The better days

I remember feeling and thinking that America was justified in knocking over Iraq and Afghanistan. That America was morally righteous, as a nation, for ridding the world of Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden. I remember feeling guilty when I read “left-wing” propaganda and thought “hey, they do have a point…”

I remember when I came to know the forgiveness of the Lord. When I turned away from my sin and returned to the “straight and narrow”. I remember when I was convinced I had done the hardest thing God would ever require of me. I remember the relief and the joy of knowing I was forgiven.

I remember when I became aware of my physical strength, and the physical strength of my peers. I remember growing up in a culture that eschewed physical prowess in favor of intellectual pursuits. That the caveman who built the wheel or lever was favored over the strongest caveman. I remember thinking that was right and good to pursue intellectuality over physicality, indeed, in place of physicality.

I remember when I thought comic books were cool, hip, and intellectual. I remember when the degeneracy I encountered in a “classic” like Watchmen was an aberration and not-at-all what comic books outside of the mainstream were all about. I remember when I hadn’t seen the infamous Negative-Man panel in Doom Patrol #1 by Grant Morrison.

I remember when the mainstream was not too far from the Lord. When hard work, heroism, and self-sacrifice were honored instead of laughed at and ridiculed. I remember when shows dared to insinuate that maybe the government and its experts didn’t have our best interests at heart. I remember when cartoons hit different.

I remember when video games were exciting and new. I remember getting twenty bucks for weekend work and going to GameStop and coming back with three to four new titles for my last-gen console which was new to me. I remember going in my room on summer afternoons and enjoying DS title of all sorts. I remember when Sarcastic Gamer, SideScrollers, and the HotSpot dropped new episodes. I remember when plastic instrument were just starting to take off and news of a Guitar Hero sequel was exciting stuff.

I remember when it seemed like we had a chance to move into a house where I could maybe have my own room. Maybe we could’ve had a dog. I remember when I didn’t know about financial systems and the consequences they could have on me and my family. I remember when I didn’t see freemasons, bolsheviks, and zionists everywhere. I remember when I thought Call of Duty was really cool cause it honored those who fought against the Nazis, Soviet and American alike. I remember when I thought that we really defeated evil pretty solidly when the Berlin wall came down and the “end of history” started.

Now here we are, asking God to leave us alone.