Growing up I always assumed that elections were honest and that honest elections are a good thing. Color me simple. It never occurred to me that people would cheat in something like that. That naive attitude about election sanctity stayed with me until 2016. I was becoming more aware of dishonesty around us. I knew about some of the classics of the past like Boss Tweed and Mayor Daley. I assumed that the elections in Communist countries were a joke either because of fraud or only having one candidate. It just never occurred to me that the Communists would get control of my government.
Am I naive or just stupid?
It brings up a real question: Is it more important to have honest elections or to win?
When I was younger I would have thought it was a question that only had one answer. Not so much any more. I am also still paying my taxes but having great sympathy for people who manage to live by barter and cash. Maybe I should say “cheering them on.”
We seriously need revival. I came across an interesting statement from a book, Bowling Alone, written in the year 2000.
“Many of the most important episodes of social capital formation in American history have been rooted in religious revivals, and we may be on the cusp of another such period.” p. 77I have heard people claiming that revival was taking place. I have not seen it. Of course you need to understand that I can’t find the mustard in the refrigerator. The problem with living in history is the story hasn’t been written yet. What makes this quote stand out is that it is written by someone that so far has expressed no personal faith at all. It was written 22 years ago but that does not mean that it is not in process.
Let’s hope so.
Putnam, Robert D. Bowling Alone. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2000.
homo unius libri
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