© 2024 Dr. Frederick David Graves, JD
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In the Midst of Darkness
Have you ever
noticed how light dispels darkness while darkness can never make light
disappear? One cannot throw a switch and “turn on” the dark. One can “turn off”
the light and allow darkness to fill the spaces left behind, but one cannot
command darkness to appear by any act other than removing light.
If darkness is
threatening our nation (as many today say it is), perhaps we need to spend less
time trying to “put it out” (as if darkness were merely the opposite of light)
and realize that the only way to dispel the darkness is to work together to lift
the lamp of truth higher.
If darkness is
threatening our nation, it is because someone removed the light!
All the
problems we are facing result from lack of light.
There are too
many today cursing the darkness and not enough lifting the lamp.
The age of
enlightenment was not an age where darkness was attacked but an age where the
light of reason was sought as a remedy for human misery. It was the thinking of
this age that gave birth to America. This was the age that opened the door for
women and men to be treated as equals in the sight of law. Indeed, this was the
age that gave birth to the very concept of securing liberty by self-rule. The
age of enlightenment saw value in using light to dispel the darkness of
despotism’s deceit. Men and women of courage went beyond merely talking about
how things ought to be and began to put positive ideas into effective action.
It was an age
of positive thinking and effective doing!
Today’s age is
characterized on the one hand by people oblivious to the threat of globalist
imperialism and centralist policies that are eroding our due process rights and
on the other hand by a host of individuals who seem so mesmerized by the
darkness that they can do nothing but point to the problems and complain. This
is not fixing what’s wrong. It is merely adding to the darkness by refusing to
share more light!
Only when truly patriotic individuals and organizations purpose together to do the hard work of
teaching the truth of our American heritage of law and reestablishing the
principles of justice by which alone liberty can be secured for future
generations are we going to see darkness begin to disappear. This author is not
the first to say, “One cannot bring light by cursing darkness.”
Perhaps the
reason so few are lifting the lamp today is that they don’t know where to find
it. They don’t know what it is. It’s easy to complain about what’s wrong, but it
requires effort to study the old books to discover the principles that make
liberty possible. Perhaps the reason we are threatened by a new age of darkness
is that too few know anything about the principles of justice. Too few have any
idea what the rule of law is or how it can be used to prevent global imperialism
and centralist policies that are eroding our due process rights. Indeed, only a
few have any idea what due process really is!
Many claim to
defend the Constitution when, in fact, they haven’t a clue how to interpret that
important document and know even less about the maxims of law upon which it was
built.
Why are we
abandoning the principles of our legal heritage? Are we wise to do so?
Is it because
good men and women don’t know what those principles really are?
If that’s the
case, then it is certainly time we lifted the lamp higher!