This quote is exactly true of our day.
It was written by the great historian
Livy at the very end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire. I only changed the word “Rome” to “America.” Otherwise, his words are right on for our nation today.
Livy lived during the great shift from a free Rome to one that became a great evil. In his day it was unclear what direction Rome would take — back to freedom, or toward authoritarian rule by a dominant elite class.
Livy was a patriot who loved his country and wanted it to choose the path of freedom. He considered the Roman Republic the “mightiest empire the world has known — next to God’s.”
He knew Rome had lost its founding morals, that it was losing its freedoms, that things were getting worse, and that his nation’s leaders were consistently unable to fix the nation’s problems.
Ditto to modern America.
A lot of people feel and understand this, but they honestly just don’t know what to do about it. They feel powerless to change Washington D.C. or fix American’s decline. They truly care, but they don’t know how to take action — or what action to take.
Stage 1 Influence: Study
Welcome to the first stage of making a difference. Each stage includes a Cause and an Action.
The Cause of stage one is to realize that our freedoms are being lost and that our nation is headed in the wrong direction. The Action is to study.
Yes, study. The American founders were able to gain their freedom because they knew exactly what freedom meant. They understood what to do. They knew what action was needed, because they were prepared mentally — they had studied and knew what to do.
This is the first step: Study. Read. Learn. Start getting a founding-fathers-style education. If this sounds daunting, relax.
Start by reading these five books:
These five books will give you an excellent foundation for stage one.
Once you have read all five of these books, you will be on the path of really doing something. At this point, you’ll be ready for stage two.
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Maybe these are the books I need for the Journeyman and master classes too. What do you think?
