Ungovernable or Assaulted?
I read an article by a commentator who says she believes that Americans have become "ungovernable" because we are too focused on ourselves and our greed. I reacted to the article when I read it because, although I think greed is a factor in many lives, it is not something I struggle with personally.
After carefully examining my reaction, the word "assault" came to mind. An assault is defined as a violent physical or verbal attack. We all know cases where an assault was carried off with terrible consequences and, therefore, we know threats are real and need to be taken seriously.
There is also a nuance of the word which means an apparently violent attempt to do hurt to another without actually doing the hurt threatened (as by lifting the fist in a threatening manner.) To illustrate this kind of threat, let me relay an experience that happened to our family recently at Disneyland, which as you know markets itself as the happiest place on earth.
Our family was enjoying Disneyland in early December with our son Kent's family. One night, we took over a couple of tables in the wharf area of California Adventure to have dinner. After spreading out to retrieve different kinds of food, we gathered to sit down and eat together.
While we were busy getting organized, two young men sat down in vacant chairs at the end of our table. When Kent got up to help our grandson, Ethan, who is three years old, with his food, the two men made direct eye contact with him. Then, with the knowledge that they had Kent's full attention, they began to hold hands, nuzzle and kiss each other.
Needless to say, we were all caught off guard by their blatant behavior. After an interchange where we suggested they find another table (because we were here first - so to speak), they glared at us and would not budge. Faced with a no-win situation, we quickly decided to remove ourselves to another table nearby. However, even after we moved, and probably because we chose to move, they continued to glare at us, calling us narrow-minded because of our lack of tolerance.
And then growing even more angry, one said that he had been an employee of Disney and that he knew how to get us thrown out of the park. To show he meant business, he called over a park employee, complained about our behavior, and asked the employee to report the incident to security.
Much to our amazement that the situation could escalate to this degree, two security guards showed up at the scene. One, a lower level employee, simply attempted to hear each side of the story while the other decked out, more intimidating guard, stood about 25 feet away monitoring the situation. As it turned out, the threat to have us removed from the park did not materialize, but the assault upon our values and the intended threat lingers to this day.
So, why am I part of a growing resistance to a morally bankrupt liberal agenda? Because I have been personally threatened by two men who desired to hurt our family and who, upon even more reflection, apparently targeted us for this very purpose. It is a shocking but true reminder once again that we will not remain untouched as Christian conservatives. We may even be assaulted in the most innocent of situations.
