In the past several years, events in the world have demonstrated the profound level of distrust people and nations have for one another due to disagreements over just about everything.
Lying, cheating, stealing, the tolerance for those who do these things, especially governments who do these things to other nations, and their own people are common now. The world since the Covid pandemic brought a new standard of deviancy in government operations to the forefront. In America, the phrase "Uniparty" has crept into the political jargon, and not without merit. Between election days and swearing in, federally elected officials appear to have been co-opted by the largest bidders. Voters no longer matter.
The United States Constitution, once thought to be a masterpiece of enlightened legal thought in written form, has been twisted and abused to the point of nearly being unrecognizable from what its authors and original framers intended. Sure, we amended it some with fair results but the legal underpinnings have been weakened by state laws with malicious, often bigoted, and distinctly un-Christian intent. These kinds of people have gained strength in some areas of the country, it could be argued.
Globally conflict, famine, trade wars, bigotry of all kinds, and from every direction abound. American weakness, like American strength a couple of generations ago, is mocked and hated even by those who want our intervention.
Most scholars agree that there are five things upon which modern civilization thrives: First, advanced cities; second, specialized workers; third, complex institutions; fourth, record keeping; and fifth (arguably most important) advanced technology.
These five elements of civil societies are the keys to many good things that mankind can achieve on its own, with a certain level of cooperation between other civil societies. Complex institutions of governance, education, faith, economics, and so forth have been a hallmark of American society for over a century. The same can be said for Europe. There have been many profound mistakes along the way, but we have managed to avoid worldwide escalations of the problems that lead to warfare since 1945. Could this be ending?
Since the end of World War II, America--for better or worse--has been the lightning rod for just about every major event in the world since then. All of the five pillars I mentioned before have been effected one way or another by something we have done as a nation. Our dollar is still the basis upon which all other currencies are based, but not without competition from other nations that have grown tired of our dominance.
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, it struck like lightning and we in the United States were singularly unprepared and mismanaged. We now distrust everything to do with government no matter what. Economic foundations, religious foundations, and trustworthy systems like courts, policing, banking, and methods of accounting have fallen to a narrative posing as the truth.
Yesterday, Donald J. Trump, the 45th--and perhaps 47th--President of the United States was convicted in New York City of a number of felonies connected to paying "hush money" to a former porn star. I held my nose, and voted for him twice based on my own interests, but no more. Higher ideals must prevail, and he represents none of mine.
Worse still, judicial systems previously admired and strengthened by the character of those who staffed them, from judges and justices to the lawyers on both sides of any issue, whether civil or criminal, to the clerks have now been reduced to the level of those in any corrupt nation in any junta dominated thugocracy in the so-called "global south". New York Attorney General Letitia James and her lackey, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg apparently count on the ignorance of the majority of us in this matter of selective prosecution. Just remember, you could be next.
Pillars of society were never intended to be pushed down. They were always intended to be built upon, strengthened, and improved upon with better ideas, and built by people in succeeding generations that are better than us. We try to raise our children this way, and educate them with morals, spirit, patriotism, and an ethic that makes us better in future generations.
When we are successful, we avoid the result that now appears inevitable. Like the Enlightenment philosophe Joseph d'Maistre said:
Every country has the government it deserves.
