OPINION – It’s as if the ground is shifting beneath our feet. Even those who aren’t in the habit of paying attention can sense that the pace of decline is quickening.
It can be seen in our economy where real median household income is lower now than it was in 1989. It can be felt in our culture where the indefinite detention language of the NDAA was renewed by the senate while the masses were squabbling about Duck Dynasty and homosexuality.
It is evident in the widespread internal rot at nearly every level of politics where special interests carefully choose our candidates for us. It was unmistakeable in the unprecedented police state rehearsal in Boston earlier this year when innocent citizens were yanked at gunpoint from their homes in warrantless searches.
As the decline deepens, those in power treat the people as their enemy. This is why the NSA is collecting every bit of electronic data that we generate. This is why those in power push gun control relentlessly. It’s why we are fondled and electronically strip-searched at the airport.
It’s why even tiny police departments are getting armored military vehicles for terrorist events that have never happened in their community.
The masses do not think about such things. But the remnant does.
The masses don’t recognize the conditioning to which they’ve been subjected. This can be seen economically in the mindless consumer behavior on Black Friday. It is apparent culturally when an increase in government power and regulation over peoples’ most intimate relationships is celebrated as equality.
It appears in the form of Stockholm Syndrome when the masses reflexively lick the boots of those who just kicked in their door and thank their oppressors for “keeping us safe.”
On such matters, the remnant is not only aware, but also hopelessly outnumbered. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
An inspired and courageous remnant has always been necessary to rebuild and restore when societal decline has run everything into the ground. But this requires a willingness to stand apart from the masses and what they believe.
For this reason, the remnant is often portrayed as being out of touch. In reality, it means that they’ve learned how to focus their attention on matters of actual substance without being manipulated into jumping aboard the bandwagon for the latest social fads.
It’s easy to passionately hold forth on topics based primarily on feelings or emotions. But bumper sticker slogans and social media shout-downs aren’t the same thing as informed discussion.
It takes no courage or character to bravely say something with which the crowd already agrees.
Arguing and understanding weighty matters requires the effort of actual study of original sources and personal research. It means honestly examining viewpoints that may fall outside the boundaries of approved opinion.
This is a price that the masses are seldom willing to pay. They’ve been trained all their lives to wait for an authority figure to explain things to them. No wonder so many people become outraged at any perceived departure from so-called conventional wisdom.
Members of the remnant understand the importance of developing their own personal viewpoint rather than allowing others to push their agendas upon us. This requires successfully filtering the information we bring into our lives and knowing what is important and what to ignore.
By taking in more of the right kind of information, we free ourselves from the effects of deception and misinformation. We come to value the quality of what we put into our minds rather than the quantity.
Once we learn to recognize the conditioning that’s been directed at us for most of our lives, it loses its power over us. We come to see the world as it really is, not as others are telling us to believe.
The remnant values truth more than it values the approval of others. In times of mass deception, this can be a lonely place. But there is a peculiar comfort in being true to one’s deepest convictions.
Truth is not contingent upon public approval or man-made laws. But it’s essential that a remnant upholds even unpopular truths for that day when their value is once again recognized.
Real character often requires taking a stand that involves actual costs. This is another quality that distinguishes the remnant from the masses.
It’s why Edward Snowden, after exposing our leaders’ domestic spying, explained:
I had been looking for leaders, but I realized that leadership is about being the first to act. I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions, and that the return of this information to the public marks my end.
A person who is personally attacked for refusing to trade truth for popularity is a person who is having real impact. When the dust has settled, this is who others will turn to for direction.
Bryan Hyde is a news commentator and co-host of the Perspectives talk show on Fox News 1450 AM 93.1 FM. The opinions stated in this article are his and not representative of St. George News.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @youcancallmebry
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2013, all rights reserved.
Love this. Sending it to my 20 yo granddaughter in the hopes it will open her eyes to some of the lessons she is learning in college.
