One overarching element of the Book of Mormon record is something that many people call "the pride cycle", which is readily seen in the graphic of this post. A studied approach toward good is necessary from a large majority of a nation or people to get out the pride cycle once it has taken hold of a society.
If the current American people were on the cycle, I predict we would be somewhere between "Righteousness and prosperity" and "Pride and wickedness", leading to "Destruction and suffering". In most measures, we have enjoyed a very long period of prosperity that was largely due to the righteousness and industry of previous generations. As we have largely abandoned the ways of our parents and grandparents, we are already beginning to pay the price in a fading prosperity. Few people deny that the children of today will have lives less pleasant than we have enjoyed. All of the economic indicators are going in the wrong direction and the "Pax Americana" that the world has largely enjoyed in decades past is replaced with the drumbeat of war on several fronts.
I don't really worry too much about the children. In spite of our world of mechanized compulsory schooling, depressing economics, and over-socialized, over-sexualized peer worship, these young people are amazingly resilient and resourceful and totally capable of overcoming the stupidity that my older generation has pandered to and pushed our children into. They have an obvious strength and ability to swing themselves into a permanent state of "Righteousness and prosperity" and to avoid our decadent "Pride and wickedness" before they are stuck with the "Destruction and suffering" that our foolishness will bring on.
Myself and my cohort seem the lot to be most concerned about. We ruined our society with LGBTQ+++ and DEI idiocy and we gave fuel to the fire of "climate" hysteria, among thousands of other lunatic ideas that we fat and lazy cretins are easily brought to think. We gave our disposable incomes and our largely disposable existences toward the missions of enriching oligarchs and worshiping ideologues, both promising much but rarely delivering anything worthwhile. This is at the root of our "Pride and wickedness", raising mere mortals to being our gods.
Even for us, there remains hope if we recognize our peril and spin ourselves about toward the state of "Humility and repentance", a recipe for joy provided by the likes of Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. The way for us to avoid getting stuck in the "pride cycle" is well preached by mounds of scriptural affirmations and the words of modern prophets and apostles. We need to access these saving resources and Christ's redemptive power (grace) and "shake off the dust" of this corrupt world we have helped to ruin and turn to the better living and example that the Divine has told us time and again to embrace. God will readily forgive us our silliness as we change and turn to him!
I implore us all to get out of the "cycle" toward "Destruction and suffering" and return to the "Righteousness and prosperity" that God and his Christ have in store for us!
