Robin Hood’s philosophy of “taking from the rich and giving to the poor” is alive and well, fostered by a government hellbent on taking what folks have legitimately made or earned and redistributing it as they see fit. The problem is in this scenario the concept of rich has bled over into the diminishing middle class who bothered to invest in Social Security so that they might have adequate funds when they retired; those who purchased health insurance without government support only to now face losing that which they have; those who believed in entrepreneurship enough to purchase stocks or start to fund industries vital to society’s welfare; or those who put in the time in jobs which allowed them to set aside monies for a retired future.
Present new age philosophy says work only if you make what you think you are worth via a livable wage not what the market bears; don’t bother to save for education or houses for the government will bail you out making your debts go away; and indulge your fantasies of self-oriented pleasure or decadence because others should be willing to come to your rescue. We are fast moving away from a democratic republic based on individual responsibility with personal initiative and going warp speed in creating a time when everything is relative though not all that are relative are kin.
At the helm are the purveyors of immorality who are browbeating our swords into inaction on critical issues of the nation’s security while influencing minds away from the tenets of Biblical relationships of men and women (Genesis 2:24; Leviticus 18:22), the value of work lest you not eat (2 Thesalonians 3) or the need to invest wisely (Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19-14-28). We are allowing folks to glean in others’ fields as well as take away whatever is desired without adequate compensation.
Organizations such as the NAACP founded to advocate for the civil rights of people of color who were mainly black, have been contorted so as to lose touch with their aim, displacing this vital purpose to support gay rights, immigration rights and other sidebars. Such efforts are being undertaken without a discussion or consideration being given into how that undermines the very people of color and their families for which it was founded.
The concepts of sacrifice and delayed gratification are being usurped by the philosophy of “eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die” which sits at the center of materialism and conspicuous consumption by those with no vision of what our tomorrows may be if we would but invest in our todays.
We cannot continue as the Chinese parable notes to give a man a fish, for he eats only for today. We must teach men to fish and insist that they learn that art so that he may eat for tomorrow. Before all of this we must first show people and get them to appreciate the fishing pool which in our case is a great sea of opportunity in the USA for those who would but cast their lines.
Dr. Ada M. Fisher, a life member of the NAACP, is a former member of the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education and the current N.C. Republican Committeewoman.

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