The bible seems to think that a tiny tiny little wedge of land on the eastern shore of a moderately sized sea -- that land is the most important not in the world, but in the universe. It casts a shadow, as it were, across the world, and certainly across America, North America, central North America.
But how could such a great and godly thing as America go unremarked by the good prophets? In that future contest of such great forces as Gog and the Sons of the East, where are we the People of the Islands of the Sea?
Things have changed, though, in this current millennium. I now think the usa is counted among the mere nations, no special country set apart, no people serving god and coupled in amity with Israel. How could this happen? From such a sacred and special beginning, like a city on a hill, like a family called out of the nations, like a child of the king, are we now no more than a wastrel living with pigs?
Of course it could be that we were never anything more than that -- a nation blessed as nations sometimes are, but with no special blessing, only of being used for a certain purpose. A golden chamber pot is no more noble than one of clay.
This is a dark view, grim, and it disregards, perhaps disrespectfully, the highest aspirations of our history. If however our American dream is just a fantasy, a national myth such as every nation has, different only in our idealism -- well, there is much to be said for a myth that is an ambition, but we must know reality for what it is. I say we must, even if reality makes us unhappy. That's my own version of idealism: there are things more important than happiness.
There were true prophets who were not godly. Baalam, there were great national powers that were used for a time as an instrument of God's will, but which were condemned. Nineveh and Jonah come to mind. What could be more filthy than Babylon? Or more depraved than its king? Yet Nebuchadnezzar was called on by God.
So Are we one of the many Babylons? It may be that our increasingly erotic embrace of the mores of paganism is reversible, like a prodigal can wipe off the pig crap that covers him.
The news of the day may somehow be a footnote and not a theme of our history. Indeed, perhaps. I don't wish to be direful, Optimism, pessimism, realism -- you know who is happy.
It must be a temperament thing. I crave reality. Given almost every lesson of history, what does it take to reverse a civilizational trend? Revolution, catastrophic invasion, plague, decades of famine -- you see the magnitude. It's not a law of history. It's just the pattern. So far, all America has, in terms of tragedy, is worthless leaders, sometimes.
The answer of course is to stop caring about idealism and work for what is attainable. What's left to fight for? The Leftist hatred for actual free speech, that's diagnostic. Always totalitarian, given power. We no longer live under a Constitution with the rule of law, we just don't. Law is whatever current and progressive opinion would have it to be. If I gave examples, they would just be what's in the news.
Our holding actions have inevitably, universally failed. Over time, we lose, always, always.
Every victory was just a battle, not the war. Proof? America wills that it shall never win a war. Witness all the wars we have won, then lost. The last one we didn't lose in this way was Korea, and, my sweet naive friend, we will, will, will lose that one as well. It's what we do.
Sometimes i'm just silent, or silly. I don't want to be a negative voice, disloyal to what I have thought to be true. All we have is faith, in this case a sort of hope that things are different than they seem according to the evidence. Puts me in a bind. So I fall silent. Is it worth it? To speak up?
It's not that we're Babylon. There are many Babylons, always have been. And we are far less perverted than so much of the world. Or maybe we're more bent, given that we started out straighter.
I'm not talking about human nature. I'm talking about founding institutions. Our Constitution, the wisest of all human documents, for all that it was flawed. It, like any, as it were, sacred text, generated many cults. Heretics have corrupted the truth. Like, there is such a thing as human nature. And we have inalienable rights. And all men are created equal, in their human worth, but not in their abilities or character. And, freedom of speech and of conscience are the foundations of liberty. And liberty will always be lost, to the greedy by the lazy, to the ruthless by the careless, to the cynical by the complaisant,
So, it's not that we are one of the many Babylons. It's that we are in a culture of whores. The simple, and true answer, solution, is that we, you, you -- don't be a whore. Find your dignity. Be truthful. Never betray.
The word magnanimous. It means, great of spirit. That's the opposite of Babylon. Monstrous of spirit. America the Beautiful. It's aspirational.
J
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