Hidden Complexity and Importance?
Who is this Devil, of whom we so glibly speak?
I’ve been searching to understand why people feel so free, so entitled to do whatever comes to mind, and act so insolently. I have some thoughts and ideas… subjective opinions from my observations! I do not speak for anyone but myself. It’s my opinion, and it makes sense to me, just like all of the hundreds of columns and articles I’ve written. Oh, by the way, I’ve changed my mind and opinion on a few, and freely admit that I’ve been wrong on a couple.
AI defines religion as a complex system of beliefs and practices related to the supernatural, sacred, or spiritual, and the belief in a higher power or powers, an organized system of doctrines and symbols, and the communal and individual practices that stem from those beliefs, such as worship, rituals, and a moral framework. Religion is a matter of choice.
Maybe it’s a matter of taste and opinion, or possibly a bad choice.
But then… a peanut butter and Bermuda Onion sandwich is a matter of taste, too…
I grew up as a Catholic, and as Karl Marx said, religion is the “opiate of the masses,” and given that between 40% and 47% of this country espouse to be Socialists, and our government leans in Karl’s direction, I am concerned about the direction of this republic. I have nothing against Catholics nor any other faith; it’s the religion of politics that rankles me the most. As a point of reference, I see politics as a religion; they share many of the same constituent parts. Look at AI’s definition of religion, replace God, ‘supernatural, sacred, spiritual, and the belief in a higher power or powers’ with the Partisan Political Party! Doesn’t this define America’s approach to modern partisan politics as a religion?
This religious fundamental transition being played out in NYC, Minneapolis, and along America’s coasts exposes America’s abandonment of basic morals and ethical values and a drift toward extremist philosophies like Marxism, pointing directly to the indoctrination of our children, the very ones making these moronic decisions today. Politics is now a religion…
Marxism in any of its forms or permutations has never worked… anywhere, unless it’s forced on the people. I ask anyone reading or listening to this piece to search through history and find an example to prove my assertion wrong.
We frequently forget that governments don’t make anything… Read that again and consider what that means. So, to clarify, it means that for any government to give you something, it must first take it from someone else… Think about that… That’s the detail in the devil we call government.
America’s slide toward Communism didn’t happen overnight. It’s been creeping in since before the turn of the twentieth century, and in the 1950s, Senator Joe McCarthy cautioned about Communist infiltration in the government. Americans laughed at the time. This is the fallacy detail, with re-educated and indoctrinated children being taught to trust the elites in academia as infallible and irrefutable.
Those who remember are not laughing now… We’re incredulous…
Have we elevated education to the status of a religion as well?
Americans seem obsessed and prone to extremes in every facet of life. Take our obsession with politics as an example. The two absolutes are that someone is lying and that they are not working in your best interests, regardless of their protestations to the contrary. We’ve strayed a long way from our original founding and creation of the US Constitution. Remember the parts about the separation of church and state and about not establishing religion?
The main factions competing in America are faith in God, a higher power, and the Government.
Tell me I’m wrong…
They both begin with a “G”, coincidence?
Citizens in a few cities elected leaders whose sole purpose is to destroy capitalism in favor of Communism. The sad thing is that the minority will be responsible for fixing the problems these Marxist zealots create… just like parents all over America and the World do for their foolish, spoiled children.
So that we’re all singing from the same hymnal…
– Marxism is the theory,
– Socialism is the transitional phase,
– Communism is the final, stateless, and classless society.
Do you know what? I already have plenty of shit to deal with, I don’t need any more! Believe me… this will get extremely expensive… not only financially, but also culturally and socially. That’s another detail we neglect to envision when we act without really thinking. But isn’t that the American way, to react emotionally instead of rationally?
Just for shits and giggles, acting is a deliberate, intentional choice to take action, while reacting is a more impulsive, emotional response to an external event or another person’s actions.
Oh, those pesky details…
Here’s a fallacy in America, another detail. We’re given so much that we now believe we’re entitled to it and, by extension, everything else in this world, effortlessly. We expect it. We see phrases like ‘freedom of speech,’ thinking we can say whatever comes to mind without considering the impact of our words, or ‘freedom of the press,’ meaning we can print whatever suits our purposes, regardless of the consequences. And to make it worse, the mainstream media shows proof that actions have little or no consequences with their choices of what to broadcast.
And then there’s what I term ‘The Not-so Social Media’, where there are no rules of decorum, and promising partisan political hopefuls fantasize about the death of a candidate’s children as the contender watches. WTFO???
Congressman Adam Kinzinger admits that everyone lies to Congress, and if they decide to prosecute them, it will consume all of the available time Congress has – it would literally be all they would do. “People lie to us all the time, even under oath. It’s no big deal…” Kinzinger said.
What does this say to the multitude of average Americans?
It tells its constituents that it’s OK to lie because the example set by Congress, the opposite of progress, is that lying is acceptable and will never be punished.
Oh, those pesky details…
The rest of the US Government sends similar messages with its failure to prosecute legal infractions, even felonies. And, in their inimitable and questionable wisdom, they set time limitations; statutes of limitations on these infractions, reinforcing the notion that time heals all wounds, even felonies.
