Ever had a chill run down your spine?

I was on a prayer stroll last week, enjoying the sound of my wife’s worship music in my earbuds in a contemplative mood. As I walked the block, I stumbled upon a cute pedestrian bridge that traverses a small creek. What better way to enjoy time with God than this serene environment? Gently running water. A shady walk. Surely, it must be ordained! But as I walked across the bridge — at the midpoint — the enemy of all things holy stood before me: the spotted lanternfly.

If you haven’t heard of the spotted lanternfly, you’re out of the loop, and alarmingly so. They’re an invasive species — mostly from China and Vietnam — that first stormed America’s shores in Pennsylvania before quickly spreading throughout the nation. Scientists say eliminating them now will be impossible, which is a problem because they cause serious damage to trees and crops, often killing them. Grapevines and black walnut saplings are particularly vulnerable, but the pests take a toll on apples, peaches, hops, and other crops as well. Local state and the federal government officially recommend killing them and their eggs whenever given the opportunity. Research on the potential scale of damage from these polka-dotted parasites is in the preliminary stages, but we have early warning signs. The costs to Pennsylvania are projected in the hundreds of millions of dollars. And these aliens are multiplying quickly.

So you can understand why this appearance of the leprous-looking invader bothered me. After I decided earlier in the week to show it mercy and not write my hit piece, this great pest has dared to invade my country, my homeland, where my ancestors bled and tilled the soil. But it has even invaded this precious sanctuary: a quaint bridge overlooking my neighborhood stream.

As I considered crushing the fly, I looked and saw the humble Bumblebee, but he kept his distance and continued his work of service to pollinate the surrounding plants. He’s been in this country as long as I have, and he’s welcome. I also saw an ant scurrying along the railway of this bridge. He cleans the crumbs and carcasses from the earth, a noble task. But the lanternfly? No. He’s an invader. A Chinese Communist spy and saboteur, sent to disrupt my prayer life and kill American trees.

Hyperbolic? Maybe. True? Absolutely. Satirical? Absolutely not.

Are We Doomed to Perpetual Impotence?

Funny enough, the lanternfly serves as a good parable for the biggest threats facing the country and our persistent naiveté and obliviousness to them until it’s too late — not to mention our leaders’ impotence in dealing seriously with them.

Our national debt skyrockets year after year (we’re near $40 trillion now) with no hope of a solution. Communism spreads quickly among young people with little remedy. Artificial intelligence grows by leaps and bounds, even as its architects prophesy the end of humanity. Maybe the most apt comparison of the lanternfly, though, would be our unserious approach to the rise of China — you know, the place we named the capital of world manufacturing, from our cheapest goods to our most important, including the very drones and solar panels that will supposedly be the deciding factor in World War III, whenever it comes.

It seems that by the time we have recognize the problem, it may be too late. Just like the lanternflies have thoroughly invaded our country and are killing our vegetation, not to mention ruining my morning time. By the time you’re seeing this article, the experts say it’s too late to exterminate them. Is it really, though? Or are these experts realistic about what it would take to solve the problem — and our society’s inability to tackle any big problem?

Maybe it’s time we rise up and kill these lanternflies. Surely we can protect our own backyards from this invasive species. And once we do that, maybe we’ll learn what it takes to address national crises, namely unity and urgent action. These are the answers to many of our societal problems, yet we lack the moral fortitude and long-term thinking in our leadership class to do something about it — whether it’s the rise of socialism, the exploding national debt, or the rising threat of China.

Americans are fascinated by the cultures that built the pyramids and other great structures. How did they join together as one to do something so impressive? And why can’t we do that anymore? Our ancestors built the interstate highway system, but have you noticed one improvement from Biden’s infrastructure bill? We were promised a border wall, but I digress…

We have big problems to tackle. But if we are too distracted and divided, and our leaders lack moral courage and competence, then we’re easy prey for any and all of these crises — just like the black walnut trees.

Sending a Message

By now you’re probably wondering what became of this lanternfly that made the mistake of crossing my path this morning. First, I warned him to leave and to tell his buddies to get out of my homeland. I started to walk away.

A few days earlier, I had come up with the idea to write an article about how we must all unify as a nation and stop the lanternfly. But then I thought better of it. Maybe I was being dramatic, even though this threat seemed similar to the biggest problems facing our nation … seemingly inevitable and discovered too late, as we remain too divided and distracted to address it.

Maybe striking a tone of melodrama, while also addressing some of our nation’s biggest problems, would be too difficult. So I set the idea aside. But then, just when I decided to have mercy on the lantern fly, he had the audacity to interrupt my morning walk. So, I took off my American flag flip-flop. (Which I got for $5 from America’s store, Walmart), and I crushed him with it. He fell into the creek below, and the stream carried him away. Satisfied, I turned on my heel and continued my walk, but I didn’t take two steps before … right before me sat another lanternfly. And then I saw another, and another. Not three, not four, but five! There are too many of them.

Are our other problems the same? Did we wait too long to act? Are we doomed to this fate? Should we start planning to live in and revive a nation that is post-lanternfly? Post-debt crisis? Post-loss of status as the only superpower?

Are we to sit idly by as one threat after another weakens our country uncontested? Are we going to fight the lanternflies? Crush them beneath our Walmart-purchased star-spangled flag flip-flops, just like George Washington would have done? I hope so. We have fought impossible odds before. But even if we can’t win, it seems fighting back is the only noble thing to do. And maybe God will have mercy on us and reward our ill-conceived hope. Even if he doesn’t, I’d rather go down fighting in my American flag flip-flops.