Posted on 04/25/2021 10:34:18 AM PDT by Rummyfan
I have been thinking a good deal recently about Arnold Toynbee’s much-quoted observation that “Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder.” As an historical proposition, I’d say that it was like the story of the curate’s breakfast egg. “I’m afraid you’ve got a bad egg, Mr. Jones!” “Oh no, my Lord, I assure you!” the curate replied. “Parts of it are excellent!”
And yet we all see the pertinence of Toynbee’s point. While there are, as a matter of historical fact, plenty of civilizations that succumb to invasion, occupation, and subjugation, there are also many that wither from within from a failure of self-confidence, of (for the Bergsonians out there) élan vital, of what your philosophy graduate student likes to call thumos: spirit, gumption, “heart,” manliness.
The fact that no one can even speak of “manliness” today without looking over his shoulder these days is an index that thumos is on the endangered species list (along, as it happens, with sperm counts in the Western world). Why this should be is a fraught question—something whose answer is “overdetermined” as our Freudian friends like to say.
ajor reason, I submit, is that the dominant ideology of the modern West is an ideology of suicide, what the philosopher James Burnham identified as “liberalism.”
It goes without saying that when it comes to terms being “overdetermined,” “liberalism” is right up at the top. The word has its root in līber, free, which is why it used to be said that tolerance was a defining characteristic of liberalism. Edmund Burke was a liberal in this sense, as was Matthew Arnold, David Hume, James Madison, and other founding fathers.
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Israel must become center stage as this realm comes to an end.
Only a liberal would call it “slow motion” at this point.
I’d say the cultural suicide is locked in Overdrive.
The hope is to cut off or disable the power sources.
Brings me back to Camp David/Jimmy Carter. Recognizing Israel was bigger than Began and Sadat. History would not let them fail. Can we do the same with the Norks/Chicoms? Then there’s Iran. A recognized Israel will take care of it.
There is certainly a long-held Jewish religious belief that when Edom (Western Civilization) rises, Jacob falls. And when Edom falls, Jacob rises.
But it is not the total vote count that counts but who each state voted for. What was critical was that Republican states, Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and maybe Michigan, gave their secretaries of state the flexibility to approve mail in ballots and other election count irregularities. The Republican legislatures stood on the sideline and watched. So really the election must have been a deal cut beforehand by the Republicans with the Democrats is my guess. If it is suicide, it is consensual. Now those same state legislatures are passing election reform to cover themselves and not get thrown out of office. But they already cut a deal with the Democrats to cede the election to them. What other interpretation is there? But then the election was actually illegitimate? What we have witnessed is how elections have been pre-negotiated between the parties all along in most of US history. We are just seeing it as it really is for the first time. So we have the virtue of clear sightedness from which we can perhaps find future freedom? The sub title of this article is “conditions of freedom”. Clear sightedness is a condition of freedom.
Only a liberal would say it’s in overdrive.
The suicide is complete, the nation is dead, and we are left with the memories.
Only a liberal would call every body else’s opinion Liberal.
The suicide of the West was accelerated by China and its spread of Covid. The Bidens chose their partners wisely.
Look to boa constrictors to find the real threat to humanity. They live for 30 years and have no natural enemies.
I’m a lot more optimistic
Why?
For the simple reason
Socialist thought makes one : judgmental ; mean; condescending ; irritable and unhappy
Faith based reasoning leads one to be
balanced happy humble and productive
Why?
The former philosophy is about being a taker
Christ centered philosophy makes you a giver
Buddhists stated very clearly - the only way to be unhappy is to be selfish
“Me. “ Centered.
As if “you “ exist ! Hee hee
SLOW MOTION?? It’s at WARP SPEED!
The left knows what it’s doing. It’s managing to end the USA as we knew it a little at a time, totally bypassing collective consciousness, sneaking past our awareness, until one day we wake up and say “How did that happen?”
Breakdown of the family, gay acceptance, beating Christianity to a pulp, creating dependence on government, high taxes, making White a capital crime, trans acceptance, changing the vocabulary with pronouns, tolerance of islamic terrorism, elimination of freedom of thought, control of the mind through public schools and colleges, criminalizing thoughts of God. And many more.
Meanwhile, the public turns on its TV to find out what’s going on, and receives its daily dose of How to Think.
If this is slow I’d hate to see fast.
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