That’s compounded by the example set by the past administration, by allowing 20 million illegals to invade this country and by providing support to these criminals while citizens struggle to make ends meet. I want to remind everyone that entering America without permission is a federal misdemeanor for the first offense, and a felony for subsequent offenses; punishable under federal law (8 U.S.C. §1325)
Now, Congress, the opposite of progress, has shut down the government in an effort to continue support for these invaders.
Here are some stats from Newsmax:
Food Stamp benefits to immigrants:
– 42 million people in the US need SNAP weekly. SNAP is the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program – you know it as Food Stamps.
Immigrants from these countries receiving SNAP:
- Afghanistan 45.6%
- Somalia 42.4%
- Iraqistan 34.8%
- Haitian 24.3%
Overall, 59% of illegal immigrants receive food stamps.
Federal spending on food stamps has doubled over the past 5 years, during the Biden regime. We spent $100.3 billion in 2024, and estimate $110 billion for 2025
There is a 6% error rate in payments made…
In addition, legal Immigrants:
- 4% use a housing program
- 17% use SNAP
- 8% are enrolled in cash programs
- 9% use Medicaid
These programs were intended to assist U.S. citizens only, not for Biden’s Illegal Alien Army.
Congress, the opposite of progress, wants an additional $1.5 trillion to continue their support for this and other programs that support their Loony Left Wing policies and that do nothing for citizens but support and reward illegal and anti-American activities, and undo many of the items already passed in the Big Beautiful Bill H.R.1, 119th Congress. It was already passed by the House of Misrepresentatives, and is now stalled in the US Senate.
It’s not a big deal, though, we are so desensitized that we expect our government to lie, because no one dares to challenge them for fear of repercussion… Isn’t this tyranny?
And now… the republic endures the petty bickering and verbal vitriol of name-calling and insidious innuendos as each side assails the other to gain partisan political power and predominance.
Oh, those pesky details…
I’m sure that you’ve heard the phrase – sell your soul to the devil. It means that you’re willing to do anything, no matter how wrong, to achieve your objective. The devil in this case is the idea that following someone’s example absolves you of culpability and responsibility, even when the idea is reprehensible.
Now we believe that doing anything wrong is OK, since there are no consequences and everyone does it!
I remember conversations with my dad that usually ended with:
“If everyone jumped off the bridge, would you do it?”
Putting things in that context was a powerful deterrent, especially for a kid… Yet here we are in 2025, facing similar choices, and I still hear Dad’s words ringing in my ears.
Oh, those pesky details…
Col. Walter Hitchcock said, “freedom is not free…,” reminding us that what we enjoy is possible due to the sacrifices of others, especially those in the armed forces. So, the freedoms as expounded in the US Constitution are based on the work and sacrifices of others. Taking them for granted discounts their efforts and achievements, not to mention making a mockery of their true intent. In more colloquial terms… we’re pissing all over their sacrifices and contributions!
Col. Hitchcock also reminds us that every decision is a transaction. When you decide to do something, there is always a cost. It’s easy to understand this when you think of purchasing something at the market. You pay for your purchase with money, but when you decide to lie, cheat, or steal, there are intangible costs. The first few times, there’s guilt for doing something you know to be wrong. But we learn to ignore the guilt, becoming callous to it until it’s no problem at all. I’ll use my favorite rationalization here: “The ends justify the means…” We believe we have a valid reason… we’re entitled because everyone else does it. And eventually, the needle on your moral compass is frozen or spinning wildly.
Oh, those pesky details…
Look at what we’ve done with the US Constitution and this amazing experiment called America. We’ve found some highly creative ways to Muck Up this country and the remarkable document intended to be a GUIDELINE for the republic, turning it into a labyrinth of legal challenges and indecipherable competing amendments. So… we need the Supreme Court to interpret it further… more lawyers doing lawyer stuff for lawyers…
OK, I concede that it does provide a living for lawyers and judges who could be dealing with real litigation instead of creating a profession that only they understand.
How typically America!
We take a great idea and fix it until it breaks!
Hopefully, we continue to learn as we age, grow, and refine the traits and the lessons they teach.
That’s the inestimable value of grand-parenting, passing along collective experiences and wisdom. Ancient civilizations chronicled this acumen in the form of stories – parables for future generations. We have a collection of them that we call the Bible. Other faiths have their collections as well. Interestingly, they all share common values in their parables.
Early mankind understood these forces of good and evil as a dichotomy and invented names to define and reference them.
God was Good, and the Devil was Bad.
Everything good came from God, and everything bad that happened was the Devil’s fault. The ancients invented other gods who controlled various aspects of life. The Christian faith stuck with just one.
I know this is a significant simplification, but I don’t want to spend time justifying this theory. I only wanted to set the stage and let you decide.
God and Devil are descriptive names given to the nebulous powers in our world that defy our understanding and adequate description. It took thousands of years to understand light and dark; we named them so we could discuss them. We may never completely understand good or evil, God or the Devil, but using these names makes it easier to examine them. Throughout the thousands of years of our social and cultural evolution, we’ve cultivated the ability to attribute our decisions and their results to one of these identities to avoid taking responsibility.
