Are we almost at that stage?

Are we almost at that stage?

I try so hard to be positive about what I see every day, especially when it comes to our young people, and mostly the ones that are going to colleges where they should be learning things that will help them while moving down life's road, because I know that whether I'm here or not to see it, they will be the leaders of this great country one day, unless the rapture comes first, and what I see most of the time sure doesn't look very promising for the future.

The ones that we’ve got up in Washington now are sure not doing a bang-up job for our country either, and that is from the very top to the least, and the vast majority of them were a product of the 60s, and if you know anything at all about history, then you know that the 1960s produced a lot of the “let it all hang out” and “do your own thing” crowd.

The one thing that I see very clearly is, with all this political correctness, personal responsibility is fast becoming a thing for the older days, and I know first hand because I lived through those days, and believe me, back then, if you caused trouble of any kind or said anything about America, then you owned it with no chance to blame it on someone else or society or some group that wants to march in the street, instead of being on a job.

I get to thinking sometimes, and I start to remember, if I had said some things to my parents when I was young that some of these young people say to theirs, you could take one thing to the bank — as soon as I came to and the ringing stopped in my head, I would sure remember to not try that again, but the other side to that is, it never would have happened because of the respect that you had, which is something else that is almost gone.

Now let me say up front that I'm not saying take a ball bat to spank your kids with, and I'm not saying to inflict any kind of pain on them, but what I'm saying is, you have had them from birth, so if they wander off down the wrong road in life and do some things that you don't want them to do, don't put all the blame on the government or society, because most of it goes you-know-where and on you-know-who.

It seems to me that a great number of young people want something for nothing and I see a lot of their parents giving in to this type of thinking. Remember, the Bible says foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, and the rod of discipline will remove it far from him, so with that, you don't get off Momma and Daddy.

Now the stage that I was referring to was our beautiful flag being flown upside down and the only reason that it would ever happen and be accepted by the people was when there was a great distress and the danger of losing life or property, so the life that I'm talking about is the life in America, with God leading the way as he has done in the past, which I believe is leaving and the blessing that came our way from that very thing is leaving with it.

The property I was talking about was this great country of ours that we affectionately call America. And I feel that it is slowly slipping away and causing stress more and more everyday. And did you see where suicides are at an all time high? I see and hear people that just don't have a lot of use for America anymore, and that is with some of them making a great deal of wealth just by being a part of it, and a lot of others — mostly because they can't get everything that they want and not have to work for it — because they think that it should be given to them just because.

Now I know that some of you reading this think I have gone to extreme thinking, and maybe so, but as we go on down this road that we call life in America, we will see, and if enough ever do think that what I have said is possible, my prayer would be that it's not too late to turn to God and let Him heal our sick land. I know that it's hard to think this way when it seems like everything is going good for you, with that new house, and that new car, and new cell phone with all those cool apps, and a lot of other goodies that we have that make us think that life is good, even with something that tells you where you are going and how to get there, so no need to ask for directions anymore, but always remember that all you have and all that you hope to accomplish stays here when you come to your time to leave here.

I know that I have said this before, but I think it is worth saying again that in a speech by Joseph Stalin, he said the only way to destroy America, because of her military strength and dedication by her people, would be to do it from within, and start by getting them to turn their back on their god, which is fast happening, and then over time take over the thoughts of their youth and make them believe as he believed, and from everything that I see everyday, we are well on the way.

If you really want a good look at that, take a look at one of the people running for president and who most of his followers are. But anyway, I'm not writing this to start any type of argument but just to draw your attention to it. So have a blessed day and remember God loves you and so do I and I want the very best for you so God bless you and yours.

Bill McFerrin is a West Memphis resident with some things to say and a certain way of saying them.

By Bill McFerrin Local Commentary