It is refreshing to hear the truth from any news source these days. God bless you for articulating the truth about the decline and fall of America. Thank you again, john
What platitudinous drivel! And I’m not accepting or rejecting the implicit social and political perspective. Indeed, I hold fairly strong libertarianish perspectives. But here we have again a SG News piece that panders to the “us v them” impulse that perpetuates (truth v popularity; right information v wrong information) nonsense and intellectual factionalism, whether it com from the right or left or wherever (see some of the Kilter material). And the creepy wink-wink ominous tone in tandem with the intentional avoidance of saying precisely what one means works well, perhaps, for the “knowing” but comes of as laughable to me. And “The conditioning that’s been directed at us for most of our lives”??? What does this mean, really? If one has freed oneself of this, how does one know for certain that another hasn’t been adopted in its place? Why doesn’t SG News employ a writer one is willing to take up issues, ideas, etc. in all their complexity, and not just package them in black and white boxes? Perhaps no one reading would bother to finish. We might not leave feeling righteous about our positions…
Skip2maLoo (like the name, just by and by) – We are always open to new contributors, columnists – if you know someone that fits your description, direct them to me. 😀
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Whoa, it seems someone just put down the dictionary and was excited to use big words. If you dont have the slightest bit of understanding of what he is saying, you’re blind bud. He shouldn’t have to spell it out. If this article didn’t make sense to you, I suggest putting down the dictionary and taking a good long look at our society, i.e. “the masses”. If you’re half as smart as you’re trying to portray, it won’t take you long to figure it out.
Except for platitudinous, I don’t see any especially difficult words. Didn’t have a dictionary at hand, and I do, I believe, get what the writer is saying. You missed the substance of my concern. In fact, you completely ignored it and only added to it by referencing “the masses,” an entity you, like the writer, fail to define. You, he, and any others, including myself, should, indeed, be expected to spell it out (if for no other reason than that the reader won’t have to consult a dictionary!)
Albert J. Nock would be glad to clarify what is meant by the terms “remnant” and “masses.”
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“The Remnant are those who by force of intellect are able to apprehend these principles, and by force of character are able, at least measurably, to cleave to them. The masses are those who are unable to do either.”
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I highly recommend his essay “Isaiah’s Job”
Okay. So this remnant exists in reality or in the heads of those who decide that are the select few who hold the truth that others fail to reach? Sorry to get all philosophical on anybody, but this doesn’t wash. “Believe what I and a few others do, and you are a rare yet invaluable holder of truths”. Us/them dynamic works all the time! But does it ever get any more complicated? Even libertarians disagree on the status of Snowden. Some see him as you do. Other consider him to be a self-aggrandizing loser. And “the conditioning”? Help me on that one.
Gonna go w/skip on this one. I cannot think of a single instance in recent history where this Remnant has rebuilt civilization on its ruins. I am willing to bet that there has never been even one, in the unqualified sense of your article. Human beings are not such simple creatures as all that.
To Roy J – umm, you seriously can’t think of any examples of this in recent history? How about the history of America? You know, the nation we live in? The one we have the freedom to believe and say what we want all because a small number of people stood up and fought against tyranny? There was actually only 3% of the population that did the actual fighting against the Brittish. A large percentage actually supported King George and were happy to live under his thumb and pay all of his taxes. I’m betting a lot of them sounded just like some of the people on this board. There has never been a nation that has been more prosperous than the U.S. in it’s short 200 years. The article doesn’t say “rebuilt civilzation on its ruins” as you stated. Maybe you should go back and read the article again and see if it rings any bells.
Wow skip2maloo, I don’t know if I’ve ever read a comment that oozed so much deliberate effort to sound intelligent or superior. Can you please try harder to sound a little more condescending next time? Lol. Those of us that really do hold “strong libertarianish perspectives” know exactly what the author was talking about in this article. Maybe if you paid more attention to the content and spent less time googling the words you want to respond with, it would save us all from more “platitudinous drivel”. I think it was a great article and something that needs to be said more often. Thanks.
Except for the, admittedly, cheap shot at first, my remarks (if you read them) were aimed at the substance of the writer’s piece. I comprehend the writer’s general perspective pretty well. Strangely enough, you accuse me of ignoring this when, in fact, you ignore my specific concerns. I complain about not clearly defining terms and phrases loosely used (but effective enough for the “knowing” ones like yourself) and you complain that I use a dictionary, which, if truth matters, I didn’t need to because the words I use are not at all uncommon. If you think so, then perhaps you yourself needed to check the dictionary. Bottom line: the writer could clarify the issues I initially raised so that more readers might understand “exactly” what you and others instinctively “get.”
