America is falling apart. The world is falling apart. Doom, from God, the environment, or the coming global military or economic collapse, we all know it’s just around the corner. Too bad it almost certainly ain’t so and that behaving otherwise probably does more harm than good on just about every level.
Historian Thomas F. Madden has a great look at this perennial favorite on America’s non-decline, but I think most of it applies to just about every type of doomsayer.
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The whole "best of times worst of times" crap. I always get a kick when reading comments about the latest this or that post on some website with lefties right now saying invariably its the worst of times. Show’s how darn greedy they are that it’s only the worst of times simply for one reason: something is happening to them.Â
Of course the war in Iraq, which affects no one they know personally in Berkeley, is worse than the Civil War/WWII/WWI/etc because they are offended to read about it in the paper.
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Part of it is the endowment effect. Things change, and we notice the things we lost more than the things we gained.
Part of it is that in a nation of 300 million people, you can find numerous adherents to practically any opinion, no matter how absurd.
I also think part of it is that it’s just in our nature to look for things to be dissatisfied about. In moderation, it’s a positive trait because it keeps us focused on things we can continue to improve, but it can be taken too far.
If people keep saying, "The World is going to end tomorrow.", someone’s going to be right eventually. Right? Right?
Oh, probably not….
I had similar, almost private, thoughts recently!
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All great empires fall. I’d rather deal with the concerns of those that predict the demise of America too early, over those that foresee nothing but blue skies.
The former can be looked at an analyzed, while the latter must be taken on faith.
And as well all know, faith and government don’t belong together.
Hope and optimism is a good campaign slogan, it’s terrible policy.
Personally, I’ve always wondered whether there’s something in humans that wants an "endtime". It reminds me of the standard copout used when I was in high school: "Why study? Us and the Soviets will nuke each other within a few years anyway?"
Eventually, we woke up and realized that the world will go on, along with all its annoying bits about responsibility, etc. You won’t be seeing any cool Wagnerian theatrics with Valhall burning to stirring music. The Rapture won’t happen, and the spaceship won’t take you to Halley’s Comet.
Instead, you’ll live out your life in the daily world with a daily life and a mortgage payment due on the first of the month.
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Kevin: The question for me would be, what are the doomsayers actually producing that is positive and valuable? If that can be measured, okay. But I find it much more common that they aren’t producing anything valuable at all except pessimism, negativity, and lack of faith.
I’ve read that Martin Luther, most influential of all Protestants, was once asked what he’d do if he became convinced Jesus was returning tomorrow. His answer I thought was profound: plant a tree. Which is a pretty good way of saying that you don’t do anything different, you concentrate on making today better and building a better future, and you worry about the world ending when the world ends and not before.
If the doomsayers think America is going to hell in a handbasket, they need to tell us what we do different to fix it. And it better be, in my view, practical and achievable.
Yes, America will probably eventually be gone. Possibly like the Roman Empire, in a long slow dissipation, or maybe like Carthage, in fire and destruction. Or maybe like the ancient Etruscans, who seem to have just faded away. What does any of that have to do with how I should behave today?
Dean,
OK- here is a good start:
Repent. Individuals must dedicate themselves to their relationship with G-d. Each according to his abilities.
Love your neigboor like yourself. (As much as possible.)
Honor your mother and father.
Don’t steal.
Don’t murder.
Recognize and support legitimate government authority.
Don’t surrender to become slaves of our animal nature.
Don’t surrender to the enemies of this country.
Be grateful and happy for the good we have.
Have 2.1 children. Raise them to follow the above.
The more individuals that do this, the stronger and more longlasting the civilization. The key players in this are individuals, parents and spiritual leaders, as they arise by proving their worth. What can we do? See above. Do it for ourselves and encourage others to as well. Unfortunately, there is no government program or magic bullet. Also no shortcuts. And we have recently weakened many of the cultural traditions that help in these regards.
That’s a start for now. Its all achievable and practical. In fact, I do believe this was the recipe for the founding and building of the USA. Behaving in the opposite manner is the recipe for its disintegration.
Hey, Detroit, ain’t no ‘Murica was built with having 2.1 children.
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Ron,
I’m not trying to overwhelm anyone.  Besides, today there are anti-biotics. Like I said, its a start.
That all pretty much looks like advice everyone should follow regardless of anything, Detroit. Well except I’m with Ron, I don’t know where the 2.1 bit comes from.
2.1 is the Sub-replacement fertility rate. Below 2.1 children per woman, the total population of a region starts to go down.
I know, I just didn’t see how that would be part of how the country was founded or was even a number anyone would have known about prior to this century.
It’s also not clear to me whether it’s a target we’re supposed to try to go below, or above, or hit precisely. I, for example, do not believe there is any problem with overpopulation in the United States. At all. There are those who value "be fruitful and multiply" and would suggest that 2 children is nowhere near enough. There are others who are convinced the end is nigh due to crushing overpopulation and we have a moral obligation to have fewer children or none at all. So I’m just saying, I’m not sure what to make of that number in the context of this particular discussion.
That all pretty much looks like advice everyone should follow regardless of anything, Detroit. Well except I’m with Ron, I don’t know where the 2.1 bit comes from.
I know. I just think that, as of late, as a society, we have denigrated many of these values and that, unless we reverse course, there will be serious consequences.
Regarding 2.1 children – I’ld like to say everyone have many children. But that would be making a decree that the masses would not be able to deal with, and so totally impractical at this time.
Regarding the “population bomb”, I think demographic studies show that we are in a demographic winter in the Western world. So I wouldn’t worry about this right now.
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