The political harvest season is well upon us, and the fruit coming off the vine has a less-than-desirable taste.
The French would say that the vineyard is producing a poor seasonal crop due to an unfavorable “terroir” (some insufficiency in climate or soil). But we unfortunately are still obligated to consume the offered fruit – either the continuing irresponsible mischiefs of Hillary Clinton or the worrisome daily impulsiveness of Donald Trump.
It also seems clear that this fallow political harvest is just one aspect of a much larger cultural transition, one that each year produces a larger array of private and public crimes and misdemeanors. Whether you live in a small or large town, the evidence is now clear from the daily onslaught of disturbing news.
Our older generation is certainly aware of the contemporary cultural decay, reaching now even to the highest three branches of government. Animosity through dis-unifying partisanship abounds, and too often in the halls of sexual amorality.
In biblical terms, our culture’s vineyard is failing to produce a strong and ethical leader, a “political Moses” willing to confront the people’s carousing around the “golden calf” of greed and sexual promiscuity, frequently even perversity. It is an unsettling thought that perhaps our contemporary “terroir” is now inherently unable to harvest a “vintage” national leader. We have perhaps dangerously evolved to “house wine” leadership, like so many other countries.
In aphoristic terms, this writer’s following words may unfortunately foretell the future cultural landscape if we don’t get a grip upon the erosion of national character built around the wisdom of our early forefather leaders:
“Animal-like licentiousness and tribal disorder will reign – once the evolved wisdom of human morality expires upon the pyre of un-cultured freedom.”
Richard Sinderson
Vallecito
