Our faith and trust in our country and especially, our government, suffered two severe blows which affected our identity. This gives us a healthy humility combined with a proper sense of importance and value. The most enduring traditions are always religious in origin because they flow out of the deepest springs of the human heart touching the very core of our identity. This means we are NOT victims. A victim mentality, which is so rampant today in America, gives a person a feeling of helplessness which, in turn, creates great resentment.
Victims feel sorry for themselves, which is the worst thing a person can do.
Self-pity, jealousy, bitterness and resentment are not character qualities of conquerors. While victims often feel very insecure and take every insult personally, conquerors do not have that luxury. One who knows that his side will ultimately win, as Christians do, can pray for their persecutors and forgive those who despitefully mistreat them. The chart below is a comparison between fire and anger. See pages 19 and 20 of Getting to the Root.