By David Hegg In his 11-volume, “The Story of Civilization,” philosopher and historian Will Durant offered the simple yet profound observation that “nations are born stoic and die epicurean.”   Stoicism focused its adherents on living a virtuous life, which was the key to happiness. Those who study the Founding Fathers’ reliance on stoic philosophers come to understand that the Declaration of Independence’s unalienable right, described as “the pursuit of happiness,” is to be understood as the result of virtue.   Stoicism also called its adherents to a character that endured hardship without complaining. Even a cursory study of the first hundred years of our country will showcase the amazing perseverance of wave after wave of immigrants – from different cultures and countries – who persevered against all odds to craft and shape our nation. Perhaps without understanding philosophy, they were nonetheless exemplary stoics.  On the other hand, Epicurus grounded his philosophy of life on the premise that fear of all kinds holds humanity captive. The answer? Pursue pleasure, both physical and mental, to be happy.   Increasingly, as I engage with people from many walks of life, I hear the same combination of wonderment and concern with differing perspectives. Together, we look around at what is happening in our country and exclaim, “What in the world is going on?”  Think back 15 years or so. Did we ever think gasoline would cost $5 a gallon? Did we believe millions would be pouring into our country illegally? And did we imagine a time when proof of citizenship would not be required to vote? Did we ever think our national debt would be over $30 trillion, businesses would be leaving California due to extreme regulations, and the practice of giving puberty blockers and doing transitioning surgeries to minors would be debatable?  Did we ever think that over 50% of public high school students in our district would fail to achieve minimum standards in English and math? And did we ever think that finding a person of integrity, intelligence, courage and humility to run for public office would be harder than finding a needle in a haystack? OK, I may have oversold that last one … but not by much!   Most importantly, what has happened to “one nation … indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”? Our nation has never been more divided. Our public and political conversations have never been this mired in outright deception and disdain. As we look around, we wonder: What happened to the pioneer spirit that bound people together to accomplish great things despite their differences?   French historical philosopher Claud Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon, described the initial phase of nation-building as the “organic period” when “men are busy building.” He went on to identify the primary characteristic of a nation’s decline as when “men are busy destroying” the foundations of society.  Today, we are seeing just that. We’re watching as morality is being reimagined, life is being minimized, and intersectionality, with its promotion of “victimization,” is being maximized.  The result is precisely what Saint-Simon understood from his study of how nations rise and fall. We are watching as the foundations upon which our nation was built are systematically, radically, and, worst of all, publicly being destroyed.  If Durant was right, we’ve been sliding down from a stoic philosophy of mutually held, Judeo-Christian morality and truth into a morass of Epicurean self-centered, unrestrained pleasure-seeking, and we wonder why unacceptable change is happening so rapidly.   The answer to “what’s happening and why” is simple, really. We need to find our way. We’re not teaching our grand history to our children; whatever isn’t taught to the youth will be lost in the culture.  We’re losing the glue that has always held us together. Our faith in God and our dedication to the great American experiment, as described in our Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, are being tossed aside only to be replaced by progressive immorality, untruth, and, most egregiously, the denigration of American history.   And, as the saying goes, we have met the enemy, and it is us. Too many of us are sitting idly by, minds numbed, and mouths closed in a time when those who first landed on our shores and built a country would be holding high their virtue and courageously saying, “Enough is enough.”   It’s never too late to do the right thing; if enough of us have had enough, maybe it’s not too late to make a difference.   Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays.  The post David Hegg | Why This Is All Happening appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.