Hello, Mark the Voter here. This will be my final pre-2024 general election submission –
Today I will be talking about responses to the election results and how I see this playing out. There is widespread apprehension on this score, so I hope that my comments can help someone steer through these tumultuous times, regardless of political affiliation.
I once had a pastor who claimed that any ideology/philosophy ending with ‘ism’ immediately presents a problem; as I remember he was speaking of socialism, communism, atheism, humanism, etc. This man embraced Christian Fundamentalism (go figure!), was a Tea Party enthusiast, a straight-egg Republican, etc.
Since I was being discipled by this man, I took his comment as wisdom for quite some time and often repeated it, it not dawning upon me then that there are several exceptions to that idea.
For example, what could be wrong with rationalism, altruism, or idealism?
Eventually my ex-pastor moved off to another location and vocation, and although we kept good relations for a long time after that, we finally had a falling out sometime during 2020. He apparently suffers Trump Derangement Syndrome, and because our relationship has always been ‘he above/me below’, he just couldn’t handle the fact that I was in direct opposition to his ‘Ridin’ With Biden’ preference.
Despite our differences, there is some truth in what my former pastor spoke of; people embrace their personal ‘isms’ and reject others’; there are schisms among the ‘isms’.
This election cycle has fulminated into what I have broken down to three categories – globalism, nationalism, and tribalism. I will give a brief description of each, and let you decide if indeed each has been aptly identified (also where you might fit as a person among those categories).
Globalists are strongly inclined to believe that the nations are a thing of the past, that humanity has been held back by tradition, that with enough persuasion on the one hand (education, transformation, revaluation, etc.) and dissuasion (regulation, negation, and ‘necessary for some’ — privation) on the other, we will have a better world, an ‘open society’ that has rid the world of all the hang-ups (nuclear family, religious belief, e.g.) brought on by the nationalists and the tribalists.
Tribalists are strongly attached to the bonds of shared language, religious belief, culture and lore, art, history, etc. They tend to hold fierce commitment to the preservation of their traditions and their cultural identity. They often could care less about the rest of society as long as they are left alone to enjoy the fruits of their shared value systems.
Nationalists are those who appreciate the value of a confederation of differing ethnic/religious/cultural groups, grasping onto the strength of concurrence and allegiance ‘under one flag’. They tolerate differences among themselves and will ideally ‘go the distance’ to maintain the rights of others — but not at the cost of the erosion or erasure of their national identity.
Whoever comes away as the victor in this Tuesday’s general election, the forces of globalism, nationalism, and tribalism will be on full display.
A win for the Harris/Walz ticket means that globalism will continue its advance toward a one-world system characterized by a devotion and homage to the World Economic Forum, the International Monetary Fund, the World Health Organization/CDC, the original Trilateral Commission at large, and more. It will strike a heavy blow to nationalists, not only in the USA, but among all the nations of the world. This supposed effort at global tranquility and universal justice will go fine with tribalists until it threatens their cultural values and identity; then we can reasonably expect outcry, protest, and unless beaten down, outright rebellion. I believe this is where the discussion should begin about the prospects of a civil war.
A win for the Trump/Vance ticket means a consensus for the preservation of our national identity, of loyalty to our beloved nation, of a citizenship once again emancipated to ‘Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness’ as envisioned by the Founding Fathers. It is the conservation and preservation of the ‘Pilgrims’ Dream’ extending centuries before the drafting of the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America.
It also means a hindrance to the globalist agenda, a thorn in the flesh, perhaps even a roadblock. And it also portends a proclivity to bring vengeance; let’s face it, it’s happened before!
Don’t expect the nationalists to bring forth violence and terrorist threat; the bonds of allegiance to our country are too strong for them to take up arms against their own countrymen. We are well acquainted and well-instructed to preserve the rights of every American, even when we are not in agreement. We are ‘One nation under God’, and we honorably share this sacred bond.
The danger is that the tribalists will somehow be lured into being an actor on behalf of the vengeance takers; this is something that my camp is discussing more and more, and the message is – “Don’t fall into another trap!”
I believe that we all have aspects of the tribalist within ourselves. We all become enraged at the injustices that are aimed or seemingly aimed at us. It’s an easy thing for our adversaries to exploit if we allow them to.
I am a nationalist. My tribe is of the Christ followers. I make this declaration because it is the heritage of my faith, the birthright of the citizenship I hold. Among this same tribe there is (so far as I know) no eminent threat of reprisal or insurrection – NO MATTER WHAT YOU’RE BEING TOLD!
For one thing, my tribe believes that the battle is primarily spiritual, therefore taking up the sword in vengeance is an affront to God. The LORD instructs us to submit to authority, even when that authority wrongfully restricts our supposed inalienable rights. If we truly wish to please God, we bless our enemies. As painful and illogical as that sounds, that is God’s way with his people, and there is no circumventing that directive of God.
That January 6 ‘insurrection’? That was not my tribe. My tribe would never condone an overthrow of our government in that way. That tribe was a mob of imposters who for some reason is being hidden and protected so that sincere patriots are made scapegoats and victims. These are vengeful acts brought on by antifa activists and the like.
Hasn’t antifa already demonstrated its willingness to commit violence time and time again? When did you hear of Christians rioting and looting before J6? Isn’t it clear that the incidents of that fateful day were initiated by provocateurs who were not present at the rally event or the march down Pennsylvania Avenue? If you still believe otherwise, you have been duped, and there is little more that can be said to convince you.
I intended for this post to be more upbeat; looks like the occasion is just too somber for me to manage that so I will summarize with these closing thoughts –
Everyone falls somewhere within three categories – globalism, nationalism, and tribalism –
As this general election proceeds to its inevitable conclusion –
Know where you stand, and
Don’t fall into a trap!
Thank you for reading. May God bless America! — Mark the Voter
