The signers to Declaration of Independence declared “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” A few men, a remnant, pledged all they had for the freedom of the new nation.
And yet, the best estimates of the number of people in the American colonies who supported independence from the abusive and tyrannical govt and the war for liberty was as little as 15%. Higher in the north, lower in the south. This is what we call a remnant, a small piece of the whole.
In the Bible, 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah is feeling a bit sorry for himself that he is all alone in his loyalty to God. God tells him that He has reserved 7000 who have not bowed to the pagan God, Baal. This is a remnant from the whole population who remained loyal to the God of Israel.
Mark Twain describes this phenomenon, “In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.”
In our age there are many calls for resisting govt but, despite the vocal levels, this comes from a mere remnant of Americans today. Recent estimates of the US population is 330 million. While some of this number are children, the majority of this number are adults. Unverified numbers from the recent elections appear to be that 150 million people voted in the 2020 election. This is up about 25-30 million from 2016 if the numbers are reliable. However, voting takes no sacrifice. No one puts their “lives, fortunes, or sacred honor” at risk to vote.
Only a remnant of Americans today are willing to do even the most minor things to influence government. Few will contact their representatives to express concern or encouragement. Few will contribute their time and money to candidates they favor. Few will gather with others of like mind to encourage each other to run for office or campaign for those who do. Some will complain to their friends and family with little effect but it is safe and costs nothing. Some will consume media that spoon feeds information and opinions to them. Few will spend private time to learn and develop their own values and choose for themselves what policies of governance they care about. Others will simply avoid awareness of governance (politics) completely believing that they are irrelevant to their life or they simply seek to avoid the conflicts that so often occur.
America’s electoral process divides the nation into 50 different voting districts we call states. Some we call red for conservative. Others are blue for liberal. The contributions to national governance are determined by the populational values of each state. Some states shift back and forth in various election periods since no set of values always holds dominance. In other states the minority’s values are never recognized as the majority holds perpetual control.
Given this structure it is possible for members of minorities in some states to relocate to states where their values and votes have greater influence in national elections. Few Americans are even willing to choose the location of their residence, where they would vote, to influence the government they claim to care about.
Some will call on quotes by Thomas Jefferson, “The tree of Liberty must at times be refreshed by the blood of patriots and tyrants.” They are seeking to stir the passions of more Americans to resist the tyranny of government. Many become frustrated at the apathy of most Americans. Few understand the history of change and like Mark Twain, recognize that few people are true patriots. Most people are timid. Few people are part of the remnant, who would risk or sacrifice comforts for the sake of liberty.
Patriotism comes with the requirement of sacrifice (time, money, location) and maybe even lives, fortunes and sacred honor. Only a remnant will sacrifice or apply serious effort toward change.
Leftists who hate American values have great success mobilizing ignorant masses. Patriots have a much harder time.
Jesus said that the road to life is narrow and few are those who find it. The road to destruction is wide and many are those who find it.