Has The World Finally Gone Mad?

Posted byFractured Faith BlogPosted inA Fractured FaithTags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Well, that certainly seems to be the case. It’s reached the point where I’m almost afraid to check the news headlines. Coronavirus cases continue to rise in Northern Ireland with record numbers of hospital admissions and deaths. Over 1400 have now died since March and there have been over 78,000 positive cases. Hospital occupancy rates are running at 103% and people are now being told not to attend unless it’s an emergency.

Northern Ireland is currently two weeks into a six week lockdown. Yesterday it was announced that exams were being cancelled and schools would remain closed until at least mid-February. Only essential stores are open, working from home is strongly encouraged if at all possible and the overriding message is very clear – to stay at home. Add Brexit to the mix and it’s a baffling, frightening time for all of us. And then there’s America…

It was like something from a movie last night as we watched protestors storming the steps of Capitol Hill and forcing their way into Congress. I’m no expert on the American constitution or politics but it seemed wrong. Very wrong. As wrong as the violence following the Black Lives Matter protests. All encouraged by a man who now hid a short distance away in the White House. A man who seems to be on the verge of destroying the nation he claims to love and serve.

Who knows what the hours, days and weeks ahead hold for us all. These are frightening, baffling times. Social media is awash with conspiracy theorists, COVID deniers and anti-vaccers. At times I despair of humanity and the lack of compassion I see everywhere. There is so much hate, a lack of willingness to listen and accommodate the views of others. A nasty strain of illiberal liberalism is rife on social media.

What happened to robust but courteous debate. Extremists are taking control on either side of the political and social spectrum. If you don’t agree with their screaming and shrieking then you are the enemy and should be cancelled with immediate effect. Many of us are afraid of expressing a point of view for fear of being shouted down. Intimidation and harassment are everywhere and there seems no end to it. Has the world finally gone mad?

Published by Fractured Faith Blog

We are Stephen and Fionnuala and this is our story. We live in Northern Ireland, have been married for 17 years and have three kids - Adam, Hannah and Rebecca. We hope that our story will inspire and encourage others. We have walked a rocky road yet here we are today, together and stronger than ever. We are far from perfect and our faith has been battered and bruised. But an untested faith is a pointless faith. Just as a fractured faith is better than none at all. We hope you enjoy the blog.

65 thoughts on “Has The World Finally Gone Mad?”

  3. I do not recognize my country – well maybe I did as the ideals and the brilliance of our Constitution stood strong in the face of the man whom I cannot call my president any longer. He has abdicated his seat of authority and leadership (not that he ever exercised any semblance of the latter). I once long ago proudly called myself a Republican. Now I look at the Grand ol’ Party in disdain if not outright horror at the Trumpian values “they” profess! Thank God the moderate few found their voice last night.
    I do have hope for our country. Our Constitution is pure brilliance in a tried and tested form. It foretold our human failings and was ready to be put to the test! God Bless America.
    Violence never wins. Ignorance never wins. If people cannot be won over to your ideals without violence, your ideals aren’t worth fighting for. That was evident yesterday and will be Trump’s legacy but not America’s.
    What scares me the most is the disparate realities that American’s espouse. There is no appetite for unity or unification only “might and I am right.”
    Thank goodness I align myself with my one true leader and Savior – whose light shines in the darkness now and forever.

    Stay well and stay sane, Stephen!

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    1. Dear Stephen and Erika,

      I agree with both of you. Also, the crux of this post seems to be in the last two paragraphs:

      Who knows what the hours, days and weeks ahead hold for us all. These are frightening, baffling times. Social media is awash with conspiracy theorists, COVID deniers and anti-vaccers. At times I despair of humanity and the lack of compassion I see everywhere. There is so much hate, a lack of willingness to listen and accommodate the views of others. A nasty strain of illiberal liberalism is rife on social media.

      What happened to robust but courteous debate. Extremists are taking control on either side of the political and social spectrum. If you don’t agree with their screaming and shrieking then you are the enemy and should be cancelled with immediate effect. Many of us are afraid of expressing a point of view for fear of being shouted down. Intimidation and harassment are everywhere and there seems no end to it. Has the world finally gone mad?

      Regarding the POTUS’ Twitter and Facebook accounts, some would even argue that they should have been suspended or terminated a long time ago for continually unleashing falsehood, misinformation and mass distrust. Fortunately, he has not (yet) been given free access to software or button(s) with which to launch weapon(s) of mass destruction.

      In any case, those who are fair-minded and discerning are not easily swayed by his constant thrashing around and beating in the bush. Speaking of whether “the president really is a very stable genius”, SoundEagle’s adage is that Trump is a fool’s idea of a genius. In addition, the POTUS has long slid from being a “Law and Order” President to a “Flaw and Border” President.

