Lately, a song my kids listened to back in the late-1990s keeps coming to mind. DC Talk’s “The Hardway” meant far more to me than to them at the time, for I was in my mid-40s, an age by which most of us have learned something the hard way.
"Some people gotta learn the hard way
I guess I'm the kinda guy that has to find out for myself
I had to learn the hard way, Father
I'm on my knees and I'm crying for help
Now I've been high and I've been low
I've been some places that you will not go
I never thought there would come the day
When I wished I never would've lived this way
But I've been searchin’ for a long, long time
I thought the Devil was a friend of mine
I turned my back on everything that was true
And wasted years that belong to You"
A 17-year-old I know is one reason this song keeps rolling through my head. She really wants to go to college, and I’ve helped her for the past month with her application, but wanting a thing doesn’t mean having the willpower and stamina to work for it. She isn’t pushing herself to improve some test scores or to prepare for the rigors of a tough academic program. Despite financial help being an absolute necessity, she’s made no effort to research scholarships or seek aid of any kind.
She regards herself as a bit of a rebel, not realizing that the main person damaged by her rebellion is herself.
New York City has also brought to mind “The Hardway.” By the time you read these words, odds are that what was once one of the greatest cities on planet earth will elect a 33-year-old socialist/communist and Islamist for mayor, Zohran Mamdani, a man who possesses no real experience in managing anything. He is promising voters benefits like free bus service, government-run groceries, a higher minimum wage along with higher corporate taxes, and more.
Numerous commentators and critics have pointed out the ruinous possibilities of these measures. Some have also reminded both the candidate and his followers that hard-core socialism and communism have a century-old track record of failure, and have accounted for 100 million murders.
I expect a lot of New Yorkers will learn the hard way. Unfortunately, those more familiar with finance, markets, and history will have to suffer with them.
A third example of the hard way classroom is found in our debt load, both national and personal. The federal government’s debt is now $38 trillion. That’s $111,000 for every person living in the United States. This debt has occurred because government takes the easy way, refusing to match spending with revenues. Meanwhile, credit card debt among Americans is soaring and now stands at $1.2 trillion total. Many people doubtless must use credit cards to help them get by, but others indulge in luxuries they can’t afford or should resist.
The inclination to take the easy path is embedded in human nature and can be a positive good if that path leads to the desired objective. All too often, however, when we set out on that path, we turn our backs “on everything that’s true,” as the song says. These are the time-tested guidelines and injunctions handed down over millennia, from the wisdom found in Scripture to the adages and advice of a thousand thinkers and commentators ranging from Marcus Aurelius to Ben Franklin to Jordan Peterson.
“The Hardway” nails the consequences of this ignorance or deliberate disregard of past wisdom with these lines:
"It took so long for me to see
That I'm a victim of a nature and me
Left to myself I realize
I am a maker of my own demise"
There’s a deep irony at play in the situations described above, and millions more similar to them. What we perceive as the easy way, or as our own way, more often than not ends in learning things the hard way. When this happens, when the easy way becomes hard, it often breaks us. If we’re lucky, or blessed if you will, it teaches us humility and leads us to repentance.
The hard-won axioms of the past, common sense, critical thinking, and listening to those older and wiser than we are: these are the compasses and maps that steer us onto the right path, the way of truth, honor, and virtue.
Jeff Minick is a father of four and grandfather to many. A former history, literature, and Latin teacher, Jeff now writes prolifically for The Epoch Times, American Essence Magazine, and several other publications.
This culture article was made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal, a project of 1819 News. To comment on this article, please email [email protected]. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News.
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