A grateful nation is the antidote | Hour 3

What's going on. Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It is heard live every day from noon to three on WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you want exclusive content like invitations to events, the weekly live stream I daily show prep with all of the links, become a patron, go to thepetecleanershow dot com. Make sure you hit the subscribe button. Get every episode for free, write to your smartphone or tablet, and again, thank you so much for your support. And so over the last two hours, I've been trying to white pill. One particular person who is texted in. I don't know their name, just that they are out of South Carolina with an eighth three number. Because there are. There are a lot of people, there are a lot of entities that have an interest in black pilling Americans black pilling. This is a term so well you've heard the term, you know, red pill, blue pill. It comes from well, mainly red pill. I don't think anybody uses blue pill, but red pilling means it's a It's a reference to the documentary The Matrix where Morpheus, one of the characters offers Neo, another character offers him two pills. One's red, one's blue, and the blue pill means you go back to sleep and you will have no memory of what I've told you about the matrix that actually controls your life and all of this. Right, I don't want to give away too much in case you hadn't seen the movie yet. So so that's the blue pill or the red pill is that you you see how far the rabbit hole goes, right, and then basically it's you wake up. You I don't want to say become woke there, but you, but you you wake up and you see things as they actually are. Okay, So that's where this idea of red pilling comes from, is that movie, and people are like, oh, I got red pilled to the way things are actually you know, how things really work and all of that. And then there's black pilling, which is all is lost. This is doomerism. Okay, this is all is lost, nothing matters. It's it's nihilism, and it's it's the coward's way out. I'm just gonna say that, Okay, to me, it's the coward's way out. It's like it's a rationalization that people use so they don't actually have to do anything to improve stuff. They don't have to go out, make any effort, spend any time or treasure doing things that help improve anything, because they could just say, you know, things like home, my vote doesn't matter, so therefore I don't have to go vote yay, I don't have to do anything. I can be lazy, I cannot participate, and that I can complain about everything. But then when someone says, well, what are you doing to improve the situation, then you have an excuse which is nothing matters. I find it to be it's surrender and I don't want any part of that, and I never have. That's why I literally why I got into this line of work is because I prefer to make these arguments. I prefer to be involved and engaged and to talk about these issues. So that's black pilling. White pilling is what I have been trying to do, which is like look at the positive. And there was a really good piece about this at the American Enterprise Institute, piece by Robert Pandiskio or Pundiccio Pundaccio, senior fellow at AEI, and he wrote this piece the other day called how to raise a Grateful American? And I've talked about this before. Gratitude being the antidote to black pilling right, because you are being inundated with this effort, and sometimes it's people who have already surrendered and they're just trying to rationalize it and give excuses for why, you know, theirs is the better route to take, and that's why they took it. But there's also demoralization and this is actually a psyop from the old Soviet Union, and the siop continues to this day. And I've said this repeatedly, which is when you go online, you are entering an informational battle space. And there is a war going on online between America and its adversaries. It's geopolitical adversaries. It's being fought online. But it's also not to get all Alex jonesy, but there is a war for your mind, how you think about things. And here's the beauty of it is that you can change the way you think about things. And gratitude is the way that I have found you get there again. Gen xer born and raised with the skeptical view of everything, right, But if you make a point every day to just think about something that you're grateful for, it could be a very small thing, the fact that you can actually brew a single. Cup of coffee? Do you know how? Like that was not anything you could do up until about I don't know when did. The K cup come out? Right? Like, oh I just want one cup of coffee? Well I got to make a whole pot. No, you don't, not anymore. You can make a single cup and you can have all these different flavors of coffee. Amazing. So just a simple act of gratitude, it gets you thinking in different ways. And so this piece at AEI dot org. Whatever lessons students learned or we're going to learn about the country in the days leading up to its two hundred and fiftieth birthday, in our history, our ideals, our achievements, our failures, right, all of that's already been taught to them, or not taught to them, because school's over. If schools have failed to cultivate students' gratitude, civic affection, and love of country, parents can