Some of the more unpleasant assignments I had in my college years were to read the existential and nihilist writings so popular on campuses. These works generally denigrate such things as faith, love of country, the purpose of life, and just plain old living a life of meaning. During the Vietnam War, the academy was captured by the Left and they maintained their relentless drive against all things American and meaningful. After reading “Heart of Darkness” or the absurdist play “Waiting For Godot,” I was left with a desire to quickly read a Louis L’Amour Western to cleanse my mental palate with a good old “violence in the name of justice” novel.

The destruction of Western Civilization never seemed like a realistic goal to me, and I often laughed to myself at how naive the Leftists had to be to believe they could bring down our society and establish…what? Just what utopian dream did they have?

And now, as a result of our ceding power to the Leftists, I see the nation I love slowly slipping into Third World status as a result of their folly. I believe they truly are hollow people full of anger, self-loathing, and intellectual immaturity. They have no meaning in their lives other than envy and the need to take, so others can’t have such things as self esteem, success, and a meaningful existence. How we ever gave control to such unstable people still fascinates me, saddens me, and angers me.

I fight back by writing and speaking, and you fight back by maintaining civil order. American law enforcement is truly the light on hill. You are the men and women who refuse to live meaningless lives, who strive to achieve, and who stand strong against the chaos that political nihilism brings to the world.

When I was investigating the key mental components required for survival, I interviewed several brilliant researchers including the insightful William Zieverink, MD, the Army’s key researcher in the mental aspects of survival. Years ago, I had read an article about his research and tracked him down to do an interview. His research was done for the military, but he enthusiastically felt I needed to pass it on to the law enforcement community. Physical elements of survival were important, but the mental aspects were essential.

Zieverink described three primary elements of a survival mindset and, as I listened, I realized that Leftist promulgate values that actually promote a life more easily ended, and miserable in its mundane day-to-day existence. In contrast, Zieverink described a life full of goals and meaning and resilience; a life well lived and eternally satisfying. His list is short and sweet, so cue the drumroll:

1.     Have faith in God; live believing in a loving God who sees your worth and will reward you in the end. I am not proselytizing here, just saying that research says this is part of a survival mindset. If you are an atheist, go to number 2.

2.     Be part of a loving family. Living surrounded by love and care is a powerful motivator to get back to everyday life. I have talked to so many officers who had to fight for their lives, and they said the image of their child or loved one drove them to keep fighting and win.

3.     Have a mission in life. On my first night on the street in a uniform I knew I had chosen the right mission for me. I have lived my whole life trying to make my beloved law enforcement better and stronger. I have seen the nation turn her back on it and this has propelled me to work even harder. I have lost contracts because of the content of my teaching but I will never stop. Live your life with your own sense of mission, modify and grow it if you need to, and remember, that when you retire, get another mission, choose another path. Heroes like you need to go on to your next quest.

Finally, seriously, don’t let the bastards wear you down. Keep faith with your profession, surround yourself with like-minded patriots and warriors, and just know that the envious ones will always try to destroy the envied.

So, never give up, and remember, that jerk Godot never did show up.

Dave Smith is an internationally recognized law enforcement trainer and is the creator of “JD Buck Savage.” You can follow Buck on Twitter at @thebucksavage