The Cost of Peace

This has been an eventful day. As with anything involving my 3 kids and the outdoors, flexibility was required.

1. Morning chaos

2. Kite flying

3. 7 Year Old fatigued melt down

My husband and I live every day teaching our kids the importance of hard work; of love and respect; of honesty; and especially of valuing your family and the wellbeing of others. This is one of the biggest reasons why Brock is my soul mate. We have made our choices and have observed our grievances with 20/20 vision. We aren't rich and we aspire to have a day when we can just live in joy and peace like the typical American. AND Americans have that option... But here we are with sad hearts because there are those who do not see that the most precious things in life are not things.

As one of Ashkenazi heritage my soul is proud of Israel, and I hold faith that they will never die as a nation. Not because they are better, or richer, or even smarter (God knows they have been an adulterous nation who turned from Him in the past). They will never die because that is what God promised. But God also promised that the sons of Ishmael would be a great nation who would war with Israel until the final peace before Armageddon (no, I don't mean the movie). I could go into a full-fledged eschatological exposé, but the point is- the war between Israel and Palestine is to be mournfully expected.

Then another year of the Russo-Ukrainian War brought a continued point of financial bleed. Rumors of taxpayer dollars funding personal gain is nothing new. I have compassion for Ukraine and I wish them a speedy recovery. As much as my sister is impassioned for the Ukraine and keeps a steady feed of information for me to read, I still have reservations about being any more involved in that war than we already are. As I learned from my parents, throwing money at something just postpones the inevitable.

There is a lot happening right now!

A dear friend just informed us that Iran has now entered the war over the promised land on the side of Palestine. This is heartbreaking for me. When you love all people and you just want peace and prosperity for those who work hard, having family and friends in every one of the nations at war is discouraging. I cannot honestly support ANY war against Israel, but friends in Russia, Palestine, and Iran deserve care as well. So I pray for them all.

But, meanwhile still, money IS being thrown at the problem. Be it Iranian and Russian-owned businesses in the US or the American taxpayers as a whole, WE THE PEOPLE are living paycheck to paycheck and paying taxes for the maintenance of our government and protection of our families as well as theirs. And the huge push for America's financial support of Israel and Ukraine means that every single under-employed adult living a life of entitlement is adding another weight on the side of our economic collapse.

Let me get this straight. Unemployment is sky-high BY CHOICE because entitled children in this country are more concerned about pot and video games and being a web star than they are about contributing to their country and respecting their elders? And you wonder why bully countries feel safe attacking. They know that young America has neither the spine nor the integrity to pick any side but their own pocketbook's. True, prospering is not a crime or a shame. In fact, Americans are blessed to live in a country where we can pick our own job and CHOOSE to work hard for the welfare of our families. Guess what! We can also choose to express our opinion on how our taxpayer money is spent. And when the day comes when we are 18, we have the privilege of choosing how to cast our vote- for the money lender who wants to wield and deal with dictators, or for any number of the confused ducks who have a lot to say but end up having their knees chopped out from under them when the chickens come home to roost. Those are the two biggest choices in this country- the criminal or the clueless. Neither is appetizing in my opinion.

I'll take the ultra-rare mind who says "To hell with tradition. I will take the road less traveled because it leaves the power in the hands of the people". I call them Libertarians, but it varies. You should check their platform sometime. Traditional Americans would be surprised what party they actually align with were they to actually LOOK at the voting record and platform of their chosen party. I was raised a die-hard Republican. The turning point for me was when judicial activism was being called for by both parties to make federal decisions on states rights such as where my chronically-ill patient is allowed to buy her drugs.

Technically WE THE PEOPLE put the senators in office that vote where our money is sent. TECHNICALLY. But as history has proven: diplomacy is 1/3 good intentions and 2/3 schmooze. The real fight is not what money can buy, but what the heart of a patriot can acheive. Those with integrity are the true representatives.

So tell me something. When your child asks you in 30 years what your contribution was as you made your way as an adult, what do you WANT to be able to tell them? And do you want to tell them from the poor house; from the mountains of Red Dawn; or in the safety of your own home, that you can proudly say you lived a life you are proud of? In some countries, including in muslim countries, military service is a requirement. They are trained to support their country PHYSICALLY from birth. You know what I was taught from birth? That anyone who doesn't believe in the same faith as I was going to hell and that EVERYTHING that they did-good or bad- was counted as a sin because they didn't have salvation. My parents had hearts of steel. But one thing that I never doubted was if they believed that they should support their country. Trust me when I say that theirs was a hard and narrow row to hoe. My dad spent 13 years of his life spying on the Russians and another 40 years paying into the coffers that are supposed to fight on the side of our FAMILIES and allies. They lived through the Cold War and through Apartheid. They saw the shame that the Muslims and the Jews alike underwent because they were different. But aside from the occasional rag about religious dress being worn in professional settings, there was a common desire to work and provide for ones family, and my father especially appreciated that. Respect was the cost of peace. At what point will the cost to maintain that peace be too great to bear in this world of disrespectful youth and dishonesty. How much peace do you think their will be when the answer to "Where were you when that person needed help" is "I wasn't there. I was on the couch." And how much defense do you think American can afford when the question of "Are you a good person who contributes to the general welfare" is answered with "I dunno. I was gaming and watching shorts."

Stop being a smart-assed entitled ignoramous and start being thankful. It just takes 30 minutes to change coordinates on a nuk before you and every opportunity to experience pride and love and family and contribution to society are burned off of the map. Count the cost. Your family loves you and waits.