[Alasdair MacIntyre’s]…minatory warning was: “The barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for quite some time.” That was a scary thing to hear from one of the world’s great philosophers. I soon began to hear it from other leading intellectuals also, such as Philip Rieff, Christopher Lasch and Robert Bellah. That is what I heard in the echoes of 9/11: that all great civilisations eventually decline, and when they begin to do so they are vulnerable. That is what Osama bin Laden believed about the West and so did some of the West’s own greatest minds.
If so, then 9/11 belongs to a wider series of phenomena affecting the West: the disintegration of the family, the demise of authority, the build-up of personal debt, the collapse of financial institutions, the downgrading of the American economy, the continuing failure of some European economies, the loss of a sense of honour, loyalty and integrity that has brought once esteemed groups into disrepute, the waning throughout the West of a sense of national identity; even last month’s riots.
These are all signs of the arteriosclerosis of a culture, a civilisation grown old. Whenever Me takes precedence over We, and pleasure today over viability tomorrow, a society is in trouble. If so, then the enemy is not radical Islam, it is us and our by now unsustainable self-indulgence.
There is so much wrong with contemporary Western culture. Government programs cannot renew us, they can only sustain us temporarily in our self-indulgence, broadening the dysfunctional subculture of dependency and entitlement. But when we run out of other people’s money, we find ourselves with nothing; we find that we’ve stored up our treasures in the wrong place after all.
“If so, then 9/11 belongs to a wider series of phenomena affecting the West: the disintegration of the family, the demise of authority, the build-up of personal debt, the collapse of financial institutions, the downgrading of the American economy, the continuing failure of some European economies, the loss of a sense of honour, loyalty and integrity that has brought once esteemed groups into disrepute, the waning throughout the West of a sense of national identity; even last month’s riots.
These are all signs of the arteriosclerosis of a culture, a civilisation grown old. Whenever Me takes precedence over We, and pleasure today over viability tomorrow, a society is in trouble. If so, then the enemy is not radical Islam, it is us and our by now unsustainable self-indulgence.
The West has expended much energy and courage fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq abroad and defeating terror at home. It has spent far less, if any, in renewing its own morality and the institutions — families, communities, ethical codes, standards in public life — where it is created and sustained. But if I am right, this is the West’s greatest weakness in the eyes of its enemies as well as its friends.
The only way to save the world is to begin with ourselves. Our burden after 9/11 is to renew the moral disciplines of freedom. Some say it can’t be done. They are wrong: it can and must. Surely we owe the dead no less.â€
Isn’t this, in various forms and snippets, what has been said over and over again by many of us on TitusOneNine over the past several years.
And haven’t the contradictions between what we ‘know we should be’ and ‘what we are’ and ‘where we are going’ been the the basis or justification for ‘radical left’ solutions to our problems that involve the ‘glorification of the state’ instead of the assumption of personal responsibility for resolving this situation?
I agree with the two commenters above and with Chief Rabbi Sacks. And while I certainly do not condone the horrific acts of the Islamic terrorists, it is my understanding that part of what motivates them is their revulsion at the immorality of much of Western culture. One need only endure a few minutes of “E” channel, observe several magazine covers while standing in the supermarket checkout line, or be subjected to the relativistic values of certain hierarchical, church-like entities the names of which need not be mentioned, to feel nauseated. Of course, our response – sensibly, rightly, and justly – does not include murder, torture, or the forced conversion of others.
We are reading through Isaiah this month…not much different from reading current news…probably can anticipate a similar outcome. It is not pretty. Sackcloth and ashes seem to be in order; if the nation repents, God my stay His hand, but it looks to me that “His hand is outstretched still.”
Frances S Scott
The author is accurate in his observations. I would add that “radical Islam” (and I put quotes around that, because I believe it is like talking about a “round circle” to speak of “radical Islam”) is ready as it can be to take advantage of all these significant moral collapses in western civilization; the goal, of course, is world domination by Islam. Sooner or later we are simply going to have to admit that to ourselves. As much as we want to be “tolerant” of religions, we are going to have to wake up and smell the coffee.
I’m reminded of an article by Bernard Lewis entitled “Was Osama Right?’ It appeared in the WSJ four or so years ago. Regarding the two superpowers, Lewis states ‘it is clear that they (Bin Laden and his colleagues) expected this second task, dealing with America, would be comparatively simple and easy.’ The first task of course was dealing with the Soviet Union whose defeat in Afghanistan was to Bin Laden ‘a Muslim victory in a jihad’ and not a western victory. This concept was eye opening to me, and that’s why I saved the article.
“The fish rots from the head first.”
Apparently even Osama bin Laden was not immune from moral corruption as witnessed by his stash of porn found in the raid on his compound. Return quickly Lord Jesus!