by Joe Snyder
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My regular readers understand by now I worry a lot about America’s future. This week I am thinking about C.S. Lewis’ words: "We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our "
America is the greatest nation in the history of the world – the richest, most powerful, most envied, most consequential. Yet America leads the industrialized world in murder, violent crime, imprisonment, abortion, divorce, sexually transmitted diseases, single-parent households, teen suicide, cocaine consumption and pornography.
America is also a place of heroes, honor, achievement and respect, but our culture also celebrates self-gratification, the crossing of all moral boundaries and even the breaking of social taboos. Despite our accomplishments and greatness, we have achieved so much social regression, so much decadence, that it has been suggested we have become a place to which civilized nations once sent missionaries.
In America’s moral and distinguished history we have not left decisions to kings, cardinals or aristocrats; we rely instead on the people’s capacity to make intelligent decisions based on moral principles. Our democracy doesn’t insist on perfection, but a degree at least of moral behavior and adherence to some standards.
In a 10-minute period on Omaha Beach in WWII, a rifle company of 205 men lost 197, including every officer and sergeant. These were not pointless or avoidable deaths. The price was high but the cause was sacred. What do the young learn about this historic event from our present culture? They learn it was just an unfortunate event in our history many years ago that only interests "old-timers" and grandparents.
Two thousand years ago Pericles said: "It is only love of honor that never grows old, and honor it is, not gain as some would have it, that rejoices the heart of age and helplessness." Honor never grows old because honor is all about defending noble and worthy things that deserve to be defended, even in times of high cost.
U.S. citizens get an avalanche of words out of Washington. D.C. these days. "Political enemies are responsible for the mess we’re in. There are no consequences to my actions. The rules don’t apply to me. My private life has nothing to do with my public life, etc., etc." Honor has a future if we can keep it. We will be able to maintain it only if we value those who understand it and refuse to laugh at it.
"There are no necessary evils in government. Its evils exist only in its abuses. If it would confine itself to equal protection and, as Heaven does its rain, shower its favors alike on the high and the low, the rich and the poor, it would be an unqualified blessing." – Andrew Jackson.