There are three particular things I will not suppose, and one that I will.
I dare not suppose I can fully understand from my American home in this “New World” the perspective of those who live in the old country―for whom our one or two handsful of American generations would seem but a cute beginning.
Nor would I suppose that they could well relate to the spirit of our startup, such as it was―so radical in some ways to their Old World experience.
And finally, I may well surprise you by saying that I do not suppose that we ourselves can well relate to it any longer!―this Great Experiment, having aged so soon, quite beyond its years with the establishment of it own Old-World bureaucracy like what they had had been escaped by those fleeing in previous centuries in search of something new. We have long-since let it go in every practical sense
But what I do suppose is this: We would do well at this point to start considering this The New Old World―such moniker being more true-to-fact than the former one, even if it is not as catchy.
What has happened here goes to show, much as Jesus did in the most extremely-excellent sense, that you can start something brilliant, but that doesn’t mean that the generations can be counted on to carry it on in the original spirit or excellence of the thing. Those Americans who still carry that early torch do not do so because of the culture in which we live, but in spite of it.
And whether there will be on the horizon any New New World seems much less likely than before, there being no new land masses available to which malcontents and opportunists can readily emigrate. So it seems that, the easier option being off the table, the best we can hope for from here forward is a Renewed New World, right here on our own shores. But that would require a change in the tide of this now-established society―a change from collapse to rebuilding, from demise to restoration―a turnaround from our descent down this slippery slope we are on―a wholesale reform of the sort which the classic cognitive/moral miser will tolerate without much prodding.
We are for the most part, the kind of society that needs to be left if one wants a decent chance at a better life. Imagine if the original New World settlers had brought all the Old World people with them before founding a new society here. That’s the kind of encumbrance any substantial reform here would face. The cool kids need to be able to sit at their own table if they’re going to get anything done.
I’ve tried for about 15 years now to light a fire, but to no avail. I’ve discovered at length that Americans just don’t want to be lit up again―or at least, not with the same kind of fire I have in mind. (See my essay, American Fire, and my novel, The Extraordinary Visit of Benjamin True: The State of the Union as no one else would tell it.) Similarly unpopular are my attempts to spark some manner of reform to the original ideals of Jesus, which have been largely commandeered and rewritten by New World and Old World religious institutions alike, into something considerably different from what Jesus had in mind.
And for the record―since someone will surely be in a hurry to misinterpret me―let me state that Jesus is perfect, where the US Constitution is far from it (though it is a better system of government, I believe, than what most countries have, and than our current de facto government).
I’ve even spent several years thinking (and studying) hard about thinking itself, but I can’t seem to make a splash in that field, either. (See here. And here.)
I have thought these thingsin a time when doing so is not in fashion. And I have stated my (evolving) case for several years now, to no avail on the national stage, where to this day, my name is utterly unknown. This is increasingly “OK” with me, however, as I learn more and more about humility, and more and more about the nature and design of this world―that it was never supposed to be a Utopia, not even in a particular country, since new people are always being born into societies, and will not come out of the womb already having been taught and having learned the principle of good and evil.
I think that God established the Earth as a staging post for Heaven. That is, the Earth is where one decides: 1) Whether he wants to go to Heaven, and 2) Whether he’s willing to endure prepare for that destination. We will always have the unwilling and the unprepared among us, vying to make their own mark on our civilization. And as long as we have the vote, the majority will have considerable power.
They are born into our society being philosophically immature (no surprise here), and unlikely to attain to such maturity by the time they reach voting age. But voting aside, socieities need leadership, too. And if not enough people mature into substantial leaders, no form of high-ordered/high-principled society is sustainable. It’s a numbers thing.
With the churches incorrigibly lowering the barre on what they are willing to teach from the scriptures, and the government lowering the barre on what they are willing to teach about the founding principles of this country, it’s a “perfect storm”, it seems, and I see little hope of any substantial reform on the societal level (as opposed to the individual level, which is very hopeful!), unless a lot of people should become suddenly interested in going to radical lengths to turn things around.
But that would take people of radical conviction―so far off from center as to be willing to lay down lives―the sort of thing Jesus did, generally speaking. As we have seen, you’ll not reform a culture with players whose level of commitment to the cause is low. Fair-weather fans will not suffice.
And as my wife points out, it’s interesting how many of us modern-day Americans will still praise the radical heroism of this country’s founders, yet will do their best to quash if it they see it in their neighbors―much as they do in the churches, as well.
