For the last few decades, our society has put peace on a pedestal. Everything we said had to be “politically correct.” We were told tolerance was a virtue, and unity was our one divine goal.
And where did that get us?
We are more broken than ever, more confused than any generation before us, and more divided than we thought possible.
Why is this? Why is it that in our quest for unity, we ended so far from it?
Because we were told we could trade truth for peace, and we are now reaping the consequences.
Those who knew the truth kept silent for fear of being labeled “unloving,” “intolerant,” “peace destroyers.” Those who dared to speak up were called hateful. Those who pretended were praised.
We saw plainly the wrong ideas, the redefining of words, the misapplied labels, and we did not speak up. We allowed it to happen because we were keeping the peace. We did not fight back because we were told it would be wrong to tell people they were wrong, and even the irony of that didn’t faze us.
We did not teach the next generation that truth is immutable, and now we all have our own “truth.” Everyone gets to decide for themselves who and what they believe down to their biology, and the children who grew up in the age of “tolerance for all ideas” are now adults who are teaching their children to be intolerant to truth.
Peace with our neighbors and countrymen is a worthy goal, but now we are coming to the devastating realization that trading truth for peace was not a fair trade at all. We did not realize that sacrificing truth for peace meant the death of truth altogether and maybe the destruction of our once great nation. Instead of peace, we traded truth for chaos.
We are waking up to this reality every day, but I don’t believe it’s too late. There are still so many men and women who remember what it was like before the descent into madness, and truth still lives in the hearts and minds of these citizens.
The question is, who will be brave enough to throw off their meaningless labels and step into the role of the truth speaker? Has the descent been steep enough to wake up those of us who have allowed tolerance to silence us for too long?
We have a duty as men and women, mothers and fathers, neighbors and citizens to draw a hard line here and now. We must not only boldly proclaim that there is truth, but we must live every day in it. The call of our forefathers who sacrificed everything, even when it meant leaving everything behind and standing alone, rings through the ages for us now to stand and do the right thing.
We must think for ourselves and throw off the lies of the rich and powerful.
We must search out integrity and model it for those around us.
We must teach our children to walk in truth and fulfill their duty and their purpose.
We must reject the definitions that are anti-truth and make them unthinkable.
We must boldly speak on behalf of truth whenever we are presented with the opportunity.
Yes, we need brave truth tellers in public office. Yes, we need them in the media. But more than that, I believe we need them in the daily lives of American citizens everywhere.
We need them in public schools and in corporate offices. We need them on construction sites and at grocery stores. We need them in healthcare and in finance. If each of us accepts our responsibility, we will be able to correct our society’s course. If we together train our children and the coming generations to take a hard stand for truth, even at the cost of peace, we can make a difference.
Truth is one of the most important issues of our day, just as it was at the start of our great country. The men who founded this country counted the cost, and passed the torch to each of us, who now must pass the torch to the next generation. Will we do our part for the fate of our country or will we, too, make the unfair trade of truth for peace?
Lauren is a wife, mother, and writer with a passion for boldly speaking truth. Writing and speaking for over a decade, Lauren has reached millions worldwide. She is known for her Biblical approach to controversial topics and humorous approach to counteracting the lies of the world. You can find her on twitter and Instagram at @laurendemoss.
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