The most unified society of the last century was Adolf Hitler’s Germany from 1933-1938. During that period almost all elements of German society (except for its Jewish citizens) supported the little, mustachioed dictator. Oh, some were not particularly impressed with his intellect or prowess, such as the mercantile and politically elite classes – but they thought they could easily control and use this slightly buffoonish figure to accomplish their own aims. In supporting his grasp of authoritarian power, they thought they could manipulate him so it would actually be their authoritarian power. It was a miscalculation, born of ignorant hubris, that cost many of them their lives. It was only in 1938 that the first real doubts started to bubble to the surface. By then it was too late. Whatever his gaping defects in logic, philosophy, morality, and intellect, Hitler had a genius for seizing, consolidating, and ruthlessly executing power.
Some think Hitler’s genius for power was just that of a mob boss: the ruthless application of brute force to accomplish his aims. While that was a big part of it, if it was his only tool, he would have never risen above the level of regional powerbroker. Hitler had a real genius for sensing what timid opponents wanted to hear and telling it to them in a way that would soothe – and neutralize – them while he consolidated power for his next audacious seizure…of another country or of their liberty. This was not just about his many, “last territorial demands.” He did a push-pull in everything. You remember the famous People’s Car – the Volkswagen – that he created so all families could have a car? Part of the deal on that was that workers could agree to a small weekly withholding from their check to pay for one – and then get it with no fuss. It was an immensely popular program. Do you know how many workers actually got their car? ZERO. When it came time to deliver, suddenly war necessities “delayed” your delivery. The only way to get one was to pay for it anew. So the people’s car plan actually made workers who signed up for it pay twice to actually come away with a car.
Hitler had a genius for mesmerizing people – including statesmen – when he was weak, using the time to build his strength, and then striking brutally when the moment was opportune. Yet for five years, mesmerized Germans genuinely supported him with near unanimity. And other heads of state eagerly proclaimed that he was, “a man we can do business with,” even in the aftermath of each new betrayal. Up until about 16 years ago, Nazi Germany was the only modern functionally pagan society.
Unity is not a virtue. It is a useful social tool. Like any tool, it can be used for good or for evil. An angry, irrational mob is very unified. The question must always be, what are we to be unified for? If we are to be unified for the good we can do under God, I am all in. If it is for rank depravity, count me out. In fact, count on me doing my best to break up your pernicious unity.
In an age when we struggle to differentiate propaganda from reason, the weighty from the trivial, and even women from men we have blurred the distinction between good and evil while celebrating mere tools that can accomplish either.
I don’t want anarchy or license described as freedom – when both are a form of slavery. I want ordered liberty – which means I am free to swing my arm, but that freedom stops at the tip of your nose.
I don’t want the sort of equality that requires tearing down the productive and the successful that all might be equally miserable. I don’t want the equality of income redistribution that robs the productive to fund the slothful. Charity is, in fact, a virtue. Government funded entitlement is a destructive vice.
I am less impressed with the tools that can be used to reveal character and virtue than I am with the actual character and virtue. Start from there, then use the tools to reveal and refine character. Focusing on the tools is pure foolishness – like praising the hammer while ignoring the house it helped build. It could be used just as well to smash the house.
I once confronted a Priest in Texas after a Daily Mass in which his homily focused on the virtue of “unity.” He actually said, in his homily, that we shouldn’t disagree with each other over so many things – including abortion – but just be unified. Regular readers here know I am exasperated with gauzy, touchy exhortations for us all to get along, without reference to right or wrong. Nice as it sounds, it is a formula for destruction. Though the Priest was startled, he ended agreeing with me that unity is not, itself, a virtue. God bless him, he fretted that he needed to focus his homily the next day on clarifying what he meant.
Western Civilization was not built by a gauzy unity. It was built by courageous men and women who were courageous enough to stand for the values that Christ taught – who were willing to boldly pick up the sword of truth against the ruling establishments of their day. Many lost their lives in the effort. But the world became progressively freer, more prosperous and nobler by their efforts. Those bold men of faith built unity among their ranks – the unity to stand for what is good and true despite the unity among their antagonists who were determined that what was bad and false should prevail.
God commands – and the devil says, “Let’s be reasonable.” We had two centuries of relative peace and prosperity, born of principles enunciated in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. So committed to the principles of genuinely liberal democracy were we that we went to war with ourselves in 1861 to ensure that the conviction that, “all men are created equal” was a reality, not just words on parchment. The country was more divided than anytime up to today – yet Abraham Lincoln forged a shaky unity among those committed to ordered liberty under God that, “that government, of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.” The American founding was the finest, most durable flower of Western Civilization. And the history of Western Civilization is the history of Christianity.
Ah, but in the last century a bunch of credentialed midwits came up with what they thought were new ideas – but were actually very old, failed ideas. They came in various protective suits of clothing. Mindless Gaia-worship was called ‘environmentalism.’ The most vicious racism since the antebellum south, was mounted as ‘social justice.’ (Ironic that social justice is neither social, nor just). The tolerance of freedom of religion was perverted into a push for ‘freedom’ from religion – and every effort was mounted to push it out of the public square, entirely – a push we have largely succumbed to. Freedom of speech, which through long experience had proved the best guarantor of finding truth was replaced by fatwas against ‘misinformation,’ which governments and ruling factions defined with all the incompetence and self-interest they ever had, before we discovered the effectiveness of free speech. I could go on – and often have. Under the reign of Barack Obama, the Judeo-Christian principles that had made America great among the nations and an inspiration to all, gave way to a new paganism. The world shifted on its axis. His followers sometimes called Obama “the Lightbringer.” Alas, in replacing the Christian mentality that impelled us to greatness, he invited a pagan shroud of darkness over us that has spread throughout the world.
Ordinary people abdicated their role of carrying the sword of truth and succumbed to the devil’s siren song of, “Be reasonable.” Oh yes, ordinary folks like the prosperity that rigorous freedom brings, but did not want any trouble as cultural vandals rampaged through all our institutions, destroying the very foundation of that comfort and prosperity. Now we are at the edge of it vanishing for good. And of course, the vandal leaders call for us to be unified with them, not to worry about principles or coherence. If we do so, it will be unity for our own doom. Many in an intentionally dumbed-down populace are cheering on their own doom. Strange to hope such a big cohort of the population is actually stupid rather than intentionally nihilistic.
Thomas Sowell, the great economist and public intellectual, said that, “One of the most important reasons for studying history is that virtually every stupid idea that is in vogue today has been tried before and proved disastrous before, time and again.”
I will not be unified with the prophets of destruction that I may enjoy the absence of open conflict a bit longer before doom consumes us all. I will not demand, as our opponents do, that they must live by my decree. But I WILL take up the sword of truth, refusing to be dominated by the imperious midwits who demand the right to rule us all. I tell the devil I will NOT be reasonable on matters of liberty, justice, faith and family. I will unite with those great and faithful patriots, under God, who are as determined as I am that this nation built from the people and governed by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth. The only unity I am interested in is unity with God, as best as I can discern it.
May the sword of truth reign in this benighted land once more!
If communication goes out for any length of time, meet outside your local Church at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings. Tell friends at Church now in case you can’t then. CORAC teams will be out looking for people to gather in and work with.
Find me on Twitter at @JohnstonPilgrim
The Corps of Renewal and Charity (CORAC)
18208 Preston Rd., Ste. D9-552
Dallas, Texas 75252
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