John Adams, our second president wrote:

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

NAS Ecclesiastes 1:14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.

NAS Ecclesiastes 4:4 And I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is  the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind.

In our churches:

NAS 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.

NAS Hosea 4:4 Yet let no one find fault, and let none offer reproof; For your people are like those who contend with the priest.

NAS Isaiah 29:13 Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,

NAS Isaiah 30:10 Who say to the seers, "You must not see visions"; And to the prophets, "You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions.

NAS Mark 7:6 And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 7 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' 8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." 9 He was also saying to them, "You nicely set aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.

NAS Ezekiel 33:31 "And they come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people, and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain. 32 "And behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not practice them.

In our culture:

NAS Psalm 50:16 But to the wicked God says, "What right have you to tell of My statutes, And to take My covenant in your mouth? 17 "For you hate discipline, And you cast My words behind you. 18 "When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, And you associate with adulterers. 19 "You let your mouth loose in evil, And your tongue frames deceit. 20 "You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother's son. 21 "These things you have done, and I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you, and state the case in order before your eyes.

NAS Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.

NAS Proverbs 11:10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, And when the wicked perish, there is glad shouting. 11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

NAS Proverbs 29:9 When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

NAS Proverbs 14:7 Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit. 9 Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will.

NAS Proverbs 10:14 Wise men store up knowledge, But with the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.

NAS Proverbs 14:16 A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless.

NAS Proverbs 21:2 Every man's way is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.

In our economics:

NAS Proverbs 10:4 Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

NAS Proverbs 28:11 The rich man is wise in his own eyes, But the poor who has understanding sees through him.

NAS Psalm 49:6 Even those who trust in their wealth, And boast in the abundance of their riches? 7 No man can by any means redeem his brother, Or give to God a ransom for him-- 8 For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever-- 9 That he should live on eternally; That he should not undergo decay. 10 For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish, And leave their wealth to others. 11 Their inner thought is, that their houses are forever, And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names.

NAS Isaiah 32:7 As for a rogue, his weapons are evil; He devises wicked schemes To destroy the afflicted with slander, Even though the needy one speaks what is right.

In our politics:

NAS Proverbs 16:12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, For
a throne is established on righteousness.

NAS Proverbs 25:5 Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.

NAS Psalm 2:2 The kings of the earth take their stand, And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed:

NAS Proverbs 29:9 When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man, The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

NAS Proverbs 14:7 Leave the presence of a fool, Or you will not discern words of knowledge. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit. 9 Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is good will.

In our judicial system:

NAS Isaiah 29:21 Who cause a person to be indicted by a word, And ensnare him who adjudicates at the gate, And defraud the one in the right with meaningless arguments.

NAS Amos 5:10 They hate him who reproves in the gate, And they abhor him who speaks with integrity.

NAS Isaiah 59:4 No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly. They trust in confusion, and speak lies; They conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

Conclusion: Though faced with human vanity on all sides, do not despair. Vanity is alleviated through orientation to God. Our goal is to orient people to God:

NAS Ecclesiastes 2:24 There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen, that it is from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him? 26 For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God's sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind.

NAS Ecclesiastes 12:13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and
keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring
every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.