In his masterwork, The American Republic (1865), Orestes Brownson repeatedly refers to BARBARISM and emphasizes that by Divine Providence the U.S. Constitution offers the opportunity for the highest form of civilization mankind has ever known. Unfortunately, the tendency to crawl back into barbarism was as true then as it is today. https://amfamproject.org/projects/Brownson/
The obsession with identity politics, pronoun purity, and vicious cancellation of those who step out of line posits us each as isolated and vulnerable 'human resources' that can be extracted, have their value sucked out, and can then be disposed of.
In marketing terms it's a product life-cycle: the Walkman seems a good example that arrived, was dominant, and then disappeared in our lifetimes. c.f. Coke Zero. One consequence of this religion of the market is that it reshapes individuals as entrepreneurs of theyselves. Get yourself an elevator pitch. Hustle, hustle hustle. Give that CV a tweak and rebrand yourself. The notion of identity becomes merely a garb to adopt, not even skin-deep. Like that suit you wear to interview. Cultural values with strong foundations aren't a part of that outfit, in the Five-Eyes countries and mainland Europe... not until you work your way further East. So people can be shunted about like the silver ball inside a pinball machine.
Mark, I greatly appreciate your efforts on elucidating Crooke's article. Honestly, I needed it parsed like you did. thanks.
You got to a great place by bringing up China as a counter-example. I was thinking as I read it, "and here we are, the day after Orthodox Easter; with Easter celebrants being persecuted in Jerusalem and Ukraine." The road back may not be as bad as people are expecting, if one of the spiritual civilizations identified below by Jeff Martineau is able to step in before the West collapses entirely. China is pretty well positioned for it; and I think that the reference to the Confucian spirit would be extended here more readily than people expect. (That old Jeff Cook-Coyle, always good for some far-out idea or another.)
Good mention of China Mark. Qi, energy, is very important. Note that they talk a great deal about “morality,” and that US/West has lost its moral founding principles. They also have the strong view that the US has taken up where the Brits, “your boss” left off in the early 20th century.
To understand China or Russia or India, one has to see them as spiritual civilizations, which the West, as you have noted, had been trying to eliminate as the Modern/post Modern project as it adopted technologies.
The interesting question is why is all of this “spirituality” (even here in the US) happening now? Think all the talk about UAP, aliens, exorcisms, Evil and angles…talk about a sharp descent of the West…what is the “cause” of things happening now?
Think about Romano Guardini’s critique…
Also, we have a project you might find interesting, Trivium University, to contribute to the “retrieval” of the West.
Indeed! The Western modern projects, led by technology, tried to eliminate it, and failed to do so. The Digital Paradigm has laid waste to what came before and has led to “what about the humans?” This leads to a retrieval of spirituality, angels and the Devil…welcome to a world of enthusiasm!
Adolf Hitler of all people once said that the only institutions that could really change the World were the Catholic Church, Freemasonry and Communism. Well, the Pharisees have their grip firmly around the neck of the Vatican but there is a faint glimmer of communism in China and Russia (hopefully not the satanic type) and Iran (and the Houthi offshoot) seem to exhibit some kind of religious socialism....
In his masterwork, The American Republic (1865), Orestes Brownson repeatedly refers to BARBARISM and emphasizes that by Divine Providence the U.S. Constitution offers the opportunity for the highest form of civilization mankind has ever known. Unfortunately, the tendency to crawl back into barbarism was as true then as it is today. https://amfamproject.org/projects/Brownson/
The obsession with identity politics, pronoun purity, and vicious cancellation of those who step out of line posits us each as isolated and vulnerable 'human resources' that can be extracted, have their value sucked out, and can then be disposed of.
In marketing terms it's a product life-cycle: the Walkman seems a good example that arrived, was dominant, and then disappeared in our lifetimes. c.f. Coke Zero. One consequence of this religion of the market is that it reshapes individuals as entrepreneurs of theyselves. Get yourself an elevator pitch. Hustle, hustle hustle. Give that CV a tweak and rebrand yourself. The notion of identity becomes merely a garb to adopt, not even skin-deep. Like that suit you wear to interview. Cultural values with strong foundations aren't a part of that outfit, in the Five-Eyes countries and mainland Europe... not until you work your way further East. So people can be shunted about like the silver ball inside a pinball machine.
. . .'de-civilization' indeed.
Terrific description of what "our culture" in the U.S. has become!
Great post - thank you Mark.
Nominalism for the masses, anti-nominalism - tyranny - for the elites. Perversion and hypocrisy lacking only a stake through the heart.
Mark, I greatly appreciate your efforts on elucidating Crooke's article. Honestly, I needed it parsed like you did. thanks.
You got to a great place by bringing up China as a counter-example. I was thinking as I read it, "and here we are, the day after Orthodox Easter; with Easter celebrants being persecuted in Jerusalem and Ukraine." The road back may not be as bad as people are expecting, if one of the spiritual civilizations identified below by Jeff Martineau is able to step in before the West collapses entirely. China is pretty well positioned for it; and I think that the reference to the Confucian spirit would be extended here more readily than people expect. (That old Jeff Cook-Coyle, always good for some far-out idea or another.)
Good mention of China Mark. Qi, energy, is very important. Note that they talk a great deal about “morality,” and that US/West has lost its moral founding principles. They also have the strong view that the US has taken up where the Brits, “your boss” left off in the early 20th century.
To understand China or Russia or India, one has to see them as spiritual civilizations, which the West, as you have noted, had been trying to eliminate as the Modern/post Modern project as it adopted technologies.
The interesting question is why is all of this “spirituality” (even here in the US) happening now? Think all the talk about UAP, aliens, exorcisms, Evil and angles…talk about a sharp descent of the West…what is the “cause” of things happening now?
Think about Romano Guardini’s critique…
Also, we have a project you might find interesting, Trivium University, to contribute to the “retrieval” of the West.
https://www.trivium.university/
Nature abhors a vacuum. Even and perhaps especially a spiritual vacuum. Since spirituality is natural, n'est-ce pas?
Indeed! The Western modern projects, led by technology, tried to eliminate it, and failed to do so. The Digital Paradigm has laid waste to what came before and has led to “what about the humans?” This leads to a retrieval of spirituality, angels and the Devil…welcome to a world of enthusiasm!
Great post.
One has to wonder whether these ‘market forces’ are governed by decentralised ‘animal spirits’ or a nexus of self interested actors.
Joseph Farrell in ‘Babylon’s Banksters’ shows the trail of finance from Venice to Amsterdam to London and to New York.
Its interesting to see how special interest groups seem to act like imperial satraps, destroying the social fabric and nation state….for whom?
Adolf Hitler of all people once said that the only institutions that could really change the World were the Catholic Church, Freemasonry and Communism. Well, the Pharisees have their grip firmly around the neck of the Vatican but there is a faint glimmer of communism in China and Russia (hopefully not the satanic type) and Iran (and the Houthi offshoot) seem to exhibit some kind of religious socialism....
"You are free to be a 'left' liberal." No truer words ever spoken.
…until we come and show you who’s boss.
Absolutely.