The 7th chapter of Proverbs is a tale of a foolish young man who goes out of his way to the house of a harlot and to his demise. Though the preliminary details can be a little scintillating, it is the point of seduction that is enlightening. In the second part of verse 21, it says that it was the harlot's "flattering lips" that seals the deal for the young man. It is then that the man becomes like an ox that is going to be butchered.
To make this story more relevant to Americans today, all we need to do is to substitute "American voter" for the young man and "political candidates," regardless of the political affiliation, for the harlot, and we have the story of any election year in America. For indeed, despite how both parties have constantly failed and betrayed us, the American voter still seeks either the Republican or the Democratic parties to be wooed.
Do we know what kind of candidates we are seeking? Despite our denials, of course we do. After all, we are fools -- not idiots. We want to be seduced. We want to be told how we can get what we want by electing them. And most of all, we want to be flattered. Americans want to be told how special we are. For either by promised lifestyle, unleashed capabilities, or world leadership, we want to hear that we are the best. And so we become the ox that is about to be slaughtered for we vote for either the Republicans or the Democrats only to see the winners become more interested in someone else than us after the election. They spurn us for the man of the house, as in the story of Proverbs 7, who returns home after election day. Once he is home, the harlot no longer cares to meet with us, to "love" us.
What keeps this drama playing election after election? Not enough of us have met the butcher. Some have already fallen by the wayside. They have lost jobs, homes, and health because of the greed of a few, while others have lost their lives because of the misuse of our military. Most of us inflict ourselves with the dilemma of not changing until we have to, until it is too late. And this points to a not so flattering trait of Americans. They will leave their fellow Americans behind who have fallen. And they will do so while proudly waving the American flag.
Will we change in time for the November 6 election? For too many of us, that depends on what's in it for us. And that mentality takes us back to the two major parties again. We should note here that self-destruction will terminate all loops that appear to be infinite.
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