Are We Nearing The End Times - Part 1 - Lovers of Self and Lovers of Money
For a long time I have been praying a piece of scripture to become true. That piece of scripture is as follows:
Luke 12:1-3 (NASB)
[1] Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.[2] “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.[3] “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.
In light of what has been happening politically in this country, I prayed that all would be revealed. That everything done in secret would be revealed so that the people would at least understand what is going on and could act accordingly. That is, to either follow a way that is counter to the Lord, or follow a way that gets closer to Him. I also asked that it would be revealed from both sides, leftist/liberal or conservative, and to all persons. I became amazed at what was happening. Suddenly, I was starting to see all kinds of information being shown, and at the same time I became aware of cover-ups and unfounded slander pushed to discredit the other side of the debate. But one thing that I did not anticipate was the Pandemic followed by the Riots. The Pandemic and the Riots have pushed the hidden character of men to the forefront, exposing the undercurrent of the political firestorm in today's situation. So I started studying to make myself aware of the Lord's involvement in the affairs of men. I knew that towards the end that there would be earthquakes and pestilence along the side famine intertwined with the actions of men:
Luke 21:10-11 (NASB)
[10] Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,[11] and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
Note that in this verse the term “kingdom against kingdom” has to do with political boundaries, e.g. countries against countries. The term “nation will rise against nation” has to do with people groups with common values/lineage (as nation is ethnos in the Greek, and that is where we get the term ethnic from - but it means more than just an ethnic group and encompasses the idea of commonality among a people group, e.g. liberal, conservative, black, white, Sunni, Shiite, etc.). We can see all kinds of strains in the world structure today where there is conflict based upon these two ideas. The following is from the WikiPedia article on Ethnic group for clarification:
"The Greek term {i.e., ethnos} in early antiquity (Homeric Greek) could refer to any large group, a host of men, a band of comrades as well as a swarm or flock of animals. In Classical Greek, the term took on a meaning comparable to the concept now expressed by "ethnic group", mostly translated as "nation, people"; only in Hellenistic Greek did the term tend to become further narrowed to refer to "foreign" or "barbarous" nations in particular (whence the later meaning "heathen, pagan"). ... Membership of an ethnic group tends to be defined by a shared cultural heritage, ancestry, origin myth, history, homeland, language or dialect, symbolic systems such as religion, mythology and ritual, cuisine, dressing style, art or physical appearance. Ethnic groups often continue to speak related languages and share a similar gene pool. By way of language shift, acculturation, adoption and religious conversion, it is sometimes possible for individuals or groups to leave one ethnic group and become part of another. The social construct that ethnic groups share a similar gene pool has been contradicted within the scientific community as evidenced by data finding more genetic variation within ethnic groups compared to between ethnic groups."
The Pandemic interestingly enough has revealed the heart of many persons in the United States and around the world. Some of it good, according to scripture, but mostly bad, according to scripture. So I thought it wise to step back and take a look at what was revealed in light of the current situation and to see how it fits into a simple question, “Are we approaching the End Times?”
There are a number of scripture passages which talk to the passions of man that would occur prior to what Jesus called “the End Times.” Note that Jesus said that no one knows the exact time, but that a key element would be that men would mirror men in the time of Noah:
Matthew 24:36-39 (NASB)
[36] “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.[37] “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.[38] “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,[39] and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Notice the affirmation of Noah and of the flood and what it did. We are then left with the problem of what men were like in the days of Noah, and can be summarized in the following verses; and I am using the term Men in its generic sense, to be all inclusive of Men and Women alike, i.e. everyone:
Genesis 6:5 (NASB)
[5] Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
2 Peter 2:4-6 (NASB)
[4] For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; [5] and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; [6] and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;
1 Peter 3:18-20 (NASB)
[18] For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; [19] in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, [20] who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
So we have the following about man at the time of Noah: (1) wickedness was great; (2) every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually; (3) ungodly; and (4) disobedient to God. From this, can we look at some other scripture, analyze it, and see if the current state of Man approaches that of the days of Noah? It should be possible and the outcome should tell us if we are close to the End Times, this is especially true of intents and thoughts being evil.
So, let us begin our study with the following passage from 2nd Timothy which contains 20 items to consider, of which we will look at two in this part of our study:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NASB)
[1] But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. [2] For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, [4] treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, [5] holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
Men will be lovers of self - that is, eminently selfish (philautos, a lover of oneself). This is a person whom has made themselves the central and leading object of living. This was evident in the pandemic where individuals were unwilling to do something as simple as keep themselves away from the most vulnerable in the population, wearing of masks to prevent their own illnesses from crossing to others and increasing the toll of the disease. “I want to do what I want to do, and you can’t stop me.” You can basically say that being a lover of oneself can lead to the other items in the list, so it is mentioned first here.
