And if my truth is that the world and everyone in it is a means to my end, who are you to tell me I’m wrong? The Founders declared that “all men are created equal” and thus possess “inalienable rights” to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” However, if all truth is subjective and personal, the Declaration of Independence can be just the Founders’ truth. We are watching this worldview undermine the very foundations upon which our democracy was built. Yesterday we noted a recent Pew Research Center report in which 65 percent of Americans agree that “it’s not necessary to believe in God to be moral.” Such a claim is popular because its underlying lie is popular: morality is what you believe it to be, so you need no divine assistance in defining your moral standards or achieving them. These facts are facts regardless of one’s religious commitments, if any. Living with meaningful purpose in the world is similarly linked to positive mental health and well-being. Being kind to others is instinctual for most humans since, according to social scientists, kindness clearly raises personal happiness.

Of course, none of us would claim that he would have to be an active Christian to do what he did. The news report nowhere speaks to the young man’s religious beliefs or lack thereof. None of his fellow students was injured in the incident. He told his parents later that he knew what to do because he watched the driver do it every day. He stepped to the front of the bus and used the hand brake to ease it to a stop. For example, a Michigan seventh grader recently took control of his school bus after the driver lost consciousness. When the morning news is dominated by multiple fatalities from a dust storm in Illinois, tornadoes in Virginia and Florida, a Hollywood writers strike, and the death of legendary singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, it’s uplifting to find stories of heroism as well.

Utmost for his highest