Our nation is in deep trouble. That means that every state, county, city and individual is in deep trouble. When America fails to follow the Moral, Political and Business principles that are soundly grounded in reality and tested true for over 200 years, then every American suffers. That suffering is just beginning to be realized at the root.

People are afraid about the future for themselves and their loved ones. Fear manifests itself as anger and irrational belligerence which makes the problem even larger and more dangerous. The net result is that civilized society may break down into anarchy and chaos. That is the cycle of history. When that happens, individuals must rely on themselves and their immediate neighbors to survive. Living becomes personal and local.

There is little that the 8,000 people in McCulloch County or the 5,500 living in the city of Brady can do about national and international events except tend to business at home and in our community. We can build a safe haven for ourselves and those that follow if we return to the principles that work. If we succeed, it will spread. If we fail, it will spread.

When we feel threatened, we look for people and institutions to blame. That overlooks the fact that placing blame does not solve the problem. In fact, placing blame on people and institutions simply hastens the breakdown of civilized society into warring factions. There is a better way.

By focusing on the principles that have been violated instead of the people who might be to blame, we can create unity instead of warring factions. We can know peace within ourselves, within our families and within our community.

The process starts within our innermost self, with the recognition that each of us shares some of the blame. If nothing else, we got “busy” with our own lives and allowed it to happen. We have, to use Stephen King's phrase, “Forgotten the face of our father”.

When I say “We”, I include myself and know that each individual is different, with different strengths and weaknesses. Only you know what is true for yourself. The following summary may apply to many individuals and groups.

What are the principles we have abandoned? They fall into the three categories mentioned above: Moral, Political and Business.

In the moral category, we have forgotten to love one another. We have forgotten to be absolutely honest, compassionate, respectful, tolerant, and forgiving. We have forgotten to be good stewards of the magnificent gifts given to us by God's grace and we have forgotten to be grateful. We are more concerned with getting than giving and are poorer for it.

In the political category, we have forgotten the founding principles laid out in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the USA. We argue about the letter of the law, forget the spirit of the law and twist it for personal gain. We forget that the people own the government and that the government does not own the people. We forget that public officials (whether elected, appointed or hired) are servants, not masters. We forget that the law applies to all citizens equally and seek special favors for ourselves.

In the business category, we have forgotten the very definition of money. Money represents real goods and services. It is created by making real things and providing services that people value. It cannot be “created” out of thin air. We forget that borrowed money is a claim on future labor and we only have so much of that. We have forgotten that if we fail to repay as promised, then we are liars and thieves. We have forgotten that we can only consume as much as we produce. We have forgotten that our wants are unlimited but our ability to produce is limited. We have forgotten how to set priorities on our spending. We have forgotten the terrible high price of “free” in liberty, freedom, dignity and self-respect.

These principles are not foreign to the people of Brady. By just remembering what we have forgotten, we can bring our community together in common cause. Our public officials will fall in line if we insist on it.

Liberty and peace require eternal vigilance. Maybe that is the main principle we have forgotten. Get involved.