So much of our current cultural and political morass has occurred because we, as a nation, have chosen to live for ourselves — best described by the current cultural mantra of “you do you.”
But when we focus on “you do you,” the result is a society filled with broken, rather than healthy, individuals — leading to a broken and unhealthy society as well.
So often trapped in a brokenness, the tendency is to lash out when we don’t receive the things we believe we “deserve” and blame others for the problems we have often caused ourselves.
Ultimately, what I am describing is a society that has forgotten God and sought to glorify self, that has abdicated responsibility while promoting irresponsibility, and places short-term gratification over long-term fulfillment.
We are at a crossroads. Will we be a society that honors God, celebrates life, encourages marriage, nurtures children and affirms the human dignity of all its citizens?
And much of this describes America in the year 2026.
We are at a crossroads. Will we be a society that honors God, celebrates life, encourages marriage, nurtures children and affirms the human dignity of all its citizens?
Or will we continue to go down the road of cultural and political despair as our problems continue to escalate because we have abandoned those values I just mentioned?
Personally, it grieves me when we, as a nation, have seemingly lost our way, particularly when it comes to these values — the foundations upon which our country was built but now abandoned as we chose to go our own way — often with disastrous results.
My new book, “What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family,” is a compilation, with the help of my dear friend Craig Osten, of a series of columns I have written on these matters over the past half-decade. It seeks to offer an antidote to this mantra and refocus Americans on the values that really matter in life — faith in God, abundant freedom, and loving, nurturing families.
But to return to these values means that instead of focusing on ourselves, we need to focus on others — to be a light to our friends, family and neighbors — while boldly and unapologetically speaking truth in love to a culture in need of both. That is the narrative that runs through the entirety of the book. We need to reject “you do you” and return to “e pluribus unum” (out of many, one).
It is essential that we offer hope, not just wail against the darkness.
These values are not lost. But they just need to be restored to their former place of prominence as the foundation of our society. It is my desire that this book will be a blueprint to encourage my fellow citizens to step back, reevaluate the road we currently travel, and return to the original road of faith, freedom and family — a road that will bring us back together rather than continue to tear us apart.
We will once again be a society that honors God, loves its neighbors and seeks to encourage each of its members to live up to their God-given potential, rather than one ruled by hopelessness, hedonism and despair.
But, if we are to get back going in the right direction, we will need a moral GPS — or for those of us who are older, an old, folded road map or a Thomas Guide to find our way. That means focusing on the values of faith, freedom and family, rather than the value of self.
By getting back on track, we will no longer be at a crossroads with no idea of where to turn. Instead, we will once again be a society that honors God, loves its neighbors and seeks to encourage each of its members to live up to their God-given potential, rather than one ruled by hopelessness, hedonism and despair.
The values of faith, freedom and family are what “really matters” for every one of us who call America our home — rather than the moral vapidity of “you do you.” By affirming our foundational truths, we can start rebuilding and restoring our nation, bring healing to our divided populace and once again shine a light, rather than pitch darkness, to the world.