“...most certainly lack of a true moral compass is telling to this day.”
That was my point. That the world wars not only killed people and felled empires and ended dynasties, but also shattered the moral compass. Again - if our moral compass led us here, of what worth is our moral compass?
So the moral compass was shattered but not replaced. And that is the condition much of the West finds itself in today.
I would counter that a moral compass that can be shattered in the affairs of men (wars, etc.) is not a true thing and has a weak basis.
In the end, all morality must become personal. Human nature is a constant and something we often forget in our search for answers. Religion or the State alone cannot lead men to morality, but there must be something of the positive inherent in any philosophy to sustain it as such.
In a sense, true morality seeks perfection, and yet once again we must accept that human nature will seek the lowest, most comfortable level. That said, we all know the difference between right and wrong, and that understanding did not arrive with human thought.
It is a human failing that the strenght and leadership that are required to set things right often is the first victim of upheaval. Morality, or the moral compass if you will, is one of the easier things in any civilization to abandon, it's the easiest thing to rebel against. For this we have paid the price and will continue to pay.
What we see in our world today, and especially in civilized Europe is a pendulum swing. What will it take to start the swing to the other direction? History teaches us that lesson. Watch for it, expect it to happen. This century is young, but looking at the last one, what is past is prologue.
This is my opinion, take it for what it is worth.
Regards,
AR
Perhaps it is not the compass that failed, but the failure of the user to follow the compass.