Somewhere in the misty depths of time, someone blamed a bad decision on the Devil. We may never know the details, but we can surmise that it happened because it is now our favorite dodge, excuse for bad decisions. I’m sure I could find some examples if I looked, but that’s not the point. We are so comfortable with this excuse that it has become second nature for some people. It’s like breathing. They don’t even think about it. It comes naturally.
As for sharing my faith, I believe my life is the clearest possible sign of it. I don’t feel the need to beat people into submission in God’s name, or insist that they believe as I do. It works for me, and I will either be congratulated at the gates of heaven or sent down the express escalator to perdition. That’s mine to address in the end.
Mankind spends more time looking for someone to blame than we do learning to coexist and making things to advance humanity.
About 50 years ago, I decided to ask God for help in my life. Believe me, this is not a simple choice, nor an easy path, but then the best things in life require determination, and nothing good in life is free. Testing my resolve began almost immediately and has continued since. I’ve failed more tests than I’ve passed, but that’s what learning is all about.
I recently stumbled across a video that addresses God’s teaching.
Here’s some of the text…
“If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience, or does he give them the opportunity to be patient?
If they pray for courage does God give them courage or does he give them opportunities to be courageous?
If someone prayed for their family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?” – From the movie, Evan Almighty
So, when you dedicate your life to an ideal, an ethos, do you think that you immediately click into that routine effortlessly and unchallenged, or do you suppose there will be opportunities to strengthen your resolve?
I’m not going down any religious rabbit hole to explain this further. That’s the purview of pastors and preachers and religious scholars. Interestingly, though, I find that the more we humans study a subject, the more complex we make it. Christianity is a perfect example. There are three basic tenets, but we’ve turned them into a mind-numbingly complex set of rules and stipulations.
The three basic tenets: Faith, Repentance, and Commitment. It’s that simple… Now reread the paragraph above with the dialog from Evan Almighty… Yes, it’s worth it!
Practice makes progress. No one is perfect!
I see Christianity as a growth process, an opportunity to learn discipline through self-control and self-awareness. Like many other faith-based processes, it requires dedication and diligence toward the goal, such as learning to play an instrument. It’s rare indeed to pick up a guitar and play like Segovia or Stevie Ray Vaughn. It takes dedication and effort. But… you have to decide that it’s what you want.
I’ve realized over these many years of study and observation that humans have no innate moral compass. Morality and ethics are learned from interactions and experiences, first with family, then with friends and acquaintances, and are shaped by family, peers, and an ethical culture grounded in a solid understanding and reinforcement of right and wrong. And in the absence of an ethical and moral environment, these traits are not imprinted; they are discarded or ignored altogether. My immediate thought is America’s current political, cultural, and social situation.
We follow what we believe, imitate what we experience, and pass it along to our children. We cavalierly quip that it takes a village to rear a child, but it’s not clear what type of village it is.
Sadly, there is no universal parenting guide or a step-by-step instruction set for families. We’ve relegated this function to our centers of partisan political indoctrination and churches mired in convoluted dogmas and absurd notions for salvation.
Look at the results of this folly. It’s a sad village indeed, where children are taught gender fluidity, where the individual defines morality, where the partisan political parties war for dominance, and where doctrines train their followers that hatred and martyrdom are the only paths to salvation.
Voltaire famously said, “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him,” not because he believed God was fictitious, but because he argued that belief in a divine power was essential for maintaining social order and morality. He believed in a creator God who established the universe but does not intervene in its affairs, likening God to a “watchmaker”.
Oh, those pesky details…
For the Amalgamated Heavy
The Devil you say? Hell – I am too old for this shit!
November 5, 2025
~ the Author ~
Charles R. Dickens Was Born in 1951, Is a Veteran of the Vietnam War, for Which He Volunteered, and the Great-Great Grandson of the Noted Author, Whose Name He Shares.
He Is a Fiercely Proud American, Who Still Believes This Is the Greatest Country on the Planet, With Which We’ve Lost Control and Certainly Our Direction. He Grew Up in Moderate Financial Surrounding; We’re Not Rich by Any Stretch, but Didn’t Go Hungry – His Incredibly Hard Working Father Saw to That. As Most From That Era, He Learned About Life From His Father, Whose Story Would Take Too Long to Tell, Other Than to Say That, He Is Also a Fiercely Proud American; A WWII and Korean War, Veteran Marine.
Charlie Was Educated in the Parochial System Which, Demanded That You Actually Learn Something, and Have Capability to Retain It Before You Advance. He Attended Several Universities in Pursuit of a Bachelor’s Degree, and Chased the Goose Further to a Master’s, and Has Retained Some Very Definite Ideas About Education in This Country.
in Addition, Charlie Is a Retired Blues Guitar and Vocalist – a Musician. This Was His Therapy Career. Nothing Brings Him as Much Joy as Playing Music, and He Wishes That He Could Make a Living at It… but Alas… Life Goes on!