still do so. In fact, they must, he points out, most of us in America, most Americans, if given the choice, would still choose America. Not because America is perfect, simply because if you had to place a bet on which nation offered you the greatest likelihood of living your life in safety, prosperity, dignity, and freedom, you'd be hard pressed to make a better wager. This gets back to the in comparison to what question that I was asking. Needless to say, this is not how many Americans think about their country, nor is it the way many children learn about it either. But just think of that question. If someone said you have to put all of your money onto the table, you got to make a bet. Where are you going to put all of that money? If the question is where do you stand the greatest likelihood of living your life in safety, prosperity, dignity, and freedom. Look around the world, where do you put all your chips? Where do you wager? And if you find another country that you think would be a better bet. And I don't mean this as a go get the heck out kind of away, but if you feel like there is a better place that suits you, then you should You should put your money on that country. You should wager there. But most Americans would not. In fact, most people on this entire planet would wager America. That's why they come in the millions and millions, and why the surveys that have been going on for years and years, in decades. That's why all the surveys always show like we are the number one place people want to live on the planet. When you ask people in other countries, they would prefer to come here. He talked about the FIFA fans, the World Cup fans, and the videos, and we're charmed and amused. Of course, there are fifty kinds of breakfast cereal in the grocery stores. I mean, of course, But that's the point. What are the blessings of living in a prosperous and successful society is that you stop noticing it. Abundance becomes ordinary, Stability becomes invisible. Freedom is just kind of background noise. See gratitude for the things that we have. In order to refocus on those things and how unique they are, Right, Abundance, stability, and freedom. Visitors from other countries arrive to remind us of the things that we take for granted. All right. For over a year now, you've heard me talking about Create a Video, great local company in mint Hill that has helped more than two million families preserve their memories by turning old photos, VHS, tapes, film reels and slides into lasting keepsakes. 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Then, after the trip we're gathering, they'll professionally turn your shared moments into a beautiful storytelling video that your whole group can stream and download and treasure for years. Check out Group travel videos dot com. That's group travel videos dot com or call seven four eight four six seventy eight seventy extension two O six and when you do that ask for Katie. But Pete, can I just email? Well, yes you can. You can email Katie Katie at group travel videos dot com. Group travel videos from old memories to new adventures, preserving life's moments for a lifetime. Mmmm. This is from LC and Rockhill. We live in a country that's so great even the people who hate it refuse to leave. That's true. All right, back to this piece at American Enterprise Institute. Our children are growing up in a culture that is exceptionally good at teaching criticism. Young people learn to identify injustice, inequity, hypocrisy, and failure. Children reliably learn what America got wrong. But do they learn what we got right? Do they learn why billions of people around the world would gladly trade places with them? Do they learn why generations of immigrants crossed oceans, deserts, and borders for the chance to become Americans? Do they learn why our imperfect nation remains even now the destination of choice for millions seeking freedom, opportunity, and a better life. To be clear, the nation needs citizens capable of seeing its shortcomings. Criticism teaches us what needs improving, Gratitude teaches us what is worth. Preserving a healthy civic education requires both. Right, parents understand this. They grasp this intuitively. Parents teach kids to say thank you. Why, Because gratitude is essential to character. A grateful person understands that much of what makes his life possible was built, protected, or handed down by other people. Gratitude foster's humility, stewardship, and a sense of obligation to future generations. Now, I will say this, Does that mean that every older generation and generation of the past that they got everything right? No, of course not. Some generations were better stewards than others, and some people within those generations were better than others. Right, because we're all people and we are all imperfect. But if all you do is criticize, then that's how you end up on the road to blackpill vill Citizenship requires these virtues. Every American is the beneficiary of gifts that he or she did not create. A constitutional order that has endured for two and a half centuries. Freedom of speech and religion, the rule of law, a vibrant civil society, the most creative and productive economy in human history. Scientific and technological advances that previous generations would have regarded as