You might say, "how did we get here?" I think that one of the indicators was the pushing aside of things of God and the rise of homosexuality. Why would I think that? Because the Lord compares homosexuality to idolotry and that leads to a change in the psyche of man. Pushing aside the things of God and trying to cover any pretense of adhering to the ways of the Lord is discussed in the following passage:
Romans 1:18-19 (NASB)
[18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, [19] because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Notice that God's wrath is against ungodliness and unrighteousness, specifically of men who suppress the truth. Men know about God because God built that awareness into them. That is why men seek for something to fill the void. God is specifically against those who would suppress the truth and we can see that unfolding in the current push to do away with Christian services. Bars are open during the Pandemic, but you cannot go to church (not safe they say). The passage goes on:
Romans 1:20-23 (NASB)
[20] For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. [21] For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [22] Professing to be wise, they became fools, [23] and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Notice the slide here, men went from understanding at least a little about God from what he made to speculation, ending in exchanging God's glory for other speculative fair, including idols. So what did God do about this?
Romans 1:24-25 (NASB)
[24] Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. [25] For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Rather than rain fire and brimstone down on man, God gave them over to what they wanted. It seems from what we have seen in the affairs of men lately that the country has gone nuts going towards all kinds of ideas, never settling on the truth that is before them. But the crowning moment was when this country went over to homosexuality and various other forms of sexual deviance:
Romans 1:26-27 (NASB)
[26] For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, [27] and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
Men will be lovers of money - (Greek philarguros, fond of money, covetous). We know from other passages that wanting something that was not yours was evil and that you should be content with what you have due to the Lord giving to all as he desires, not based on what we want ourselves:
From the 10 commandments - Exodus 20:17 (NASB)[17] “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
1 Timothy 6:10 (NASB)
[10] For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:6-9 (NASB)
[6] But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. [7] For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. [8] If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. [9] But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
Proverbs 23:4-5 (NASB)
[4] Do not weary yourself to gain wealth,
Cease from your consideration of it.
[5] When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
So how has love of money shown itself in the hearts and minds of Americans? There was a vivid illustration of this during the Pandemic when an image flashed on the screen of the television during a syndicated program from a purveyor of what stocks to buy. The screen showed two disparate items: (a) “The Dows’s Best Week since 1938” and (b) “More than 16M Americans have lost jobs in 3 weeks.” This illustrates the fact that the love of money has caused men to value money (the rise in stock) over the plight of their fellow man (the 16M losing their jobs). We read in scripture that the rich are supposed to give to their workers what is due them:
Proverbs 3:27-28 (NASB)
[27] Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
[28] Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
James 5:1-6 (NASB)
[1] Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. [2] Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. [3] Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! [4] Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. [5] You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. [6] You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
For a severe example of what Love of Money can do, take a listen to a TED Talk by Eric Sannerud, “Without Farmers, you’d be hungry, naked and sober.” In that talk, Eric talks about the “Maximize Production, Minimize Costs” push, better seen as “farming is now a cost to be minimized” and what that has done. Bread may cost $3.49 a loaf of which the farmer makes 12 cents. The average age of a farmer in the US is 58.3 years, with 33% of farmers over the age of 65 years. When these people retire, we aren’t really replacing them. There were only 2,000 under the age of 30 added to the overall farmer base between 2008 and 2012 in the entire US. As a result of the cost minimization, it takes more for a farmer to be able to support themselves and their families. Where it used to be possible to support yourself with a dairy farm having 6 cows, it now requires 600 cows to get the same level of return. Instead of 20 acres of land planting various crops, it may now take 10,000 acres for a farmer to support themselves. That is a scary thought. What happens when there is only one farmer in a county? Do they finally sell their property in order to retire and now we have no one? Then where are we? Where do we get food from and note that famine is looming in the distance as we contemplate this.
So what have we seen in this study? In spite of some highlights among men, in general, have men become lovers of self? - check. Have men become lovers of money? - check.
Luke 12:1-3 (NASB)
[1] Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.[2] “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.[3] “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon the housetops.
