I think this is an important topic, and I’ve been struggling with it. Who is my friend and who is my enemy, and why is it important to designate people as such? Should I? On the face of it, it’s about my safety and that of my family. If I can identify friend or foe, I can more easily identify threats and make plans to mitigate them. Maybe not easily, but at least I would know at some level what I’m dealing with. I realize that my experiences are far different than those living in the suburbs or in a city. (You should get out, if you can.) I have never been more grateful to be living on a farm, nestled back in the hills, in a lightly populated area of the country.
Recent events have caused me to consider the Friend or Foe question at a more granular level. Charlie Kirk’s death seemed to bring the rats out of the woodwork, and it was quite shocking. Who, in their right mind, mocks and celebrates the death of another human being? That’s the kind of thing foreign terrorists do, not Americans! I don’t understand the depth of callousness and lack of compassion. A reprobate mind…
In our little town, a movement is underway to bring teaching the Bible and prayer back into the public schools. Apparently, all that is required is a percentage of signatures to bring the matter before the local school board. The federal Board of Education is getting out of the business of federally legislating curriculum and is leaving it up to the States, who are, in some cases, leaving it up to the local school districts. I see this as a good thing. But, who boy, some people are irate! Most of the town is supportive, but a few people are absolutely unhinged about it and spewing unbelievable hatred, even in a mostly Christian small town.
People who disagree with me aren’t my enemies unless they declare themselves to be. Here is a brief example: I have neighbors (and in the country, a neighbor can be a few miles down the road) who came to my farm to pick up a few things. We have a lot in common when it comes to dairy cows and my neighbors have been very supportive, and have always offered a helping hand. But, one day, and it happened to be Easter Sunday afternoon, they called and asked if they could come pick up milk and eggs. Normally, I would not be “conducting business” on the Lord’s Day. But, because we had a good relationship and lived near each other, I welcomed them. When they arrived, I gave a traditional, Christian, greeting. I said, “He is Risen!” And what I thought I would hear in return was, “Christ is risen, indeed!”. But, that’s not what I heard. Instead, the man looked at the ground and said nothing, and the woman mustered, “Happy Easter.” No problem, I realized clearly, they are not Believers. Then he brought up something about “those maggots” as I was getting them some fresh milk and eggs, and of course, I thought he was referring to actual maggots, which one might find on a farm. No, he was referring to those MAGAts – people who voted for Trump – and he said it quite angrily, out of the blue. I cannot recall what his topic of annoyance was, but my immediate response was, “Oh, I don’t watch the news!”, effectively shutting down the direction he was going. They went on their way with their bounty of goodness, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Though it caused me pause.
My neighbors are a sweet, older, couple. They have a particular set of beliefs, obviously not Christian, and obviously more liberal than my own. But they live a clean, quiet, productive life, and have a good reputation in the community. Their families have been in this community for generations. I am the newcomer. Other than avoiding political discussions, I do not consider them a threat. Would I keep them in my inner circle of friends? No. Do I want to keep good relations with them? Yes.
Neighbors need one another, and unless a neighbor is a downright degenerate, it’s best to keep good fences, and good relations. They would have no idea as to my political or religious leanings, as I do not make outward signs of such and do not publicly discuss either. I have purpose in keeping my thoughts to myself. I’m not a coward, but I choose to employ “gray man” techniques so as to not attract unwanted attention.
Another example, but maybe it doesn’t count because it is a virtual one, and that, in and of itself, may be a clue. On the day that the Charlie Kirk memorial was televised, I had decided to put everything aside and watch the entire thing. It began with praise and worship music. It was beautiful and went on for a couple of hours. There were tens of thousands of people in attendance at the memorial service in Arizona, and hundreds of thousands in attendance virtually, from all over the world. When our political “Leaders” entered the stadium, the entire place was filled with people praising and worshipping our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I wondered how the politicians felt entering during such a sacred moment. It was probably terrifying to some, thrilling to others, and annoying to yet others. In any case, I know that many of my friends were also watching online. Occasionally I would check in to see what their responses were. I noticed some perfectly lovely “Christians” tearing apart the service because one speaker or another were not expressing Christian theology like they would want, or maybe a speaker was not Christian enough. One person in particular was judging each speaker as either right or wrong, which started some controversy, and I clicked off. It was really disheartening to see. We need to stick together and this was not that.
The particular person who annoyed me, I rarely have contact with, but what was concerning was the quick move to judge, harshly. Which got me to thinking that a). Social media is the devil, b). People rarely say in person what they spew online, c). Should I have further contact with this person? Well, I decided, I won’t pursue relationship with that person. I won’t fling my opinion back at them, which serves no good purpose. I will just let it be. I do not consider this person to be my Enemy, but I don’t consider them to be a Friend either. I consider them to be Neutral – as in, if there is no valid reason for us to cooperate, then I needn’t worry. Should there come a time where cooperation is needed, and because that person professes Christ and lives Christian values as best they can, then I will cooperate, with my eyes wide open. Many people who engage in gossip, or who are very judgmental, are merely immature, not dangerous.