      Speaking of critical thinking and many other complex behavioural, sociocultural and political issues, I have recently published a detailed post entitled “Misquotation Pandemic and Disinformation Polemic: Mind Pollution by Viral Falsity” at https://soundeagle.wordpress.com/2020/12/19/misquotation-pandemic-and-disinformation-polemic-mind-pollution-by-viral-falsity/

      I would be delighted if you could kindly submit your comment to my said article, as I am very keen and curious to know what you think or make of it regarding the increasingly pressing issues that many of us are facing.

      By the way, I would like to wish you a very happy New Year. May you find 2021 very much to your liking and highly conducive to your writing, reading, thinking and blogging!

      Liked by 1 person

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    2. Hello and thank you for your insight. I do recognize my country, and what happened on Capitol Hill last Wednesday has been in the making for decades. What many “leaders” in the U.S. don’t realize is that there is a group of people who the American trajectory has left behind. With the installment of Joseph Biden as president and Democrats controlling the House and the Senate, this will leave over 75 million people who voted for Donald Trump and Republicans without a legislative voice. To add fuel to the fire, the radical left of the Democratic Party has been forcing their will on the American people for decades. To even speak of love for one’s country is considered politically incorrect. The events on Capitol Hill are only the tip of the iceberg of what millions of Americans feel.
      When people feel they have no voice, that no one is listening to them, that their way of life is being permanently threatened, violence will ensue. I’m afraid there is no compromising of one’s deeply held beliefs, if you want to stay true to your faith and who you are as a person. Appeasing evil never stops the tumor of evil. America has come to a crossroad and depending on God’s judgement or mercy will determine if we survive as a nation. As former President Abraham Lincoln said, ” A house divided can not stand.” He also said the nation at the time could exist half slave and half free. What the Democratic Party is demanding that conservative people do is abandon their conscience or break the law. Unfortunately this type of situation never ends well.

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      2. Hi Joan. Thank you for your comments. Democracy should allow everyone with a valid opinion to express it in a courteous fashion. Moderate voices are being drowned out by extremists on both sides. I truly hope you are better times ahead for your country.

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      3. I appreciate your comment, Joan. Believe me, the direction we are going in as a country does not sit well with me either, I am having this very conversation with my brother – who like you sees the far too much appeasement of the radical left at the expense of our civil liberties. I agree with much of what you and my brother state – I cannot however, condone the attack we saw on Wednesday. There can be no equivocation or whataboutisms on what happened at the capitol.
        The problem, is we have two very different truths fed by lies, political aspirations, and win at all cost attitudes on both sides. I don’t know how we get beyond this chasm as a nation.
        I do know the only God present at that Washington insurrection was Jesus – weeping. May He have mercy on all of us.

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  5. I can’t lie and say I was surprised by yesterday’s acts of homegrown terrorism. The feeding of the “disenfranchised” with hysteria and lies should have been shut down long ago. As I watched these people break the law, with no accountability for their actions, I cried. Cried for a country that has lost it’s way. Cried for the lack of forethought and action that allowed the storming of the Capitol building to happen. Cried for the lives lost.

    When I was young – maybe 7? – we took a tour of the Capitol building as part of a Girl Scout event. I still – 40 some years later – recall with awe the feeling that this was where Democravy lived and was represented by the people. My heart aches – because what we saw yesterday was that those people didn’t see that. They felt it was their right to terrorize, deface and destroy those halls.

    I’m struggling to maintain that “look for the silver lining” attitude.

    Liked by 3 people

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  6. Stephen, No, the world has just gone mad, it has been for a long, long time. The difference now is that we have immediate access to the insanity. Yesterday’s version was as appalling as I can ever remember.
    I pray that the Black’s stay safe during these days.
    Chuck

    Liked by 2 people

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  8. I think the biggest issue today is social media. I was glad to see that Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have suspended Trump’s accounts (should have been done long ago). At least that gives me hopes that Trump will no longer have a platform to incite violence. I love this quote, I think it speaks to the situation in all places in the world where despots reign: ” “Remember that all through history,

    there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always.”

    ― Mahatma Gandhi

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  9. Great questions Stephen. As usual, great reading your blog. No, I don’t think the world has gone mad . . . maybe we’ve just temporarily lost our mind. Yes, the images were some that I never expected to see on my television screen, at least not from the U.S. Saying all that, I hope you were able to see that the Senate and House met later in the evening to finish its Constitutionally required business. I took some solace from those images, especially the idea that even in all the chaos, collegial discourse can still happen.