In light of what has been happening politically in this country, I prayed that all would be revealed. That everything done in secret would be revealed so that the people would at least understand what is going on and could act accordingly. That is, to either follow a way that is counter to the Lord, or follow a way that gets closer to Him. I also asked that it would be revealed from both sides, leftist/liberal or conservative, and to all persons. I became amazed at what was happening. Suddenly, I was starting to see all kinds of information being shown, and at the same time I became aware of cover-ups and unfounded slander pushed to discredit the other side of the debate. But one thing that I did not anticipate was the Pandemic followed by the Riots. The Pandemic and the Riots have pushed the hidden character of men to the forefront, exposing the undercurrent of the political firestorm in today's situation. So I started studying to make myself aware of the Lord's involvement in the affairs of men. I knew that towards the end that there would be earthquakes and pestilence along the side famine intertwined with the actions of men:
Luke 21:10-11 (NASB)
[10] Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom,[11] and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
Note that in this verse the term “kingdom against kingdom” has to do with political boundaries, e.g. countries against countries. The term “nation will rise against nation” has to do with people groups with common values/lineage (as nation is ethnos in the Greek, and that is where we get the term ethnic from - but it means more than just an ethnic group and encompasses the idea of commonality among a people group, e.g. liberal, conservative, black, white, Sunni, Shiite, etc.). We can see all kinds of strains in the world structure today where there is conflict based upon these two ideas. The following is from the WikiPedia article on Ethnic group for clarification:
"The Greek term {i.e., ethnos} in early antiquity (Homeric Greek) could refer to any large group, a host of men, a band of comrades as well as a swarm or flock of animals. In Classical Greek, the term took on a meaning comparable to the concept now expressed by "ethnic group", mostly translated as "nation, people"; only in Hellenistic Greek did the term tend to become further narrowed to refer to "foreign" or "barbarous" nations in particular (whence the later meaning "heathen, pagan"). ... Membership of an ethnic group tends to be defined by a shared cultural heritage, ancestry, origin myth, history, homeland, language or dialect, symbolic systems such as religion, mythology and ritual, cuisine, dressing style, art or physical appearance. Ethnic groups often continue to speak related languages and share a similar gene pool. By way of language shift, acculturation, adoption and religious conversion, it is sometimes possible for individuals or groups to leave one ethnic group and become part of another. The social construct that ethnic groups share a similar gene pool has been contradicted within the scientific community as evidenced by data finding more genetic variation within ethnic groups compared to between ethnic groups."
The Pandemic interestingly enough has revealed the heart of many persons in the United States and around the world. Some of it good, according to scripture, but mostly bad, according to scripture. So I thought it wise to step back and take a look at what was revealed in light of the current situation and to see how it fits into a simple question, “Are we approaching the End Times?”
There are a number of scripture passages which talk to the passions of man that would occur prior to what Jesus called “the End Times.” Note that Jesus said that no one knows the exact time, but that a key element would be that men would mirror men in the time of Noah:
Matthew 24:36-39 (NASB)
[36] “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.[37] “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.[38] “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,[39] and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Notice the affirmation of Noah and of the flood and what it did. We are then left with the problem of what men were like in the days of Noah, and can be summarized in the following verses; and I am using the term Men in its generic sense, to be all inclusive of Men and Women alike, i.e. everyone:
Genesis 6:5 (NASB)
[5] Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
2 Peter 2:4-6 (NASB)
[4] For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; [5] and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; [6] and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter;
1 Peter 3:18-20 (NASB)
[18] For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; [19] in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, [20] who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.
So we have the following about man at the time of Noah: (1) wickedness was great; (2) every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually; (3) ungodly; and (4) disobedient to God. From this, can we look at some other scripture, analyze it, and see if the current state of Man approaches that of the days of Noah? It should be possible and the outcome should tell us if we are close to the End Times, this is especially true of intents and thoughts being evil.
So, let us begin our study with the following passage from 2nd Timothy which contains 20 items to consider, of which we will look at two in this part of our study:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NASB)
[1] But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. [2] For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, [4] treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, [5] holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
Men will be lovers of self - that is, eminently selfish (philautos, a lover of oneself). This is a person whom has made themselves the central and leading object of living. This was evident in the pandemic where individuals were unwilling to do something as simple as keep themselves away from the most vulnerable in the population, wearing of masks to prevent their own illnesses from crossing to others and increasing the toll of the disease. “I want to do what I want to do, and you can’t stop me.” You can basically say that being a lover of oneself can lead to the other items in the list, so it is mentioned first here.
