America was once

For a long time, I have been worried about America. Let me attempt to explain why.

On the afternoon of Saturday, August 23, my wife and I were driving back to Richmond, Virginia from Durham, North Carolina.

We were on I-85 still south of Petersburg when I heard a roaring sound. I was in the passing lane. I looked at my rearview mirror to find a man driving a motorcycle riding the center line between both lanes. Two things caught my attention: the speed of the motorcycle and the driver’s total disrespect for his life and the life of the drivers in the other vehicles and their passengers.

As we continued toward home, on Chippenham Parkway, we approached Forest Hill Avenue. There, three vehicles traveling at high speeds, recklessly wove in and out of the two lanes of traffic. Again, these drivers, showed no respect for their lives, nor the people in the vehicles they were passing.

Every Thursday morning, I take groceries from our congregation to the food pantry at Belmont United Methodist Church. Once off Chippenham Parkway, I take the Belmont Road exit. As this road merges with two other roads there is a traffic circle. Four yield signs are properly placed around the circle. Rarely, do drivers obey the yield signs. They opt to gun through the circle without regard to other drivers.

On the evening of Friday, September 12, my wife and I were driving to our local high school for a football game. While stopped in the left turn lane at the intersection of Forest and Three Chopt, two cars barreled through this intersection blatantly running the red light. If my wife who was driving had made her left turn quickly into the path of these two vehicles, the results would not have been pleasant.

In our neighborhood, stop signs at Stuart Hall and Rock Creek roads are frequently ignored by drivers.

Also in our neighborhood, the county has invested quite a bit to install crosswalks for pedestrians on quiet and busy streets. It is rare when drivers truly stop to allow pedestrians to cross safely.

I will confess, I’m an imperfect driver, but I do attempt to follow the rules of the road. So, Mr. Whiner, what does this have to do with your worries about America?

While seemingly minuscule, my concern is the disregard and disrespect for the rules of the road is part of the continuing erosion of America. My point is from an interstate to a neighborhood street this disregard and disrespect emboldens people to become more defiant.

We’ve seen this disregard and disrespect play out in other public settings too. From school board meetings to the Office of the President, our civility and decorum are absent.

In December 2002, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson, and Ricky Skaggs performed a concert at the RJR auditorium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. These gifted bluegrass musicians delighted the audience with their playing, singing, and storytelling.

During the performance, Earl Scruggs shared a story about learning to play the banjo. Mr. Scruggs had learned a part of a song, and he couldn’t wait to share this accomplishment with an older brother. When the time came to share it with his brother, the brother heard the run, and said, “Is that all you know?”

When it comes to my worries about America, that’s not all I know.

Writing in Bloomberg, journalist, Adam Minter, describes a new $62 million dollar high school football stadium in Buford, Georgia. “The stadium features 15 corporate suites, 10,000 seats, and a 3,600 square foot state-of-the art scoreboard.” As shocking as that maybe for you, here’s another jolt for you to consider: “Texas has 10 high school stadiums that cost $50 million or more.”

I wonder in Georgia and Texas how many school buildings are in disrepair?

Closer to home in Virginia, on the afternoon of Sunday, September 14, Virginia Tech fired its football coach, Brent Pry. The Hokies started their season with three consecutive losses.

We shouldn’t feel too bad for Coach Pry. Thanks to his agent/lawyer who negotiated his six year contract with Virginia Tech leaders, that agreement was worth $27.5 million dollars. It is reported that the buyout provision in Pry’s contract will require Virginia Tech to pay him $6 million over the next two years. In 2021, Virginia Tech paid former head football coach, Justin Fuente, a lump sum of $8.75 million when he was dismissed.

Somewhere in America today, a person was fired from a job. If they were fired for poor performance, I doubt there was a buyout provision. Why should a college football coach be awarded with a buyout provision for poor performance?

I wonder when college athletic directors and administrators are going to be held accountable for their poor hires and financial irresponsibility?

Doesn’t matter if it is reckless disregard for the rules of the road, an outlandish high school football stadium, or a ludicrous buyout provision for a college football coach, America from “sea to shining sea” is eroding.

Nothing signals that erosion more than our on-going loss of life from firearms. Doesn’t matter where the shooting death occurs— on a street corner, a school, house of worship, retail settings, public venues, or a university, we clearly don’t care because the bodies and broken hearts continue to pile up.

If we dared to truly care, we would work collectively and cooperatively to solve our sickness. How can we be the greatest country in world and be so negligent for so long in failing to address this issue?

In our current sickness and blindness could you, me, we, us even attempt to apply this scripture from Philippians 2:3-4 to our daily living:

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”

When are we going to wake up and call out our “selfish ambition”?

On our visit to Durham, we took a trip to Hillsborough. We walked around the downtown and the surrounding neighborhood to admire some stunning historic homes.

In one yard was what appeared to be a homemade sign.

On top of a golden background was the American flag. At the top of the sign were the words—Never Give Up!

On the four sides of the flag printed in the golden margins were the words we should never give up: Truth, Equality, Justice, and Compassion.

If we have any chance of living through our current chaos, our voices and every ounce of strength must never give up those words.

We can’t become an America that was once grounded in truth, equality, justice, and compassion.