And another example: Here in my state, it is legal to form a “herd share”, allowing people to buy in to the maintenance and care of your dairy cows in exchange for raw milk. All that is required is a formal contract/agreement that your “customer” and you sign. Recently, a Department of Agriculture inspector showed up, announced, and walked around a small family farm while the owners were at work. The family sells products off the farm including dairy and dairy products. They have invested quite a lot of money in equipment, and have excellent processes and procedures, along with a herd share agreement for their customers. There was no known reason for the inspector to just show up, and the family are well within legal boundaries.
The complaint by the inspector is that the family sells “raw butter”, which is supposedly not covered by the law. The inspector is in error, and fortunately the owner of the farm is an attorney. However, the only connection anyone can see with the unannounced visit is that the family had organized a prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk. There have been no complaints about their products and no illnesses. Obviously, someone with hatred in their hearts decided to turn an inspector on them. That is my view. Many have decided to close gates, make sure No Trespassing signs are boldly placed, but I believe it may be time to review the customer list. I personally have only had a couple of people that I uninvited to my property due to their odd behavior.
Maybe these are very small, innocuous examples, but the times seem more dangerous to me than in the past. When I must travel outside the safe haven of the farm, I am packing, remain alert, take only certain routes, and employ situational awareness. I avoid crowds and minimize potentially dangerous areas, and even conversations. That’s not what Jesus would do. But, I am not the Son of God, nor an Apostle, just an older woman who has learned to be cautious.
I have never in my life seen American leaders calling for violence like I’ve seen in the past decade. Prior to that, there was a lot of talk and political jostling, which included illegal means of getting certain people elected in certain areas in order to ensure a particular political outcome. “Vote early and vote often”, is a joke that goes way back. But voting, or talking about it, is completely different than throwing bricks, Molotov cocktails, defacing private and public property, blocking traffic, harboring criminals, taking a baseball bat to someone’s home or vehicle, terrorizing families by surrounding their homes, beating people up, pressuring employers to fire people by creating lies and enough pressure to make it happen, specifically attacking law enforcement, and here’s the kicker: specifically, physically, attacking someone who you don’t agree with. That’s just insanity. So is calling for violence, as some of our “leaders” have done, and continue to do.
When we went through the doxxing and de-banking and censorship, I didn’t think it could get any worse. But it has. Violence against people based on ideology has risen to all new levels.
The net affect on me was to sink further into my nondescript hideaway in order to avoid it all. I have stayed far away from social gatherings, and “tended my own taters”. I have avoided political discussions with everyone except my close family members and very close friends. I am not brave because I could never win a physical fight. Why would I want to be a target? Not everyone has the luxury of retreating onto a mostly self-sufficient farm, but I do.
My point is that I don’t remember a time in America where we were forced to identify Friends and Enemies. That happened most pronouncedly during the War of Northern Aggression, a.k.a. the Civil War. The only positive thing I can think of is that one side is refusing to take the bait and take “an eye for an eye”. Just because you shot one (or two or three or four…) of ours, doesn’t mean we are going to pick up arms and do the same. We shoot in self-defense. That’s the rule. That’s probably the only thing holding this country together right now – the refusal to participate in the bloodshed. But, you know who is dying besides the victims? Law Enforcement. The thin blue line that separates us from the most desperate of criminals, mentally unfit, and ideologically insane. There is a federal push to send in National Guard and the Military to assist local law enforcement, and I consider that a good thing. “Martial Law” has not been declared.
Designating certain groups as “domestic terrorists” may be helpful. But, remember when the tables were turned and “White, Christian, Nationalists” were deemed the terrorists? I watch all this with trepidation. I do think “something has to be done”, i.e., enforce the laws on the books. But it’s a shame that in some cities, the leadership wants the chaos to continue and justifies it as the “oppressed” lashing out. Since when do we formally sanction violence? I just shake my head.
I am not sure where we go from here. It’s hard to tell what percentage of the country thinks violence based on ideology is okay. The people that I know do not believe that it is justified. But, I do know that they are armed and watchful. I do know that it takes a small percentage of people to kick off a civil war. I am praying that cooler heads prevail. As the progressive violence escalates, Christian revival is also escalating. I am hopeful, even if a bit apprehensive, that Good will win over Evil.
Unfortunately, the big picture is grim, as our “Leaders” are playing Russian roulette (pun intended) with our safety and security on a global scale. I have to leave that to God and pray. Practically speaking, the layers of security are already in place: fencing, gates, signage, cameras, dogs, and as a last resort, firearms at the ready. The larders are stocked, the Fall garden planted, hay in the barns, healthy animals, and good shelter. Spiritually speaking, if I can pray rather than worry, that would be good. Meanwhile, I am making mental notes of who is allowed on the farm, who I should be concerned about, who appears trustworthy, and who I should associate with. It seems that the times we are in require that I do so. To ignore it would be folly.
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