PAINFUL LESSONS

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We learn life's lessons only through the experiencing of pain.

There are three different types of pain:

1) PHYSICAL PAIN
2) ECONOMIC PAIN
3) EMOTIONAL PAIN

Although, in a sense, one could reasonably consolidate this list down to just Physical and Emotional Pain since the second form usually leads to the third form. If you've got collection agencies dogging you day and night, it's a sure bet that your Economic Pain is going to wind up hurting you in an Emotional way.

But since not all Emotional Pain originates with Economic Pain, I choose to list them separately and claim 3 different forms of pain from which we learn our lessons in life. Rare is the person who can TRULY learn from someone else's mistakes and thus avoid the need for the pain.

I've pointed this out countless times over the last couple of decades, but I believe this is the first time I've ever made reference to it on either of my Blogs.

In 1750, Alexander Tyler noted the 'Life Cycle of Nations'. Most of the great societies have expired after approximately 200 years, and they have all followed a similar pattern. The great nations went . . .

From bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependency;
From dependency back into bondage.

The United States of America - the greatest nation in history - is now 234 years old and She is close to death. I look about me and I see apathetic Americans, a mass of people too lazy to learn the truth and who are dependent upon Uncle Sam - the same Uncle Sam who has deliberately brought this nation to its knees.

I see the American People too entertained and too disinterested to learn how this nation became great and to insist upon a return to genuinely American principles. (That's another way of saying, "a return to STRICT adherence to the U.S. Constitution", for those of you who don't really know what "genuinely American principles" means.)

My brother Napoleon and I were talking the other day and we agreed that the Liberals in this country have more dedication to their flawed world-view than the so-called Conservatives have to their own . Liberals will actually spend the time necessary to read lengthy examinations of the political arena and will then go out crusading for their cause. Too bad that their minds are being filled with un-American nonsense and slogans meant to further brainwash and condition the masses toward Marxism - the antithesis of "genuinely American principles."

But I must at least applaud the Liberals for their enthusiasm and for making time to read lengthy politically-themed articles, even if it is the wrong stuff. That's much more than I can say for those who supposedly espouse Conservative ideas.

Sadly, the handwriting is on the wall and it's perfectly clear to me that America and Her People have chosen to learn their lessons the hard, painful way. America is soon going to feel the fullness of all three types of pain before She has learned, again, the truth of what it means to be free. America is now overdue to experience sharp Physical, Economic, and Emotional Pain. Already, one can almost smell the blood, hear the crying, and taste the salty tears.

As for me, because I love both Liberty and Justice, I say, "Bring it on, God! Give us the pain we need to recall the lessons we should never have forgotten. Oh, yes, Lord, we've got time for the pain. Heck, we weren't doin' nothin' but watchin' TV and playing video games anyway."

* I sure hope this Blog Bit was not so long that it prevented you Conservative Americans with your diminished, short-term, MTV-like sound bite attention span from reading it through and absorbing it. I did attempt to keep it as short as possible because I know how difficult it is for you to concentrate when there are many words. If only we could merge a Liberal's dedication with a Conservative's common sense, boy, what an American Patriot we would have!

~ Stephen T. McCarthy
"I used to be disgusted; now I try to be amused."

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