Why exactly do I need to address your specific concerns? Is it really that “strange” to you that I didn’t? I made a general observation about your entire comment, please don’t flatter yourself with the idea that we all need to answer your post point-by-point. Honestly, it’s kind of exhausting trying to figure out what your specific concerns are. And before you flatter yourself again with the idea that I just didn’t understand, please just stop yourself. I actually didn’t even mention the word “dictionary” in my post and I didn’t say the words you used were uncommon. It’s just that sometimes when people try so desperately hard to come across as being intelligent, they end up looking very foolish.
Chad. How do you have the intelligence required to know how hard I was trying? Thats impressive. And apparently you understood what I said, even though you didn’t like it. And you did this effortlessly, I will assume. But what you did miss is that I asked for the writer of the article, not you, to clarify. He’s probably not so exhausted.
Its funny how the 3rd comment by “skip2maloo” is very intellectually sound with proper grammar and large words like “intellectual factionalism” but when it comes right down to it this commentator can’t post his complete and actual name but hides behind a ridiculous alias and yells preposterous! over and over again. These are very excellent points this author for the SG News is hitting on and until we get more people stating the facts and reality of what’s going on out there along with more Edward Snowdens standing up and uncovering these unconstitutional acts that the people of power so righteously are performing, then we can all kiss our freedoms and rights goodbye completely. You won’t even be able to have your own thoughts without someone like skip2maloo invading them screaming preposterous!
So thank you Bryan Hyde and keep up the excellent work and I hope you inspire others to do the same.
Did I yell preposterous? That’s complete nonsense! Totally absurd! I don’t even know what that means! I would give you my legal name, but it’s not very “large” so I’m a bit embarrassed. (BTW, what does giving my name out have to do with this? Plenty others don’t. Do you want to contact me personally. Head out to the flagpole?!). Tell you what, I’ll give you my name, ss#, and a dollar if you tell me what “when it comes right down to it means” — because while it might be grammatically correct, the words (however small or large) don’t say much of anything. Or should I just have gotten it without help?!
You know what this article reads like? The paranoid ramblings of someone who is very afraid of change.
Well, the author mentions several things like out of control government surveillance on innocent civilians, militarization of local police and warrantless searches. All of which are factual events, not theories. Yeah, it’s safe to say that many people are afraid of that kind of change. It sounds like you’re pretty comfortable with your head planted firmly in the sand…or somewhere else.
I agree. But then that would make the remnant much, much larger than Hyde is suggesting. Many folks are disturbed by this increasing invasion. The “state” is out of control, I agree. But plenty of would-be or supposed remnants are engaged today in Utah in a battle to increase another facet of state control. How does this figure in? I argue that marriage shouldn’t be licensed by anyone, a bona fide libertarian perspective, though one which differently interested libertarian folks would shout down.
Actually, in the bit of research I’ve done, it appears to be nothing more nor less than a call for holy war. How you identify yourself as a conscript?: you hold unpopular beliefs, you’ve freed yourself from the “conditioning” you were raised in, and your views stand outside the mainstream, approved positions, and you’re willing to do anything (including living in Bolivia!) to sound the call of doom… Might just as well be a group of rebellious teenagers! I’m 100% all about that!
Thanks Bryan. Great food for thought as usual and well written.
Really Cody? You must have read a different article than I did. Or I suppose you could have missed the point, yeah, I’ll go with that one.
Once again, and all together, repeat after me: “It’s all Obama’s fault”
Also, I just gotta ask: what IS it like to use the winged men’s room? I hope they still have a remnant of toilet paper.
Meh, probably not…only the masses are asses, right?
Thank you Brian, keep stirring the pot. It is exciting to see someone step out of the mold that has been set for journalists. You being able to publish an article like this is why St. George News will replace the competitors as our go-to news source. Money is like air: it comes and goes; but integrity, once lost, is gone forever.