There is a deep divide in American culture. But to say the divide is between Republicans and Democrats, Right and Left, or even conservatives and progressives would be too simplistic. The real divide is between builders and breakers.
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In any society, there are two classes of people. One group is trying to build something. The other group, unable to build, is content to break what others have built.
Progressives, by their very nature, are breakers. Their entire enterprise is about destroying what has come before us. Whatever new thing they erect in the place of what was destroyed just becomes the new conservative status quo that must be broken. So the progressive breaker leaves a pile of rubble in its wake with the end that no buildings are left.
Conservatives, on the other hand, are all about building something true, good, and beautiful. As conservatives, we are in a position to build like never before. Donald Trump is in the White House again. Republicans have majorities in the House and the Senate. Here in Iowa we have a conservative governor and a Republican super majority in the legislature. All the momentum is in our direction.
It should be worth noting here that there is a place for breaking. Anyone who’s ever done a kitchen remodel knows it always looks worse before it looks better. You have to tear out the old cabinets before you can install new ones. But there the goal is to build, not to break. Breaking is just a necessary step on the road to building something. The Biden years were a time when it was necessary to break a few things. Conservatives had to stand up to the establishment and pushback against institutions captured by the Left.
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The problem is that some conservatives have gotten so used to breaking things they don’t know what to do when there’s nothing that needs broken. It would be as if, after tearing out the old cabinets, some construction workers began demolishing the newly installed cabinets too.
As such, some on the Right have exposed themselves as breakers. They revealed that they cannot build anything constructive. Rather their careers are defined by breaking what others have made.
Certain rightwing media personalities are swinging conspiracy theories like sledgehammers into the conservative cause. They promote bizarre claims about Erika Kirk, Turning Point USA, and the Trump administration. We also see an increased interest in questioning traditional narratives. “What if Churchill was the bad guy in World War II? What if the Nazis had a point?”
All of these examples illustrate a kind of breaking that doesn’t actually build anything. There’s no plan to build anything. Just keep breaking. This attitude is inherently anti-conservative. Senseless destruction is the tool of progressivism, and any conservative that uses that tool is helping progressivism.
Be a builder, not a breaker. Don’t destroy people, institutions, or narratives without a purpose. If you break something, have a plan to replace it with something better.
Then get going. Build a family, a business, a church, a community. Help make the situation around you just a little bit better. Contribute to the institutions that made America great.
Sure, pick up a hammer. But only smash what needs smashed. The rest of the time, drive some nails.
Joshua Stilwell is the editor-in-chief of Warren’s Voice
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