The American Mind

William Hillman

(10/2020) Communism, Marxism, Maoism and fascism are fundamentally all movements that start from a place of envy. These movements have learned to turn citizens against each other by manufacturing and exploiting resentment and hate. They call it class struggle and it is a cancer that will destroy any society. The left knows that if a person constantly judges their life by the lives of others, they will never be content and happy. Discontent breeds resentment, which turns to anger and hate.

Notice the increased use of the word "privilege" as a dog whistle to legitimize hate and acts of violence. A few months ago, I started seeing this word more in more in the popular news. On NPR its use is now rampant. It has replaced words like "wealth" and "success", all for the specific purpose of spreading and legitimizing anger and hate among the races.

Privilege, by definition from Merriam Webster dictionary, is someone not subject to the usual rules or penalties because of some special circumstance.

The problem is, the same people who, out of one side of their mouth rail against "privilege" are the same group who promote and pass laws that give special privileged laws to groups based on a special characteristic or lifestyle.

In the school district where I live, children are being taught that it is a privilege to be white, and that "privilege is bad." The book that the district is currently using actually says, if your parents support the police, they are racist.

This teaches children they are not in control of their own future. Remember when we used to teach kids that they can be anything they want if they just work hard enough and dedicate themselves? Powerful stuff. Today, schools teach kids not to bother. It’s out of your control. You are a victim. If you are black or brown, you will never succeed because the white people have all the privilege and nothing you can do will change that.

Tell that to the likes of Dr. Ben Carson.

In Arizona, a parent by the name of Sandoval Gilbert made national news when he objected to this indoctrination of his kids. Mr. Gilbert is the son of a Mexican immigrant who worked hard to achieve the American dream. Mr. Gilbert says the school assignment which focused on skin color and privilege went against the values he teaches his kids at home.

"They're not a victim and to me this was teaching them that they're a victim," says Sandoval.

Gilbert says he came from humble beginnings and says he and his family have received many blessings.

"We don’t look at it as being privileged," says Sandoval. "We look at it more as being blessed."

Envy, jealousy and guilt are being pushed on our kids, fill our media, and are being used as a wedge to divide us with no middle ground. There is a reason envy is one of the seven deadly sins. Envy is the intense desire to have something that someone else possesses. The Bible says the following in Proverbs 14:30, "A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones."

Back in the 80’s there was a saying made popular by President Reagan about the difference between communism and capitalism. "A capitalist sees that his neighbor has a nice new car. The capitalist thinks, "Great car, what do I have to do to get a car like that.’". The communist sees the new car, says, my neighbor has a new car and its better than mine, I want his car destroyed."

Those that push this new agenda of privilege, comparison and envy do not want you or your family to be happy and they don’t want peace.

Last Sunday’s Gospel at my Church was one of Christ’s parables that I’ve heard many times and it never sat well with me. During the homily that followed, my pastor explained the parable in a way that brought it all together and really opened my eyes. I always saw it as a story about inequality, but it is not, it’s a lesson on envy.

The parable is about finding joy in what you have and not letting the good fortune of others distract you from being grateful for your own life. We need to find joy and happiness with what we have and not spend our lives obsessed with what others have.

In his homily, my pastor told the story of a nun joining a cloister. The head mother explained to the girl that she needed to focus on her own path in life and that if she was going to spend time judging her own holiness by that of the other nuns, there would be no point in her joining. Comparison is the thief of Joy

The Parable:

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 "About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

"He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

7 "‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

"He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

8 "When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

9 "The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

13 "But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’