I have an article that was published at canadafreepress.com more than 10 years ago (March 24, 2009). The title of the article is, Americans Largely Silent As Their Nation Is Systematically Destroyed. The author of the article, JB Williams, wrote about the unbridled power of the politicians in Washington, DC, the destruction of the value of the dollar, the manipulation of the media, and the fact that the American people seem to be completely oblivious about what is happening to their great nation.

The facts that were presented in the article are truer and more relevant today than they were 10 years ago; however, there was one statement that the author made that I don’t agree with:

“The most complex problems require the simplest of solutions.”

There is a common belief among most people that complex problems can easily be solved by simple solutions. My 36 years as a lawyer has taught me that complex problems are not solved by simple solutions.

Complex problems require complex solutions.

From a human nature perspective, most of us believe — or at least hope — that we can and will be able to solve our complex problems with simple solutions. For example, the person who knows he needs to lose 30 pounds is attracted to an advertisement that shows color pictures of large portions of food, including desserts. The ad claims that by swallowing a couple of pills each day, or by drinking some great-tasting drink, or by using the newest exercise gadget, the pounds will miraculously melt away.

Of course, every simple solution to quick and easy weight loss is a lie. Yet people continue to buy into the latest diet or gadget that promises significant weight loss in exchange for the purchase of the equivalent of a “magic pill.”

Losing weight is both difficult and complex. At the age of 62, the only way I am able to lose weight is when I build up the desire and determination to weigh myself every morning, record on a daily calendar everything I eat, cut back drastically on my intake of bread, sugar, and carbs, refrain from eating in the evening, visualize what I will look and feel like after I lose the weight, exercise every day, and review the previous week’s meals every Sunday and determine what I need to do to adjust my food intake the following week. I wish there were a “simple solution” to losing weight, but there isn’t.

Wishful thinking can be dangerous and destructive.

When politicians run for public office, they routinely promise the voters a treasure chest full of benefits and goodies. They tell us that the goodies will be paid for by the “rich” taxpayers.

One example of this is that for more than 10 years, they have been telling us that they have a simple solution to high healthcare costs. Their solution is to give everyone free medical care. They tell us that none of the “working men and women” will have to pay for it. The implied promise is that with free healthcare for everyone, all the problems associated with the current “healthcare crisis” will be solved.

Unfortunately, below the surface of this crisis lies complex problems that include a shortage of doctors and nurses, spiraling healthcare costs, millions of people who neglect to take care of themselves, Medicare quickly heading toward bankruptcy, and an aging population that is going to soon put a significant strain on the entire healthcare system.

Of course, “someone” has to pay for what’s being promised, but according to the politicians, it’s not going to be you or me. It’s going to be the other guy. You know who I’m talking about, the guy with all the money. They promise a simple solution to a very complex problem. None of the problems I mentioned will get solved or even addressed when the politicians’ plan for a “free” government-funded healthcare system is put into place. In fact, those problems will get progressively worse.

Complex problems require complex solutions.

Yes, we have some real problems right now in our country. On the economic front, most of us have family members or friends who are in financial distress. We have 100-year-old retail companies going bankrupt, trillion-dollar deficits, states borrowing at unprecedented levels, a moral crisis among our students and adults, and formerly great cities being overrun by violent criminals.

And all our politicians can come up with are deceptive, simple-minded solutions that someone else is going to apparently pay for.

For those of us who pay close attention to what’s going on in the world, we have to be very careful not to use too much of our mental and emotional energy worrying about the current state of affairs, or what might happen to us in the future.

The primary weapon that is used by Lucifer and his agents against devout Catholics is to tempt us — or to manipulate us through the words and actions of others — to worry and despair about current events and what might happen to us in the future. The evil spirits who tempt us derive great satisfaction from seeing us worry unnecessarily about the things we have no control over.

A certain level of concern about what is going on in the world is appropriate, but when that concern turns into despair and anxiety, we need to step back and realize that the fate of our country and the world is outside of our direct control.

We should, of course, do everything in our power to make sure morally upright individuals are elected to public office, but ultimately, we need to pray for a stronger faith and trust in God that He will see us through our difficult times.

We cannot have true peace of mind until we develop faith and trust that God will guide and protect us through any storm that comes our way.

We may not be able to change the world, but we have the ability and power to influence the people around us to seek out and grow closer to God. For the most part, that means touching one person at a time — through our prayers, example, and actions.

None of us is in a position to change the world, but we can work at trying to help and change one person at a time.

Peace.

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