The People on the Inside
Diagnosing the Indifference of the Average American
I opened up a recent post with this statement:
Western society is in shambles. Everyone can see it. The foundations have been removed and the feeling of instability is palpable. (The Importance of Trust to a High Functioning Society)
In response to this statement, I received a question from a reader. She said, “So why can't the people inside see it?” The answer to that deserves another post. There is something more underneath the question. It is indicative of the consternation that many in America are experiencing. I believe those of us on the inside (the citizens living in the midst of our social wreckage) can see that society is in shambles. It seems as if we can't see it because many of us are not responding to it with any sense of urgency.
When the individual American looks at the cultural situation, he knows it's broken. But then he looks to his left and right. To him, it seems like the others around him are indifferent, passive, and inactive, as if they can't see it at all. He asks himself, “If things really are as bad as they seem, why aren't people doing something about it? Why is everyone just going through the motions? Why do they seem so indifferent to what is going on?”
Most Americans are not ignorant of our cultural collapse, but an alarming number are suffering from some level of indifference. Let's take some time to diagnose the reasons for that indifference.
Isolation
The prophet Elijah, cowering in a cave, confessed what he perceived to be true to the Lord. “Only I am left” (1 Kings 19). In that moment, Elijah experienced an acute sense of isolation. He was alone physically. He felt alone philosophically. To be the only one who sees and believes the truth - the only one who refuses to participate in the paganism of the day - can be devastatingly lonely. This perceived isolation was enough to bring Elijah, the Baal crushing, miracle working man of God, to the point of wishing for death.
A lot of Americans are experiencing a similar thing. When it seems that everyone around you is either directly participating in the wreckage or blissfully ignorant of it, isolation sets in. If you feel isolated and alone, as Elijah did, your response is likely to be like his. You are likely to hide in your proverbial cave, content to go away quietly. But Elijah was not alone, and neither are you.
The Lord told him that there are 7,000 others who have not bowed the knee to Baal. This is what Elijah needed to give him strength and get him out of the cave. He then went on to anoint his prodigy, Elisha. Elijah awoke out of his isolated despair, anointed a prodigy, and began the work of passing down his mantle to the one who would have a double portion of his own spirit (2 Kings 2).
This is how the isolated wake up and arise out of their indifference. They must realize they are not alone. There are others who see the same thing they see. Once they come out of hiding and begin speaking up, there will inevitably be Elishas that start to follow. They, like Elisha, may very well go on to accomplish even more than those of us who have gone before them.
Lack of Knowledge
Another reason for the indifference that seems to plague our nation is a simple lack of knowledge.
Whoever controls the flow of information controls the knowledge of the public. If a ruling body can control enough of the public’s knowledge, they can gain control of public opinion also. Our opinions develop based on the information we have. Therefore, our opinions can be manipulated by limiting access to some information and making it easy to access the selected information.
This is why all the mainstream media networks seem to be carbon copies of one another anymore. There is a narrative coming from somewhere above them, and they are being obedient to their masters. Many Americans can tell something is very wrong, but they simply don’t know what. They see the trouble, but they don’t see the truth behind the trouble. The symptoms are obvious, but the disease is obscured.
In Hosea, God says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6). The way out of the destruction is to grow in knowledge. First and foremost, knowledge of God and His Word. Secondly, knowledge of the truth behind the wreckage we see. Thirdly, knowledge of what it will take to rebuild it.
The first step in gaining this knowledge is to pursue it. You can’t find what you are not looking for, and many Americans have been content to stop looking. Open God’s Word again. Dust off the constitution and read it. Get familiar with how things work. Then get honest about the ways in which we have departed from those norms. Knowing the disease is essential for coming to a cure.
Fear
This one is simple enough. Fear keeps a lot of people “on the inside” quiet and docile. People are afraid that if they say too much about what they see, and around the wrong people, they will be persecuted and cancelled. It is not an unfounded fear. They know it's possible because they've seen it happen.
To defeat this kind of fear, we have to trade self-protection for the protection of those for whom God has made us responsible. Most immediately, our families. If we refuse to speak up, our children and grandchildren will inherit a collapsed nation. They may inherit one regardless, but let's atleast make sure it's in spite of our resistance, not because of our absence.
Disillusionment
For many Americans, the kinds of things our eyes have been opened to have been simply unthinkable until now. When the things one typically sees in spy movies and political thrillers start happening in real life, there is a shock phase. The unsuspecting citizen is thrown into disillusion for a season, not being able to accept this is all really happening. People in this position are not in a state of indifference. They are in a state of shock. The shock will wear off, at which point their true approach will take shape.
Distraction
Even more than the previous years, 2024 has been whiplash so far. There's no time to come down from one scandal before we are thrown into another one. A constantly distracted populace is unable to focus on any one problem long enough to solve it. So, nothing gets solved. Nothing actually changes. So, the people who are not as alarmed as you are about problem “A" are “missing it" because they are too busy being alarmed about problems “B" through “Z.” And they are probably wondering why you are not as alarmed as them at those things.
It's like a mass form of culturally induced ADHD.
Individualism
We are an individualistic culture. We have been for a long time. As such, we have lost our understanding of community. In such an individualistic culture, people might see all kinds of concerning things, but they won't act unless it affects them personally. Many, instead of being blind to what's happening, are simply lethargic because it hasn't landed hard enough in their own living room.
Conclusion
As I said in the introduction, most Americans are not ignorant of our cultural collapse, but an alarming number are suffering from some level of indifference. Hopefully this diagnosis has helped some to clear up the reasons for that indifference.
This was great Brad! And very informative. I plan to quote some of the things I think my friends should know. Thanks!