“The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.” (Historian Sir Alexander Fraser Tytler, late-1800s)
Is it hopeless? Almost. Probably.
But maybe not.
As Sir Tytler so accurately illuminated in the quote above, nations rise and fall. That’s almost become axiomatic. But it is historically true. It isn’t quite that simple, however, and a little historical analysis would be helpful.
Empires and nations sometimes bounce on a pogo stick before the stick finally breaks and the nation collapses into non-existence or feebleness. Let me give some examples.
Ancient Egypt, in the early 3rd millennium B.C., began an empire that lasted some 2,000 years. We are familiar with the pyramids and other great Egyptian monuments and cultural works. But it wasn’t a steady rise and then a steady decline. Egypt had over 20 dynasties during those 2,000 years; one dynasty (often following Tytler’s pattern) would rise, but then it would decline, and that dynasty would end. But, soon another dynasty would advance, and this model continued for 2,000 years.
One reason Egypt was able to last so long, through the escalations and dips and vicissitudes of its dynasties, was that there was usually no great empire to challenge it—until the first millennium B.C. when Assyria, then Babylon, then Persia, then Greece, then Rome arose in succession. These great empires crushed Egypt and became a third-rate power. The country still exists, but obviously is currently a non-entity on the world stage.
China had a similar history. For 2,000 years, through several dynasties (Han, Zhou, Song, Tang, Ming, Qing), China had no one nearby to bring about total collapse when one dynasty began its decline into decadence. Soon, a new dynasty would arise. The Japanese helped finally bring about the Chinese Empire’s collapse in the late 19th-early 20th centuries, but China’s fall, much like Rome’s, was more by self-immolation than anything. China, of course, has risen from the ashes like a phoenix to be a world power. It’s just a shame that it is a horrid communist empire, the most murderous regime in human history. The Chinese government is powerful, but hardly civilized.
Greece had strong periods under Pericles and Alexander, but Rome took care of that. Rome committed suicide and let the barbarians overrun it. That might be exactly what is occurring in America today. Barbarians can’t penetrate strong empires unless they are allowed in; Rome let them in, often inviting them. Just exactly like the Democrats have done. And the Democrats are producing even more barbarians in the American cities they control.
England built an empire; two world wars and socialism destroyed it, and now the UK is a pansy “kingdom” no one any longer respects. Tytler and others are right. The axiom is true historically. Nations and empires rise, and then fall into non-existence or pusillanimous feebleness. It’s almost a law of history.
Is it hopeless for America?
French philosopher Alexis deTocqueville visited America in the 1830s to find out why this Republic was having such success. The British and French had tried republican forms of government (in the 1650s and 1790s, respectively), and neither lasted a decade. The wise heads in those two countries scoffed when Americans established a republic. “What do those dumb Americans think they are doing? We British and French couldn’t do it; surely the puny Americans won’t succeed.”
But America WAS succeeding, and deTocqueville wanted to know why. Limited government was one reason he gave, but to the Frenchman, it went deeper than that. He wrote, “There is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than America.” Freedom, in America, was based on virtue. A “moral and religious people” were necessary for American republicanism, John Adams wrote, and James Madison concurred: “The future and success of America is not in this Constitution, but in the laws of God upon which this Constitution is founded.” On this foundation, the United States became the greatest country in human history.
But now? Are we the country deTocqueville wrote about? I think not. Over half the country believes that, at some point in her pregnancy, a mother can end the life of her unborn infant. A majority of Americans have accepted that two men or two women can marry with God’s approval. They didn’t get that from the Christianity that deTocqueville said held sway over the souls of Americans in the 1830s. The Democratic Party—probably half the country—believes a man can become a woman simply by saying he is, that children can be mutilated for sexual purposes, that homosexuality is on par with heterosexuality in God’s eyes, that criminal barbarians have a right to walk the streets and loot whenever they please...” from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependence back into bondage.” Where is America now? We aren’t on our way “up”; only a fool (or maybe a Democrat) would believe that.
Maybe, like ancient Egypt, we are on a “dip,” and can become “great again.” China is a concern; they would love to dominate us. I’m not in the least worried about Russia; they can’t even win a war against Ukraine. They probably couldn’t even win one against all of pansy Europe. Is China to America what Assyria and Babylon were to Egypt, Rome to Greece, Germany and socialism to England?
There are still many good, decent people in America. But I fear we are outnumbered now by the selfish decadents that own the Democratic Party and roam our streets. When decadence becomes dominant, collapse isn’t far behind.
Is it hopeless? Let’s pray this “dip” won’t last long.
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