else. What are the values and goals? They are what you draw the line for and fight. And fights are not intended to be easy, or even pleasant.

As far as trust, you never reach a moment of safety with a liar. If another’s goal is the destruction of what you have, they can’t be trusted. You might have to deal with them some, but trust is foolish. And don’t surrender anything to them that you will need back. You won’t get it.

If you call me racist for months on end, openly disobey state election law, are excited about “packing the court”, fail to condemn destructive riots, encourage centralized government control of just about everything, I consider you to be three cords shy of a rope of any kind.

These days and the days to come may well be the definitive test of if we are worthy heirs of the rare gift granted us. Any unity we show has to be built around those unifying documents: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as well as the divine hand they cited. Otherwise, I refuse their unity. But then, there are some who consider me a little independent.

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There are 13 comments.

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  1. Brian Watt Inactive
    Brian Watt
    @BrianWatt

    Superb, sir. Thank you.

    • #1
  2. Ole Summers Member
    Ole Summers
    @OleSummers

    I intended to say “tout” in the first sentence instead of “taunt” and didnt catch it until it was posted …. but then decided it might well fit after all!

    • #2
  3. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    I think a 1775 moment is coming 

    • #3
  4. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Ole Summers: If you call me racist for months on end, openly disobey state election law, are excited about “packing the court”, fail to condemn destructive riots, encourage centralized government control of just about everything, I consider you to be three cords shy of a rope of any kind.

    OS,

    I’m with this 100%. The Declaration ended slavery by the ultimate sacrifice in a brutal civil war. Slavery had existed everywhere else in the world. Marxism is just equal opportunity slavery of all. Of course, from experience, we already know that some will be more equal than others.

    Biden & Harris deserve exactly the same treatment that Donald Trump received even before he took office and all the way through the last four years. I and you and all of us have every right reason to give them just that.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #4
  5. Gossamer Cat Coolidge
    Gossamer Cat
    @GossamerCat

    I was talking with my neighbor tonight and although not expressed so eloquently, we had the same feelings.  In the past, the two parties shared values and goals although we disagreed on how best to achieve them.  But that is no longer true.  Today’s Dems want to destroy everything that I love about this country.  So I can’t and won’t unite behind them.  

    • #5
  6. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    Gossamer Cat (View Comment):

    I was talking with my neighbor tonight and although not expressed so eloquently, we had the same feelings. In the past, the two parties shared values and goals although we disagreed on how best to achieve them. But that is no longer true. Today’s Dems want to destroy everything that I love about this country. So I can’t and won’t unite behind them.

    But Orange man bad!! 

    • #6
  7. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    The slightly extended conversation is worth the extra time:

     

    • #7
  8. Vance Richards Inactive
    Vance Richards
    @VanceRichards

    Ole Summers: But I believe that for a good bit of that history we have shared some very important views of life in general. There was a time when both farm and city parents valued not just family but the principles of hard work, religious freedom, rising by merit and deciding one’s own path in life. The expression of these values might take place in the factories and on the prairies. But it was purely American. The theme of limited government to enhance personal individual choices was commonly held.

    There may have been a time when you could argue that the Left and Right want the same things but had different ideas about how to get there. That is not true today. And if we don’t share the basics, “the principles of hard work, religious freedom, rising by merit and deciding one’s own path in life” then what do we have?

    Biden can call for unity all he wants, but what is willing to offer to draw his opponents in? My guess is nothing.

    • #8
  9. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    Vance Richards (View Comment):

    Ole Summers: But I believe that for a good bit of that history we have shared some very important views of life in general. There was a time when both farm and city parents valued not just family but the principles of hard work, religious freedom, rising by merit and deciding one’s own path in life. The expression of these values might take place in the factories and on the prairies. But it was purely American. The theme of limited government to enhance personal individual choices was commonly held.

    There may have been a time when you could argue that the Left and Right want the same things but had different ideas about how to get there. That is not true today. And if we don’t share the basics, “the principles of hard work, religious freedom, rising by merit and deciding one’s own path in life” then what do we have?

    Biden can call for unity all he wants, but what is willing to offer to draw his opponents in? My guess is nothing.

    He has thr offer of not destroying thrm.

    • #9
  10. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    The alt-right (or whatever you want to call it) asserts that civic nationalism— a national culture, rule of law, non-ethnic patriotism, and a few other things—was unworkable from the get-go, and that ethnic bonds are the true basis for a nation.

    Maybe, maybe not. But what is for certain is that the elites have been destroying civic nationalism for a long time and working hard to replace it with group identity politics based on Marxist and Neo-Marxist class warfare and that civic nationalism is on life support.

     

    • #10
  11. DonG (skeptic) Coolidge
    DonG (skeptic)
    @DonG

    Bryan G. Stephens (View Comment):

    I think a 1775 moment is coming

    Another important “cord” is a common origin story/lore.  In the USA we have Founding Fathers fighting for freedom from tyranny to create a new country based on the ideals of the Scottish Enlightenment of individual liberty and the protection of inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere, the Pilgrims,… are all items that bind us together and all items the Left is trying to destroy. 

    Confused?  Think of Superman and Batman and how important their origin stories are to defining the character.  Superman was an orphan raised in a small town and committed to repaying his gratitude to America.  Batman is defined by the killing of his parents and quest to end crime with a vengeful edge.   Origin stories support and lock in values.

    • #11
  12. Front Seat Cat Member
    Front Seat Cat
    @FrontSeatCat

    Not so fast pilgrim……the earth just shifted under the so called Biden elect plans – if you missed today’s press conference by Trump’s attorneys find it fast on C-Span!

    • #12
  13. Bryan G. Stephens Thatcher
    Bryan G. Stephens
    @BryanGStephens

    Front Seat Cat (View Comment):

    Not so fast pilgrim……the earth just shifted under the so called Biden elect plans – if you missed today’s press conference by Trump’s attorneys find it fast on C-Span!

    No, they did not. 

    • #13
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