Monday 26 August 2024

Be careful what you (and me!) complain of!

The major and over-riding complaint is (or should be) that the leadership class of the Western world and multi-national organizations are evil-affiliated and evil-motivated, and all its major social institutions likewise - including politics, big corporations, mass media, law, military, police, medicine, education, science and the arts. 

But/And they - and the nations they control - are also declining... 

Declining in population, military and economic power, intellectual achievement, effectiveness, wealth, confidence, self-respect... declining in all-round competence.  


It is therefore commonplace and accurate to complain both that The West is evil, and that Nothing Works Anymore. 


However! 

If The West and its nations is indeed evil by nature and intent (which it is); then surely we ought not to complain that it is also weaker (which it is)?

After all - do we really want the Empire of Evil to be more powerful? 

Do we really want Britain (or America) to be Great again? Given what these places actually Are, Do, and Want-to-do? 


We Shouldn't! 

So, let's all of us try to be a bit more coherent about our complaining - and try to avoid bemoaning the fact that we cannot pursue our evil plans with greater effectiveness. 


Note: In practice the decline is effectiveness is a symptom of the underlying evil. So we cannot (from where we are now) have greater effectiveness without first becoming more-Good. However, that is in practice, and I am here referencing spiritual matters. To want Western nations to become more effective without first requiring them to become spiritually honest and Good - is to want an evil thing. 

2 comments:

Ed said...

The blogger "Z man" at "Z Blog" posted a long essay today about how modern people don't "get" Christianity.

This is not strictly tied to the topic here, but is very germane to about half the commentary on this site about the state of Christianity, so I am going to post the link to the essay today, instead of trying to wait for a more opportune time and try to dig it out later:

https://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=32570

Bruce Charlton said...

@Ed - I often read Z Man, and indeed I commented on this post. It's a thoughtful outsider's honest opinion - and interesting as such.

But the comments on this blog are mostly from committed Christians - a Very different, and "insider", perspective.