    You asked the question, where’s the courteous debate gone? My hope is that it will come back. I still believe that the U.S., Ireland, the globe for that matter are all more similar than we think. What gives me hope. I see it in the little things. We live thousand of miles away from each other, but I see in your blog that you have many of the same hopes, dreams, challenges that I face in my little town. We’re more similar than different. In any event, great blog!

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  10. Indeed, in the states we have been watching BLM and Antifa burning cities this summer now we have the right storming congress. Both sides have lost their minds. It would be great if getting rid of Trump would be a cure all but he’s the face of a long simmering problem that was brought about through expedited globalism. In a few months he will be gone then what? Hunt down the 70 million that voted for him? We’ve seen this play out before it never ends well. It might be prudent to actually invite these people to the table and hear them out. Biden is suited to do this, lets see if he does. Cant speak about the UK dont know the dynamics there. Cheers

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  13. It’s not right versus left. It’s insanity versus reason. Some don’t have reason. But most Americans have reason and will prevail.

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  16. I am currently in search of a tropical island somewhere far, far away from any internet connection. I think it’s the 24/7 media circus that has masqueraded itself as facts. Too many clowns running the circus. We honestly have lost the reasoning skills necessary to discern and to think for ourselves. Visit my blog if you’d like to see my opinion of this mess. I’d appreciate your thoughts if you’d like to leave a comment there. I truly do not know what to expect next. . . .tropical island far, far away from the internet, yep, that’s what I’d like to find. God bless us all.

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  17. It surely does seem like the world has gone completely and totally off the rails. It will call for those of us who wish it to be different to be brave and faithful in identifying our most important values and living them out in visible ways. It will be hard when that is not reflected back to us, but we have to choose our actions, not give in to reactions. Hooliganism is NOT our highest value. Yesterday was a shameful day in American history that has been the culmination of a whole river of shameful moments that we have endured for the duration of the Trump presidency. On the plus side, we have seen more activism and political engagement in the past four years by people who have identified the political right’s narrow viewpoints and how they go against the best values that America stands for. I believe this will solidify that activism and we must use the powerful force of love and non-violence, even in the face of violence. It is a call for those of us who want a better world to be the better world we desire.

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  18. It certainly is a very frightening situation, wherever you look. But I have to go back to the words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who reminded us, “Hate will never overcome hate. Only love can do that. Darkness will never overcome darkness. Only light can do that.” Easy enough to say, but ever-so-hard to live. Thank you for continuing to keep us focused on the important things, Steven.

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  19. It’s a moral breakdown right and wrong has long been gone, everybody has an agenda at all cost, it’s the reasonable rationale that has been lost, me first, me too while power and greed become the glue, So now we charge the fort, some say it was the last resort, I understand a young lady had died but hate burned too hot to feel anything else inside. Now the finger-pointing begins, it’s the agenda even if it kills us in the end.

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  21. Thank you for your post. My parents were immigrants in the 1960s and my father told me (he’s 81 now) that he doesn’t recognize our country any longer. What has happened? I live and work as a missionary in Burundi, Africa and lived through the civil war of the 1990s here (Remember hotel Rwanda? Yes, this is the region.) and I have seen what civil war can do. It’s inevitable that the innocent get hurt. Violence is not the way. I hope reason prevails and people wake up and understand how important it is to come together. The vitriol I see online is stunning.

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  23. Our country is dangerously divided. The times ahead are ominous. We conservatives have let this madness gain traction. There are people and countries that are trying to control the entire world. They have a vision of a World Order which is a frightening concept considering complete loss of liberty except for the greedy who want to rule. They have taken over media and big tech and only their message will be tolerated. I have been censored many times in this passed year. I no longer use mainstream social media. The first amendment is only allowed for one side in this country anymore. Corruption abounds on both sides in our government. They are owned by the countries and corporations I speak of. Anyone of good intentions to clean it up will be squashed. This is truth. The lies that cover it will become clear soon. If a person doesn’t have faith that God is in control they will become weary and faint. But those who know the Lord will recognize it is times like these that save souls.

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    1. Hi Phyllis. I’m sorry to hear that your opinions have been censored. Now is the time for healthy, constructive debate where everyone with a valid opinion is able to speak without fear of abuse or censure. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

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  25. In the US, we are obviously terribly upset by this. So many outrageous actions by hooligans and apparent inaction by law enforcement. Our country is a mess. Our international friends must think we are all nuts, and our enemies must think, “Oh yay.” Personally, I don’t know where these people come from. I would like to reassure you that I don’t see any of that where I am. Granted, I don’t go out much, but when I go to the store, people are cordial, wearing their masks and obeying, for the most part, all the rules. Everyone I know is completely outraged. God help us.

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  27. Don’t believe all the hype, inspite of Trump’s arrogance, he was a good President railroaded by an out of control media and a successful coup by the socialist democrats.

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