wizardry, most of all, we inherit a country that millions of people throughout history have chosen, often at great personal risk, to join. Love of country and honest criticism are not conflicting values. So but that's the key is honest criticism, love of country and honest criticism. See if all you ever do, and I'll give you an example here as a talk host, if you text me or call me or email me, and everything that you say to me is critical, I will then ignore you. Why because it's not coming from a place of wanting me to be better. It's coming from a place of animus. You don't like me, you don't like the show, you don't like what I talk about, you don't like my opinions. So your criticism of me is coming from a different place than if, say my wife were to criticize me, My friends or family. Right, if they offer criticism that's coming from a place of love, that's coming from a place of wanting me to improve, of recognizing that, you know, Pete, you could do better on this. Same thing goes for America. Right. Love has to come first, love of country and honest criticism. Any criticism that I give on current events and news and laws or whatever. It's not coming from a place of animosity because I love this country and I want it to be better. I want people to be better stewards of the country. No child, he goes on to saying this piece, no child is likely to preserve or seek to improve what he has never learned to value. If all kids are taught is that America is terrible. If all you do is criticize, then you never have any honest, good faith criticism because it's not coming from any place of love because you never valued it. You were never taught to value it. You were never exposed to these ideas of why it has value. And then he gives this analogy, which is a really good analogy. Imagine raising a child in a grand old house, one hundred and fifty year old or maybe two hundred fifty year old house, and every day you point out to your children the peeling paint, the drafty windows, the leaky faucet, and all the repairs that remain undone. You never mention the shelter that the house provides. You never point out the craftsmanship that built it or the generations who maintained it before you ever arrived. Eventually, the child will know every flaw in the house, but that child may never understand why it was worth preserving in the first place. And America is no different. Cultivating gratitude does not require a school, district initiative or curriculum mandate. Patriotism is not a government program. It's an inheritance. Parents can actually lead this themselves, he says. This summer, read a biography with your kids. Visit a battlefield, take them to a presidential library. Read the Declaration of Independence aloud, Attend to Fourth of July parade, Visit a national park, Tell family stories about grandparents and great grandparents. Attend a naturalization ceremony, and watch new Americans pledge allegiance to a country that many native born citizens take for granted. Teach your children not only what America got wrong, but what America got right. Schools have never been solely responsible for forming citizens. Families, Churches, scouting organizations, libraries, youth sports leagues, civic associations, and countless other institutions all helped cultivate a sense of belonging and obligation. They still can, and they have to. Schools have become demonstrably less interested in their founding purpose of preparing children for responsible citizenship. So the school year is over, yes, but the opportunity for education is not. Uh. Back to the I got a bunch of texts here. From the text line, Monica says, I explained to a young person how you purchased something with a credit card in the olden days. I don't think she believed me. This is my first bank card without raised numbers. I still think it's weird. Oh yeah, the old Uh Yeah, that little device with the little whatever you'd like, drag the thing across the credit card and it would do an imprint with like the carbon copy paper on top. That's why they had the raised numbers on the credit cards. Yeah. Now you don't have the raised numbers anymore, Bob says. The dissatisfied Americans live in the same abundance as the satisfied Americans do. So you're right, it's all in your perspective, right. We all live in the same country, so all things being equal, Right, If two different people think that they're living without purpose and one finds it, one believes they are, and one has gratitude and one does not, like that's that's a mindset. And Russia used to talk about this. It takes work at first, it does, like you have to consciously. He was the one that opened my eyes to this idea that that sort of negativity and pessimism is sort of the default human setting, you know. But when you make an intentional effort to be more optimistic, you'll become more optimistic. You will like that. It really is that simple. What was it Henry Ford right who said, whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right, and that he is correct or was correct. And this from a guy who had, you know, suffered through years of failure upon failure. Let me see here, Cory says, I am grateful for all that served my country before me. I'm grateful for all that served my country with me, and now I am grateful for all that served