Ep. 121 – The Real Civil War is Within You – with Cyprian

A lot of people are talking about Civil War lately. There is even a big budget movie coming out in April 2024 that depicts CW2.

In the movie trailer, a guy in camo points a rifle at the main characters, journalists, and says, “What kind of American are you?”

That clip from the movie trailer has become a meme online, especially on Twitter.

“What kind of American are you?” seems to be the theme of 2024.

Cyprian (aka Vin Armani) and I talk about the ramifications of this, from an Orthodox Christian perspective.

Listen on your fave Podcast app:

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The Invisible Enemy

The pendulum swings back in the opposite direction.

For totalitarianism to come into power you must have an Invisible Enemy.

In 2020, Trump called Covid the “Invisible Enemy”.

Who is the Invisible Enemy today?

For the Left, it is White Supremacy. It’s the white guy with a rifle asking, “What kind of American are you?”

For the Right, it’s Trans people or “illegals”.

What about the homeless and the poor – are they the Invisible Enemy?

Fear of the Invisible Enemy

The fear of the Invisible Enemy is fueled by social media, especially Twitter. You get more Likes and Views when you scare people with it.

This pattern of declaring someone (or specific people or groups) as an Invisible Enemy and then declaring (social or real) war against them usually happens right before a big upheaval, and usually leads to some form of totalitarianism. Examples in the 20th Century are many: Germany, Russia, China.

The Real Civil War is Within You. What will YOU do?

Positive solutions to face your own personal Civil War

Pray: Pray for humility and discernment.
Avoid the mind virus trap of thinking of groups of people as the Invisible Enemy. It never ends well.
Give.

We discuss: do you give to the homeless person if he will likely spend it on drugs?

homeless man — Homeless man – (looks like some of the Orthodox monks I have seen)

If you have an issue with this:

How about asking his name? You might be surprised that you see that person more than just once (especially true here in Lawrence, KS). Greeting him with his name would be acknowledging him as a human being.

How about having a meaningful conversation?

“The rich exist for the sake of the poor. The poor exist for the salvation of the rich.”
St. John Chrysostom.

Read the daily Lives of the Saints. Their strength in trials and persecution will be a guide and model for you as you face the same. Because it is coming. (Didn’t you learn anything from Covid?!)

You may think you are winning. You don’t think it will happen to you, but someone will likely be asking you, “What kind of American are you?” and you likely won’t fit their definition.

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Agroforestry
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