“Hard times” may be exactly what this country needs

By Che

Editor’s note: The opinions expressed here are those of the authors. View more opinion on ScoonTV.

It doesn’t take a politically savvy person to see our society is on the brink of a major crisis. From the impending economic recession (despite what the White House may say), rising consumer goods, and inflation, the message is clear; hard times are upon us. 

This isn’t just a domestic problem. We’ve seen other nations such as Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, and Ukraine experience war, civil unrest, food shortages, and political upheaval. Our interconnectedness has expedited the process though, causing domestic problems to spiral into global problems. The US is indeed experiencing major growing pains. However, this may be the last frontier for a world entering the twilight years of prosperity. 

By now most of us have heard the excerpt from Bill Gates’ TED Talk where he spoke about reducing the world’s population through experimental vaccines and other therapeutics. Jane Goodall, the English primatologist known for her work with wild chimpanzees, has stated that human population growth “undermines so many problems and that these problems wouldn’t exist if we had a population the size it was 500 years ago.” Klaus Schwab, the head of the World Economic Forum, published a book called “Covid-19: The Great Reset” that details the need to use the recent pandemic to shift the global power structure in order to save humanity.  

Here in the US, where people have relied on policy to minimize the impact of the rest of the world’s failings, it has been policy itself that has actually created the crisis. The middle class has been gutted from policies like: The halting of oil production by shutting down pipelines that made the US energy independent, the printing of money that has led to inflation, and the Covid lockdowns that forced businesses to close in order to contain a virus whose rate of survival was 99%. 

The problems are not just limited to the economy. Cultural issues have found their way to the top of the news feed creating an air of hate and animosity. Confusion has amounted from alleged “grooming” of children via sexual education, the redefining of gender with “inclusive” pronouns, “birthing persons,” and “female penises” What is going on and how did we get here? 

We have to look at what we have become as a society in the last 100 years. Prior to the “golden age” of economic prosperity following World War II, life was relatively hard. Modernization had yet to reach most people via personal cars, air conditioning, telephones, etc. The idea of everyone owning a television or a personal phone was unheard of. The manner in which food and other goods were shipped had not become as fast as they are today. Just recently I purchased a coffee maker using an app on my smartphone in the morning, and it was delivered to my front door by the afternoon. Convenience has simplified our lives while at the same time bringing a host of new problems with it. 

“Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times.” 

Former US Marine and author G. Michael Hopf penned the now famous quote in his post-apocalyptic novel “Those Who Remain.” The late Stefan Aarnio took that quote and wrote his renowned book on the state of masculinity, “Hard Times Create Strong Men,” a scathing indictment on how men have become soft and complacent in our easy world. 

Our forefathers solved problems, real problems, such as what we were going to eat, how we would be safe from the elements, and how to ward off attacks from enemies both man and beast. Now, we have a hard time answering questions that were thought to have been solved since the beginning of time such as “can men get pregnant?”  

Western civilization has introduced the world to many great advancements, but it also gave us a culture of entitlement and complacency. The rise of the “participation trophy” generation where one is rewarded for not wanting to have their feelings hurt. Thus, everyone, whether they win or lose, perform to the best of their abilities or give a lackadaisical effort, is given the same recognition. This is equity in a nutshell, the idea that outcomes and not opportunities should be evenly distributed no matter the work that is done.  

This is a dangerous notion, one that leads to stagnation and a lack of growth. You are entitled to food you did not earn based on the assumption that everyone is owed the basic necessities. We want everything hand delivered to us, and done with a good attitude. There is no need to work, just sit back in your plush, air-conditioned house and complain about how “hard” life is. 

This is what has happened and how those at the top have been able to manipulate the masses for their own benefit. They know that the fake currency we’ve been printing and the fake economy we’ve been building will come tumbling down like a house of cards. They know that in order to keep their wealth and power they must convince the masses to share theirs. They will control how you get your money and how it is spent, all in the name of “equity.” They will guilt trip and shame you into doing so, and if that doesn’t work, force you to comply. 

Human beings need conflict. This doesn’t mean war with each other or that we need an enemy. It simply means we need to struggle against something in order to bring out the best in ourselves. Before modernization, humans struggled against the environment in order to survive. We had to get food, clothing, and shelter in a hostile environment that was not as forgiving and nurturing as our modern-day politicians. This brought out a drive and ambition in man that led to him conquering the world and creating civilizations. 

Today, the successful people, the ones constantly creating and reimagining the world, are the ones who understand that the conflict necessary to achieve greatness is within oneself. Think about the discipline it takes to be physically fit. You go to the gym on a daily basis to shape and develop your body. Every workout is an artificially constructed conflict where you put your body through a rigorous regiment in order to grow. You are challenging yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually to break down barriers and overcome adversity. The Holy Qur’an says, “Verily, man was created in toil and struggle.” And as Frederick Douglass said, “Without struggle there is no progress.” 

There is no grit left in us to stand up on our own two feet and take our dignity back. Instead, we have become dependents, less like adults and more like children needing to be cared for. This has created an immense vacuum that needs to be filled. Ironically, or should I say, “as planned,” the people who created the problem are the ones who will fill that void and assume more power than they previously had. A genius plan that only works because we have surrendered to luxury and convenience at the cost of dignity and independence. 

In the world of politics, it is often viewed that the liberal Democrats are “for the people ” while the conservative Republicans are for the rich. The reason for this is because the Democrats always have something to offer in the form of government entitlement programs such as welfare, food stamps, universal healthcare, etc. Republicans believe in smaller government and the idea that man should be allowed to flourish with the government having little say in this pursuit.  

When Republicans try to reach out to regular Democrat voters they are met with resistance and hostility. Why is this? Why would someone reject the ideals that made this country the super power it is? Why would someone want the government involved in every aspect of their lives? 

The truth is they don’t want any of those conservative values. They don’t want to venture outside of themselves, and instead want elected officials that will strong arm the competition in the form of more taxes in order to allow the dependent class to continue. Their message of less government and more freedom falls on deaf ears. 

In order to reverse this course, we are going to have to experience hard times. We’re going to have to know what it’s like to struggle and confront adversity head on. We are going to have to eradicate all the nonsense arguing that leads to nowhere.