“Interestingly, similar to how many Christians are the least like Christ, I also feel that those who speak most on the principles this country was built on are least like and aligned with those ideals. Those who claim to be most defending the ‘American way’ are actually those causing it to be under siege.”

Usually keep my hands clean of politics, but I found a journal entry from November 1st, 2022, that I think is especially relevant right now. Though if I wrote this now, I’d change the phrasing in some places/refine a couple ideas, I think the spirit of the piece still holds true.

November 1st, 2022

True progress, to me, is a form of holy destruction. And those who are so entrenched in the hateful ways of life that are being “destroyed” — or transformed — feel as if they are being destroyed. So they react with violence, testament to the hate in their veins.

This is and always has been the pattern as the old must give way to the new; it’s grip is not let go lightly, and often times, violence is their defensive reaction to the perceived threat of their way of life being (justly) eliminated.

As an ideological revolution against the roots of hate that plague this country continues, so too does its backlash. I believe we can overcome, and do not bow to the pessimism spreading online on how this country will succumb to fascism.

To me, the true patriots are the progressives. That, to me, is what this country was built on: progress. Those defending the rights of minorities & the oppressed, and the liberals, are those defending the natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness outlined in the Constitution. And I believe those ideals can still prevail against the virus of hate spreading across this country. I’ll repeat my initial point: true patriotism is liberalism and progressivism.

We often times equate any sort of honoring of the “founding fathers” as being equivalent to being a hateful, racist fuck. But those championing rights, liberty, and equality are championing the actual foundation this country was built on, regardless of what you may say about the negative traits of the founding fathers, as many as there undoubtedly were. Despite their human error, the principles are and were universal; and, what I see, is that modern day liberals and progressives are those who embody that spirit.

Interestingly, similar to how Christians are the least like Christ, I also feel that those who speak most on the principles this country was built on are least like and aligned with those ideals. Those who claim to be most defending the “American way” are actually those causing it to be under siege.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness still has meaning. Interesting that perhaps the most notable of these principles on which this country was built, liberty, has the same root word as liberal? Are the liberals and progressives the ones who are actually honoring this country’s traditions?

We need to believe, regardless of how harrowing this has all been. We can’t lay on our bellies and whimper as this virus of hate and blind destruction takes over. We can do this.

This country’s had a war between its love and its hate since it’s birth, perhaps before. We cannot be fools and think the hate will win. We must hold fast and know that the ideals this country was built on will additionally hold fast; and also know that those championing the ideals this country was built on are not who they appear.