Some of the best and most popular urban myths are those that encapsulate truth, but are somehow fictitious in origin or attribution. One of my favs, which I received again this week, is the reference from the fictitious book, The Fall of the Athenian Republic, with the progression outlined below, normally attributed to Alexander Fraser Tytler.
"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."
"The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about
200 years. During those200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence:From Bondage to spiritual faith;
From spiritual faith to great courage;
From courage to liberty;
From liberty to abundance;
From abundance to complacency;
From complacency to apathy;
From apathy to dependence;
From dependence back into bondage."
I have a few quick comments to make about this.
1. We have a Representative Republic, not a Democracy
But it is entirely believable that a truly Democratic nation that votes for it’s own entitlements will eventually decline towards dependence on the state.
2. Apathy leads to more than just dependence – it leads to CHAOS
What really happens when people are complacent and apathetic is that entropy kicks in. A people that lack the virtues of self-control, industry (hard work), honesty, fidelity, and chastity will create an external chaos that begs for external government, since they lack internal government. The main reason we get bondage next is because chaos begs for military rule.
3. Bondage means both internal (lack of virtue) and external (totalitarianism)
While sin is it’s own bondage, the chaos in the above step leads to external bondage because something has to be done to regain order and justice in society.
4. Spiritual awakening can help return us to the first stage
Decline of society is not a foregone conclusion, nor are we hopelessly doomed to "repeat history." Already, there have been two "great awakenings" in the US, maybe as many as four depending on who’s counting. These awakenings led to the abolition of some of our greatest faults, which could have led to the end of the country. Out of these movements came both the abolitionist and social justice movements.
We can only hope for an awakening which will awaken us from the sins that threaten to plunge our society into chaos – we need to repent of, among other things:
- killing our unborn
- unfettered materialism and disregard for the poor
- state-sponsored solutions to poverty that avoid asking recipients to be responsible and accountable
- gluttony (Americans are FAT)
- raping the environment in the name of the economy
- sexual promiscuity and perversion
- disregard for the marriage bond
- selfish ambition and intellectual pride
- lack of love for spiritual truth, and it’s opposite evil, lack of graciousness
Man, I’ve got work to do!
Yeah, yeah, right: another theocrat raises his ugly head.
The point is, without virtue, a nation will fall. And, as many of the founders stated, virtue is not possible on a national level without faith.
Virtue is absolutely possible without faith. I am a living example of that: faithless since I was five years old and more virtuous than most I know who have faith.
Virtue is absolutely possible without faith. I am a living example of that: faithless since I was five years old and more virtuous than most I know who have faith.
While a few people may be capable of it, I don't believe that you can then say that such an approach will work on a society-wide scale. The founders clearly did not believe that.
psykotedy: You have faith in something. I'd say you have faith in your own virtue. Seriously to be human is to trust in something. Whether it is your own strength to survive or just that the sun will rise tomorrow like it did today. You have faith in something.
My opinion on what makes a nation fall? Well, when the people start individually deciding to consider their own wants before the needs of their neighbor. Then they do not care whether that person is considered a living human being or not, they will do whatever it takes to get what they want.
So then the people who are victimized by the violence will look to leaders to stomp out the violence.
The one with the biggest army wins.
Interesting points. Some of these don't have anything to do with quality of life though. For example please look at this list…
Which Countries Set the Best Examples?
The best countries are…
# Human Development Index (#1 Norway, #2 Iceland)
# Gender Equality (#1 Sweden, #2 Norway)
# Life expectancy (#1 Japan, #2 Hong Kong)
# Quality of Life (#1 Ireland, #2 Switzerland)
# Most Competitive Economy (#1 Switzerland, #2 Finland)
# Gay Rights (#1 Sweden, #2 Norway)
# Obesity (#1 Japan, #2 Korea)
# Adults at High Literacy Level (#1 Sweden, #2 Norway)
# Environment
# Open Access to Research (#1 Sweden, #2 Netherlands)
# Asylum Seeker Acceptance Rates (#1 Denmark, #2 Canada)
# Aid to Developing Countries (#1 Norway, #2 Luxembourg)
# Computer Piracy Levels (#1 USA, #2 New Zealand)
# Secularisation (#=1 Czech Republic & France)
Now I will divide Seekers list of things which he feels can "plunge out society in chaos" but are common place in the "Best Countries List" and those that are uniquely American.
The Best countries have…
– killing our unborn (abortion)
– state-sponsored solutions to poverty that avoid asking recipients to be responsible and accountable (social programs I guess)
– sexual promiscuity and perversion (God, I love Sweedish women: secular, intelligent, cultured, uninhibited, and beautiful)
– disregard for the marriage bond (I guess this means high divorce rates)
– selfish ambition and intellectual pride (not sure what Seeker means by this but other countries have a far higher literacy rate and higher science scores than Americans)
– lack of love for spiritual truth, and it's opposite evil, lack of graciousness (I think Seeker means secularism by this and if so, then the best countries are secular)
The United States has…
– unfettered materialism and disregard for the poor
– gluttony (Americans are FAT)
– raping the environment in the name of the economy (Its the Republican mantra)
Conclusion: Seeker, most of the things you contend are paths to chaos actually do a country good. The points listed under United States I agree are bad for our country.
"This data supports 'Secularisation Theory': That the more developed countries are less religious. In other words: Religion declines as society advances."