Next week is the election. Once again it is being billed as the "most important election in our lifetime!". And four years from now they will tell us the same thing. If every election is the same way, then maybe they are not as consequential as they say that they are.

In Oct-27's homily/sermon, my pastor, Father Nikolai Meyers talked about the election (starts at 1:30:00, if it is not cued already).

We are sold that there are only two sides to this. But Life has many sides.

We got rain in NE Kansas after weeks and months of drought. The storm brought down trees. Neighbors helped each other to clear the downed trees. Maybe that is more consequential than the circus 2000 miles away in DC.

"If voting could actually upset the power of the establishment, you wouldn't be allowed to do it." - Cyprian

Cyprian (aka Vin Armani) and I talk about the "Invisible Enemy" from an Orthodox Christian perspective.

The Invisible Enemy

For totalitarianism to come into power you must have an Invisible Enemy.

In 2020, Trump called Covid the "Invisible Enemy".

Who is the Invisible Enemy today?

For the Left, it is White Supremacy. It's the white guy with a rifle asking, "What kind of American are you?"

For the Right, it's Trans people or "illegals".

What about the homeless and the poor - are they the Invisible Enemy?

Fear of the Invisible Enemy

The fear of the Invisible Enemy is fueled by social media, especially Twitter. You get more Likes and Views when you scare people with it.

This pattern of declaring someone (or specific people or groups) as an Invisible Enemy and then declaring (social or real) war against it usually happens right before a big upheaval, and usually leads to some form of totalitarianism. Examples in the 20th Century are many: Germany, Russia, China.

The Real Civil War is Within You. What are YOU going to do?

Positive solutions to face your own personal Civil War:

• Pray. Pray for humility and discernment.
• Avoid the mind virus trap of thinking of groups of people as the Invisible Enemy. It never ends well.
• Give.

We discuss: do you give to the homeless person if he will likely spend it on drugs?

If you have an issue with this:

How about asking his name? Greeting him with his name would be acknowledging him as human being.

How about having a meaningful conversation?

"The rich exist for the sake of the poor. The poor exist for the salvation of the rich.” - St. John Chrysostom.

• Read the daily Lives of the Saints. Their strength in trials and persecution will be a guide and model for you as you face the same. Because it is coming. (Didn't you learn anything from Covid?!)

You may think you are winning. You don't think it will happen to you, but someone will be asking you, "What kind of American are you?" and you likely won't fit their definition.

Episode website and show notes: https://thrivingthefuture.com/civil-war2

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