New direction needed to save United States

It's hard not to be concerned for the future of our once-great nation. And increasingly, there seems few paths to sanity regardless of the outcome of this all-important presidential election.

If you're like me, you hold promise that a favorable election outcome might change the narrative and direction of the United States.

But that starry-eyed optimism may be nothing more than a pipe dream.

Here are some headlines from Friday alone that have nothing to do with the election.

"Record number of homeless in New York shelters," "Haitian immigrants cross into USA from Mexico," "Charlotte riots: 70 percent have out-of-state IDs" and finally, "School ordered to allow Satan Club".

We are told these headlines are simply the "new normal."

Aside from the presidential election, there are forces within this country that seek to change the foundation of this country.

And those forces will not simply vanish come Nov. 9.

The battle lines are clearly drawn and the number of combatants on each side are nearly equal. This is the polarization that currently grips America.

But the real issue - the one that could change the face of this nation forever - is that these issues of immigration, ISIS, a weak economy and a mushrooming federal government will change little regardless of the election outcome.

Our problems have their root in a lack of leadership up and down the line. But even new leadership alone cannot and will not serve as a uniting factor.

When civility is abandoned, societies crumble. History teaches up this sobering lesson.

Someday soon perhaps, that once silent majority - if it still exists - will have to exert power and influence to address and silence the growing lack of civility. Unless law and order return, the coming years may not bode well for any American.

Like you, I am keenly interested in the election outcome. But I am also aware of the other headlines that speak to a larger and much more complex issue within America.

If I know anything, I know this: To correct our wayward path, we must change directions. It matters less on who leads that direction than it does the path they take.

Shame on us - a collective us - for allowing this to happen. Let's pray we have learned a valuable lesson and do what it takes to recapture the spirit that formed this country.