We call it the loss of innocence. That point which occurs in each of our lives, usually early on, when we are shocked out of our beliefs, and our dreams evaporate or are crushed by some terrible reality. It doesn't happen on a schedule, it's different for each of us. But it happens as sure as the sun sets.
We spend the rest of our lives trying to recover.
Some of us refuse to confront our loss of innocence and go on with our lives, pretending we still believe in things. Like the goodness of people, love, faith in our God and community... whatever. These are the "happy" people who seem not to have as much anger in their hearts as the rest of us. There's much to admire in these people. It's as good a substitute as any for dreams lost in the sunset of their innocence.
Some of us drown ourselves in mind-numbing pursuits. Sports, music, travel, computers, whatever. Busy minds and hands keep the demons of a vacant heart at bay.
Some of us feel if we drive ourselves hard enough in career and earning, somehow wealth will buy new dreams to replace dreams lost. But once lost, innocense and wonderous dreams can't be replaced.
Some of us spend years alone, faking it, then suddenly meet another lost soul and think we've discovered true love. There is something unseemly about those who feel they must tell the world how deeply in love they are, as if they are the first. As if anyone who has lost his innocence believes - or cares. There is no love or passion as genuine and sweet as the love of the innocent.
Others with weak and torn souls drown their dispirit in spirits, drugs, gambling and other forms of self abuse. They have gone from innocent childhood directly to Perdition's gate.
A lucky few manage to regain some part of their wonder through spirituality. Not the kind of spirituality where adherants display their beliefs on their sleeves for everyone else to see. This is not spirituality of the heart. It makes one cringe to hear someone foam about finding Jesus, or any other religious icon. This spirit resides in one's heart. It is not to be displayed. When it is, you can be sure it's only for show.
There-in lies the reason for our decline. We live in a culture so cruel that it mocks innocence. Do you understand that? What a detestable thing. To mock innocence. Like kids who laugh at the child who doesn't want to take a hit of the weed everyone else is smoking. Those who titter at the girl who tries to stay pure. Those who mock someone because he doesn't want to take things that are not his. And a million other things we all experience as we grow up and step-by-step lose our innocence to those with tarnished souls. This is called "sophistication" in today's world. Sophistication mocks anything simple and pure. Sophistication detests anything naive.
This disheartening corruption of the spirit, "sophistication," was birthed in Europe and spread to America even at its founding. How else could a nation embrace slavery? We have become as sophisticated as Europe, not so much in our social ways, but in our attitude toward what is right and what is wrong. Instead of black and white, we see things in a thousand shades of grey. But black and white is what God demands of us. And with the loss of black and white goes the loss of innocense. With the loss of innocense goes the loss of righteousness. With the loss of righteousness goes the loss of God. With the loss of God goes the loss of country. For God led us to this land as sure as he led Abraham and Moses to their Promised Land. But Abraham never reached it. And, even after leading God's people to the very place, Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land because he had displeased God. Now it appears God has abandoned us in this land because we abandoned Him. God is the only Absolute. The only black-and-white. It doesn't matter Who or What God is. Giving up on God is the most painful loss of innocence a people can experience. It makes us empty. A people with empty hearts holds no belief strong enough to make it righteous, or strong enough to defend its land against an enemy which still believes.
