American in Decline, and in Need of a Shepherd

Western civilization had its beginnings in ancient Greece.  The breakthrough change that gave birth to the first democracy was the awareness and adoption of virtue, both personally and collectively.  This sea-change in human history gave birth to the notions of human dignity, the common good, and justice as the organizing principles of society.  The result, as we well know, was a major thrust forward in civilization bringing about advances in culture, the arts, the economy, and human flourishing.  Sadly, the Greek civilization of today has fallen far from its historically great origins.  National pride is a vestige of the past, based more in ethnic pride than the principles of self-sacrifice, self-discipline, and personal responsibility that were held in high esteem at the time of Aristotle.  The once-great nation that spread Western Civilization across Europe is not hopelessly mired in debt, brought about by socialism and the welfare state it created in an effort to appease a people more concerned about their federal benefits than the future they are leaving for their children and grandchildren.

Here in the United States, we seem to be headed down the same path.  The virtues that enlivened our country from its founding are all but forgotten.  They are being replaced by a lack of prudence and a redefinition of the common good that is anything but “good.”  The concept of prudence, or prudential judgment, seems to have been lost on our current national leaders.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes prudence as “the ability to recognize what is ‘right’ and what is ‘good.’  The virtue of prudence, or prudential judgment, directs all other virtues.  Without prudence, that is, knowing what is truly good, it is impossible to apply the virtues of justice, fortitude, and self-control."

Consider the changes that have taken place in our national culture in recent years, and ask yourself if these things can be in any way seen as “good,” and promoting the “common good.”  The sexual revolution of the late 20^th century separated sexual activity from responsibility for bringing new life into the world.  This change ushered in the idea that sex without responsibility is everyone’s natural right, and introduced the now commonly held opinion that any and all forms of sexual activity are perfectly normal.  This occurred while ignoring the many consequences extra-marital sex has on physical and emotional health.  Moreover, we now have a government forcing everyone to accept this new norm, even to the point of punishing employers and vendors who object to it on the basis of religious belief.  As further evidence of our declining sexual morality, consider the broad acceptance of the 50 Shades of Grey phenomenon, celebrating the cruel abuse of a vulnerable young woman.  How can that possibly be held up as ‘good’?   Now our public schools are teaching children that all this is the new normal, in total disregard for the damage it is causing to families and especially children, whose natural right to be raised by both father and mother is being disregarded.  As predicted by Pope Paul VI, there has been a huge decline in marriage and traditional family relationships.  This in turn leads to increased poverty, the exploitation of women, and a host of emotional and physical illnesses, e.g. depression and STDs. 

The culture of death, exemplified by the abortion industry, now promotes euthanasia, and most recently attempted to “justify” the sale of fetal organs.  Apparently the illogic of denying that fetuses are human, but recognizing the value of their organs, doesn’t occur to them.  Then there’s the growing acceptance of the drug culture.  Medical marijuana has led to the acceptance of recreational use of marijuana, despite common sense observations about the greater risk of escalating drug use and its effect on highway safety, work place performance, and anywhere else that impaired judgment creates increased risk, not only for the user, but others in their vicinity.

In the meanwhile, our president recently gave a speech talking about the importance of justice as he defines it: marriage equality, income equality, and rights for illegal aliens.  It seems he is incapable of acting prudently because his definition of the common good is so radically different from what we understood as the virtues that made America great in the first place.  Like the ancient Greeks, our founding fathers knew that our form of government would depend on individual citizens acting with virtue: accepting responsibility for marriage, family, and children.  They recognized the family as the most fundamental component of civil society and the path to the future.  Our economy became the most vibrant and successful in the world on the strength of the free market, people choosing freely among a variety of options, so that vendors with the best, most economical products, would compete to survive.  Hard work, perseverance, and self-control were the measures of personal success, not entitlement to government-provided sustenance, nor government interference to transfer wealth. 

Greece’s debt is 188% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and America is not far behind with debt amounting to 122% of our GDP.  No one seems to realize that this is not merely an economic problem to be solved, but a reflection of our collective decline as a culture no longer rooted in virtues, and incapable of effective prudential judgment. Justice, or moral leadership. 

With this in mind, as I heard Psalm 23 sung at Mass this morning, the meaning and importance of that plaintive prayer became more evident to me.  For example:

  “The Lord is my Shepherd...”  It is God’s leadership and law that we must follow, not the imprudent dictates of impotent leaders whose personal description of justice insults God.

“He guides me in right paths.”  God has revealed what is “good and true and beautiful.”  He created us male and female, and destined us to become families, so as to bring new life into the world in a culture of life and love, not a culture of self-satisfaction at any cost.

“Even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and staff that give me courage.” These are dark times in America, and evil pervades our national leadership, blinding them to what is truly the common good.  But I know that God is with me. He will give us the courage we need to stand up to the culture of death and speak God’s truth in the face of evil.

“Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.”  Striving for prudence, and living a virtuous life is the true path to happiness.  Plato and Aristotle knew this truth, as revealed by natural law, a precursor to Christianity.  Jesus revealed this Truth by His life, death, and resurrection, bringing about our salvation, not in political terms, but more importantly, in what really counts.  Jesus has saved our eternal spirit which will live forever in the Presence of God if we follow the Good Shepherd, not the idiots currently running our nation into the ground.