Roger Meyer

Many are familiar with the science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, which portrays an enemy called the Borg, a collective of cyborgs linked to a central controlling “hive” seeking to assimilate all lifeforms. Their ultimatum is, “You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.” Of course, the protagonists of the series do resist the Borg, and resistance is an absolute necessity in many areas of real life—it is not futile.

Both the Internet and social media are very useful tools—but even useful things can be misused to do harmful things by misguided human beings.

Conspiracy theories and all sorts of useless babblings abound in today’s marketplace of ideas. The Internet and social media, aided by the algorithms designed to multiply exposure to as many users as possible, fuel the spread of endless prattle, drivel, and distraction from truth.

Flash freezing, icy roads, snow blowing sideways, and blizzard conditions. Arctic temperatures, gusting winds knocking out electrical power, and canceled flights interrupting travel. In December of 2022, winter storm Elliott affected the majority of the United States, and just recently, a storm in the Northeast brought “epic snowfalls” to that part of the country over the weekend of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.

To put one’s house in order can simply mean cleaning and organizing our home. It can also mean changing our behavior to get our life in order, sometimes with reference to making final arrangements before dying.

People often make promises that they fail to keep—and if you are like most people, you are tired of empty promises. There are few among us who haven’t experienced these from one person or another.

During political campaigns, we are bombarded with attack ads from candidates, often highlighting promises on which their opponents failed to deliver. Other leaders and individuals also make empty promises. You may be promised a promotion, a raise in pay and benefits, better hours, your own parking spot, and more. How often do those promises go unkept?