my country present and future. I fly a flag on my front porch and say I say the Pledge of allegiance every day. This is the greatest country on earth. Robert says, another excellent show per usual. Pete, Thank you, sir, thank you for what you do. Here's one for you. We are not guaranteed the next breath of air or beat of our heart. That's something to be thankful for. Happy fourth of July. Yes, happy Independence Day to one and all. Timoteo says, gen Z is not lacking in purpose, they are lacking in true hardship to act as a foil against their discontent. This boomer says, get a job and stay off my launch and there. Look, there is something to that. When a generation goes through something, some hardship together, it definitely has a unifying effect on them. And I've been talking about this with the rise of the Marxists inside the Democrat Party via the DSA right. But to these revolutionaries are not coming from poverty. They are usually upper middle class or upper class. They are the halves, and they're trying to overthrow the system of the have mores, the halves versus the have mores. So yeah, I mean that's the thing, like, if you don't go through any kind of hardship, you are not prepared for obstacles that may be presented in your way. This is from Bob Born in nineteen sixty. If I wanted something extra, I had to find a way to make money paper route or cutting lawns or shoveling snow or any odd jobs that got me stuff I wanted. Parents bought me kids. But if I wanted Puma Clydes was that Clyde Drexler. I had to pay the difference. Started doing things for money at twelve years old. No silver spoon here, sitting on shady porch, shelling lima beans I picked this morning along with green beans. Worked from seven until twelve. Yeah. Again, there is value in work, and yeah, I mean I know it's hard. Yeah, Look, I have done manual labor. I still like on weekends I'm out in the yard and I'm I mean, last weekend, I worked six to seven hours each day in the yard and all that. And it's hard, it's hot, I get sweaty and dirty and all of that. I'm sore for a couple of days afterwards. But I do have a sense of pride and accomplishment in what I have done that has value. The doing the work has value, and I mean actual work. Rodney says a lot of the younger generation will not join civic groups or older groups like you mentioned, because there's no self recognition for being a part of those groups. Yeah. I don't know, that's interesting. I'm not sure. Well, I mean, everybody is different. I think in some cases they just may not even be aware of these groups exist. But there are a lot of groups out there. I mean a lot of them. You'd be amazed. My wife is in one of these groups that I had never heard of before, So I mean they do exist. And if you're seeking purpose and a community, there are all sorts of groups and churches that would be ecstatic to have gen zs and millennials darken their doors for real, Like you have no idea how like so many of these organizations are desperate, desperate to get younger people involved, but they can't drag you to them. You know, they can do as much outreach as they can, but you have to be willing to make the commitment. I've talked about this too, and people kind of you know, oh my gosh, Pete with the HOA. That's why I did it. It's because I looked around and I was like, they need volunteers, they need they need people to step up and volunteer, and if nobody does it, then stuff's not going to get done and we're going to be in some trouble. So I did it. I've been doing it for now almost four years. I don't w't do it forever. I've already told everybody, I'm not doing this forever, and you don't have to do it forever. You can join a civic group and if you don't like it, it's not you know, you're jam then you go do something else and that's okay too. I did have this pulled for to bring to your attention in the prep pile. Pete's prep available on the Patreon page. But I also got to message from our pal Mike Daisy noting that today is the day that America was actually born. Did you know this July second? That's the day, seventeen seventy six, July second, that the Continental Congress voted to break from Britain. The vote came down to the wire. One guy had to ride through the night on horseback through a thunderstorm because he was a member of the Delaware delegation. But he was back home. His name was Caesar Rodney. He was eighty miles away in Delaware, and he was the tie breaking vote because the Delaware delegation was split. It was a tie. This guy was sick, he was dying of cancer. He gets word that he is needed to break that tie, and so he gets on his horse stops only one time to trade horses so he can continue the track. He shows up in the hall with his boots, his spurs still on, covered in mud, drenched to the bone, and cast the vote for independence, and then they file the paperwork and that's July fourth. All right, that'll do it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. I could not do the show without your support and the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast, so if you'd like, please support them too and tell them you heard it here. You can also become a patron at my Patreon page or go to thepetecleanershow dot com. Again, thank you so much for listening, and don't break anything while I'm gone.