True North
When You Start One Degree Off Course You End Up Lost
In 1995 I was in a leadership course in Camp Ball, Louisiana, and was required to complete a land navigation course to graduate. As someone who grew up in the open spaces of Montana, I was not ready to cut through the jungle to arrive at a fence post with a number on it surrounded by dense vegetation. There was no room for error and each point to find was a minimum of 1,500 meters apart. It was easy to drift off course and end up in a place where I would never find my way back.
Anybody who has ever navigated overland using a paper map and real compass knows the risk of getting off course. You will find your spot if you are one degree off for one hundred meters. To start the same way and walk for ten miles in what you think is true north means you will find yourself in a place you did not expect. It is hard to notice the drift when you are only one degree off and easy if you are ninety degrees off at the start. The rule is the earlier the course correction the better.
Nobody is perfect and there are techniques you must apply to ensure you can stay on course. But it means you must first recognize that true north exists no matter what you believe. It also means you must be willing to admit your error and do whatever it takes to correct it. The same is true for nations, but rather than correct course as a person, a nation must do so together. This requires time, leadership, and courage. It also requires a common culture as a house divided against itself cannot stand.
Two areas most impacted by this comparison come to mind, and together they outline why America is badly off course and in need of correction. The first is our desire to walk away from God and the second is in allowing the government to step outside its constitutionally limited powers. Leaders are necessary to show the truth of both. It could be argued that the lack of leadership over the years and on many levels is why we need this correction now. The hardest part is that at this point America is way off course and for us to correct course will require a herculean effort by a multitude.
The good news is that “We the People” are capable of great feats when we work together. Americans do hard things, but they always come with a price. Each person must decide for themselves what they are willing to give up to secure the blessings of liberty. Will you give up a job, comfort, new vs old cars, or any car at all? Will you put yourself in front of the “bullets” of the government to protect your family no matter the cost? Our government, big tech, big business, and media establishment have all established their positions against the people of the United States, and the people of the world. They are far off course, wandering in a darkness of their own making. They will never admit they need correction. We are also at fault, for too many of us have forgotten that in the United States our government is our servant and not our master. Though mastering us is what “they” seek.
Medical mandates, currency controls, travel restrictions, indoctrinating children in schools, creating supply shortages, and the deliberate dividing of people into a variety of “tribes” are all symptoms of the problem. The real problem is a global establishment seeking to control people’s lives and livelihoods using our national government as their proxy. But they have no control when we decide to refuse it to them as a population. Yes, I am speaking of the World Economic Forum, United Nations, International Monetary Fund, Council on Foreign Relations, et. al. This cabal of bandits and thieves does not want your money, they have all they need. They want you and your family.
They seek a form of worship they do not deserve, and only one is worthy of such worship. All have an opportunity to come to know him and though many will reject him, they too will answer to him. So, fear not the slings and arrows of those who see themselves as above judgment, and do not concern yourself with whether they will escape true justice.
Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11 ESV)
The good news is I graduated with honors from the leadership school and part of that was due to earning a perfect score on land navigation. At times I drifted but I worked my way back to where I needed to be. I did not try to redefine words, change science, or blame somebody else. I simply changed my course back to what was true. We must all do the same.
Lt Col (ret), US Army, Darin Gaub is a Co-founder of Restore Liberty, an international military strategist and foreign policy analyst, an executive leadership coach, and serves on the boards of multiple volunteer national and state level organizations. The views presented are those of the author and do not represent the views of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, or its components.