You might say, "how did we get here?" I think that one of the indicators was the pushing aside of things of God and the rise of homosexuality. Why would I think that? Because the Lord compares homosexuality to idolotry and that leads to a change in the psyche of man. Pushing aside the things of God and trying to cover any pretense of adhering to the ways of the Lord is discussed in the following passage:
Romans 1:18-19 (NASB)
[18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, [19] because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
Notice that God's wrath is against ungodliness and unrighteousness, specifically of men who suppress the truth. Men know about God because God built that awareness into them. That is why men seek for something to fill the void. God is specifically against those who would suppress the truth and we can see that unfolding in the current push to do away with Christian services. Bars are open during the Pandemic, but you cannot go to church (not safe they say). The passage goes on:
Romans 1:20-23 (NASB)
[20] For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. [21] For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. [22] Professing to be wise, they became fools, [23] and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Notice the slide here, men went from understanding at least a little about God from what he made to speculation, ending in exchanging God's glory for other speculative fair, including idols. So what did God do about this?
Romans 1:24-25 (NASB)
[24] Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. [25] For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Rather than rain fire and brimstone down on man, God gave them over to what they wanted. It seems from what we have seen in the affairs of men lately that the country has gone nuts going towards all kinds of ideas, never settling on the truth that is before them. But the crowning moment was when this country went over to homosexuality and various other forms of sexual deviance:
Romans 1:26-27 (NASB)
[26] For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, [27] and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
This is all because of the drift of our society towards that which is hostile to God. Notice what God did in response:
Romans 1:28-32 (NASB)
[28] And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, [29] being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, [30] slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, [31] without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; [32] and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
So God gives men over to a depraved mind, focused inward, devoid of righteousness. And notice the list of characteristics that result. Many of these are the same as in the passage from I Timothy 3 above. Notice at the end the push to copy the characteristics. We will add the last passage from Romans to our study, since it seems appropriate to our discussion of End Times indicators.
Men will be lovers of money - (Greek philarguros, fond of money, covetous). We know from other passages that wanting something that was not yours was evil and that you should be content with what you have due to the Lord giving to all as he desires, not based on what we want ourselves:
From the 10 commandments - Exodus 20:17 (NASB)[17] “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
1 Timothy 6:10 (NASB)
[10] For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:6-9 (NASB)
[6] But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. [7] For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. [8] If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. [9] But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
Proverbs 23:4-5 (NASB)
[4] Do not weary yourself to gain wealth,
Cease from your consideration of it.
[5] When you set your eyes on it, it is gone.
For wealth certainly makes itself wings
Like an eagle that flies toward the heavens.
So how has love of money shown itself in the hearts and minds of Americans? There was a vivid illustration of this during the Pandemic when an image flashed on the screen of the television during a syndicated program from a purveyor of what stocks to buy. The screen showed two disparate items: (a) “The Dows’s Best Week since 1938” and (b) “More than 16M Americans have lost jobs in 3 weeks.” This illustrates the fact that the love of money has caused men to value money (the rise in stock) over the plight of their fellow man (the 16M losing their jobs). We read in scripture that the rich are supposed to give to their workers what is due them:
Proverbs 3:27-28 (NASB)
[27] Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in your power to do it.
[28] Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
James 5:1-6 (NASB)
[1] Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. [2] Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. [3] Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! [4] Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. [5] You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. [6] You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.
For a severe example of what Love of Money can do, take a listen to a TED Talk by Eric Sannerud, “Without Farmers, you’d be hungry, naked and sober.” In that talk, Eric talks about the “Maximize Production, Minimize Costs” push, better seen as “farming is now a cost to be minimized” and what that has done. Bread may cost $3.49 a loaf of which the farmer makes 12 cents. The average age of a farmer in the US is 58.3 years, with 33% of farmers over the age of 65 years. When these people retire, we aren’t really replacing them. There were only 2,000 under the age of 30 added to the overall farmer base between 2008 and 2012 in the entire US. As a result of the cost minimization, it takes more for a farmer to be able to support themselves and their families. Where it used to be possible to support yourself with a dairy farm having 6 cows, it now requires 600 cows to get the same level of return. Instead of 20 acres of land planting various crops, it may now take 10,000 acres for a farmer to support themselves. That is a scary thought. What happens when there is only one farmer in a county? Do they finally sell their property in order to retire and now we have no one? Then where are we? Where do we get food from and note that famine is looming in the distance as we contemplate this.
So what have we seen in this study? In spite of some highlights among men, in general, have men become lovers of self? - check. Have men become lovers of money? - check.