REAL AMERICA
HERE'S WHAT THE DEVIL'S BEEN DOING LATELY
Exclusive: Patrice Lewis explains how modernity's boredom helps fuel rioters
If you were suddenly teleported back to, say, 1850, you might hear a maxim that was common in centuries past: “The devil finds work for idle hands.” The gist of this axiom is that people who have nothing productive to do are more likely to get into trouble or commit crimes.
Fast forward to 2016 and we can surely see the truth behind that adage. Every day, the news covers evidence of mayhem and chaos caused by those who don’t have enough to do.
Boredom wasn’t much of an issue in the past when it took so much work to just handle day-to-day living. When your life consisted of threshing wheat or baking bread from scratch or doing laundry on a washboard or putting in a 10-hour day at the factory, you didn’t have time to think about how bored you were. Even if your mind was bored, your body wasn’t. At any rate, you didn’t go out and riot. You didn’t have the time, nor the energy … not if you wanted to eat.
An article in the American Psychological Association notes, “In many ways, boredom is a modern luxury. [James Danckert, Ph.D., a professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Waterloo] says, the word ‘boring’ as it’s used now didn’t even enter common parlance until the industrial revolution gave us time to spare.
‘Early on in human history, when our ancestors had to spend most of their days securing food and shelter, boredom wasn’t an option,’ he says.”
‘Early on in human history, when our ancestors had to spend most of their days securing food and shelter, boredom wasn’t an option,’ he says.”
In modern Western culture today, we (thankfully) no longer live a subsistence lifestyle. Today everything is provided for us. We can turn handles or flip switches or, at most, drive to the grocery store, and we are provided with heat, lights, water and food. Now we have time; time to think, time to learn … and time to be bored.
Unfortunately, this also means we have time to get into trouble, particularly with our young people.
Since those under 25 are no longer laboring on farms or in factories or as apprentices learning a trade, and since we are experiencing high unemployment, we have people getting into trouble. Their hands are idle, so the devil is stepping in and finding work for them to do.
Critics are quick to point out young people are not at fault since no one can find jobs. But wait – I thought the economy was stellar under Obama’s administration? I thought our unemployment rate was never better? You can’t have it both ways – so which is it?
During the Depression, President Roosevelt initiated the Civilian Conservation Corps. For good or for bad, it served to put the hands of millions of idle youth to work creating bridges, dams and service buildings, as well as working on projects for flood and erosion control, recreation, wildlife management, mosquito control and other endeavors.
The young men were taught the value of hard work, as well as how to be “morally and physically fit” to lick “Old Man Depression.” They were also taught practical skills they could take with them after leaving the Corps.
The young men were taught the value of hard work, as well as how to be “morally and physically fit” to lick “Old Man Depression.” They were also taught practical skills they could take with them after leaving the Corps.
Wikipedia notes, “Approximately 55 percent of enrollees were from rural communities, a majority of which were non-farm; 45 percent came from urban areas. Level of education for the enrollee averaged 3 percent illiterate, 38 percent less than eight years of school, 48 percent did not complete high school, 11 percent were high school graduates.
At the time of entry, 70 percent of enrollees were malnourished and poorly clothed. Few had work experience beyond occasional odd jobs. Peace was maintained by the threat of ‘dishonorable discharge.'”
At the time of entry, 70 percent of enrollees were malnourished and poorly clothed. Few had work experience beyond occasional odd jobs. Peace was maintained by the threat of ‘dishonorable discharge.'”
The CCC was a government solution to a major (government-caused) problem: an economic depression. It was one of the few government programs to receive widespread popular support.
Of course, that was back in the day when we could admit we had an economic depression, not dance around the elephant in the room like it doesn’t exist and isn’t impacting anyone. (Shadowstats puts “official” unemployment at 5 percent, but real unemployment at 23 percent.)
What is our government doing today to help? Cheering violent rioters. Forcing 18 girls into a single-stall shower room to avoid a randy boy “legally” allowed to sexually harass them in their dressing room.
Funding a reprehensible organization butchering babies and selling their body parts.
Funding a reprehensible organization butchering babies and selling their body parts.
The riots will continue in our nation as long as people are bored. And bored people will even allow themselves to be paid to riot (70 percent of protesters arrested in Charlotte this week had out-of-state IDs – let’s hear it for professional rioters).
Today I can look at our local park and see at least two buildings built by the CCC – beautiful, solid stone structures which are both useful and aesthetically pleasing. What are we seeing today?
Burned-out gutted buildings and looted stores from the latest “work” of this generation.
Burned-out gutted buildings and looted stores from the latest “work” of this generation.
How would things change if all hands were needed just to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads? What if people had to work to survive, instead of being paid to be idle or troublesome?
This dovetails with one of my favorite verses in the Bible, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
We need another CCC. Fast. But of course, it wouldn’t work, not this time.
Why? Because back in the 1930s those young men, impoverished and malnourished though they were, were still steeped in morality. They had a foundation of ethics taught by their elders, schools and churches. They understood the need for hard work and were grateful to have it.
Fast-forward again to today.
We’ve spent multiple generations “educating” people to be amazingly ignorant, demanding, lazy and immoral – heck, why would we want to change now?
We’ve spent multiple generations “educating” people to be amazingly ignorant, demanding, lazy and immoral – heck, why would we want to change now?
The old maxim about the devil providing employment for idle hands isn’t just a quaint out-of-date saying. It’s the truth. Just look around you if you need proof.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2016/09/heres-what-the-devils-been-doing-lately/#oM0KihiGYvwTMt7C.99
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