"Abandon hope all ye who enter here"

I did something that many who read political blogs often do — I clicked a link in the blog roll section of a fellow blogger’s site. But instead of finding commentary on current events from a different point of view, I found this:

The decision I’ve made today has been a long time coming. I started blogging back in 2008 thinking my words combined with clever Photoshops™, political cartoons, a blogroll of fellow conservatives in the blogosphere and funny videos as a change of pace for my readers would somehow make a difference in a sick and twisted world.

It has not.

I have been at this labor of love for twelve years. I’ve made a lot of friends along the way. They were a support system that was invaluable to me and I can never thank them enough for their guidance and counsel.

The world is burning all around us. Just when I thought things in this country were actually starting to turn around after the disastrous eight years of the Obama Administration, I learned along with you all that the Deep State in all its ugly forms cannot be rooted out.

Crazies are running the world. America is burning. The lawless have seized control of our streets. The pandemic that gripped our nation months ago seems to matter no more.

I’m tired of fighting what to me appears to be a losing battle. I always knew this humble little blog was never going to make a big splash in the ether. All I wanted out of it was to speak on subjects that mattered to you and me.

I’ve said it all in many ways again and again and again. Nothing changes.

...

I have never been a quitter; but this time—this moment in time—has me disillusioned. The mainstream media and partisan interests who profit from undermining American culture have sucked the life out of this blog.

Those words are painful to read.

I have tried my hand at blogging off and on over the past eleven years (mostly off). I completely understand the frustration that comes from having something to say, but feeling like no one is listening. And, yes, we are told that we should write for the joy of writing, and "Who cares if anyone else reads it? You write for you!"

There is a reason Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven is a poetic masterpiece, and it has little to do with the mysterious raven or its repetitive and unchanging "Nevermore". Loneliness, once thought of as a hollow emptiness without form or substance, is given weight and presence that outweighs and overflows the ebony bird that personifies it. It grows to become the poem's primary antagonist, whose constant gaze and overpowering gloom is inescapable.

In today's world, where ignorance and vulgarity seems to naturally find its way to millions in a matter of minutes while reason struggles to be found by the seemingly few who seek it, this feeling can build momentum at the speed of 25Mbps. As Cancel Culture™ claims one conquest after another in the name of "fairness" and "equity" and voices fall silent, many call out into the void hoping to hear a reply—some reassurance that they are not alone. For many, the only reply is more silence.

I've been there. I've tried. I've become disillusioned. I've given up. After a long break, I've tried again. I've given up again.

And I'm there now. Yet again. I have no idea how long I'll be there this time—probably until I give up yet again.

But until that happens, this is my objective:

I will be an encouragement to others who wish to freely exercise their God-given right to speak their mind.

For anyone who comes across this blog and feels like they are alone, remember: this is exactly what the opponents of liberty want you to feel. The best time to defeat your opponent is before he goes into battle. If your opponent can convince your mind to abandon hope before your soul can proclaim it, he has convinced you to give him your victory. If he can convince you that you are alone, he has convinced you to believe and accept a lie.

Do not abandon hope! You are not alone!

If you have a blog and could use encouragement, please leave a comment with a link to your site.

We may not have millions of followers, but we have each other.