Defenders of the faith
April 3, 2006 | Comments (0) | Posted in Security
The Western World is presently going through an unprededented transition from a material to a digital age; a transition in which our culture, values and traditions are challenged as they have never been before. The spread of computers and of globalization have changed the way our western societies see themselves and threatened their structures and political stability. The end of the Cold War, international immigration, environmental pollution, aids, poverty, social and economic inequalities in various parts of the world, have made the maintenace of civil and stable societies in the West a formidable task and one which, so far, we do not seem to have carried out very well.
The rise of Islam, with several extremist groups wanting to change or bring down the West, the unfortunate lack of Islamic moderates speaking against some of the worst outrages of these groups, the regrettable lack of tolerance and maturity shown by so many of its believers, the constant blaming of the West for whatever misfortunes may happen in Islamic countries, have made tolerant humanists and idealists in the West pessimistic as to what could be done to maintain the integrity and vitality of their culture and values and has begun creating, among some of the non-Muslim populations of those western countries, a yearning for a movement toward extreme and irreversible solutions.
When we see that, and all the other ills that are afflicting the West presently, such as the irrelevance and impoverishment of traditional religions among the youth, failing economies, massive unemployment, increasing drug use, decaying infrastructures, mounting debs, soaring educational costs, aging populations and failing health systems, one has to ask oneself: Who can deal with all this? Is the West exhausted, in decline, or dying? Or is it possible to make it a strong and a thriving part of the World again.
Or, to put it simply, who will be our Defenders of the Faith? Faith, in this case, not meaning a particular religion, but a certain set of values and beliefs. A certain way of life. Are there truly such persons? Can we find, in fact, such individuals who are willing to speak out, act, and not be influenced by polls, political correctness, or vested interests? In every Western countries the question should be asked of everyone of its citizens: Are you willing to fight for what you believe in, no matter what the cost, for the well-being and stability your country? In these countries, if you have a majority of individuals answering in the positive, then you will have a thriving country and Defenders of the Faith. If you have no one, or very few persons, then you will not have them, or very few of them, and your country is not likely to survive.
In our difficult and stressful times, the temptation is to begin to think, as a last resort, of extreme solutions. However, applying maximum and irrecoverable solutions to problems is not the way to solve them. The problems that were there before you applied those solutions will still be there tragically during and after their implementation. Before rushing to what might be apocalyptic and catastrophic solutions, if might perhaps be wiser to try and understand the conditions that have led to this dangerous and intolerable situation. The advent of computers, their capacity to deliver knowledge in real time, the globalization of the world with its constant and never-ending pressures, the international immigration of populations, the exceedingly difficult transition from a material to a digital age in all countries of the globe, have created a need for a new analysis and understanding of the world in order to work with, rather than fight those changes. This will be part of another article to be called The Siege of the West: Roots and Causes to be posted shortly.
For now, let's just say that ever since the beginning of our species, there has been inequality and unfairness in the human condition, and our task, as western idealists and humanists, has always been to try and mitigate that inequality and unfairness and look for solutions that will limprove the world we live in, while, at the same time, not hurting a great many people also living in it who do not necessarily share our beliefs and values.
Personnally, as a western idealist and humanist, I believe we will find true Defenders of the Faith, those with greatness of vision, generosity of spirit, and graciousness of faith, who will try to deal with those difficult problems and who will be able to lessen and mitigate them and find a solution to ensure the stability of our societies and the continuation of the well-being and flourishing of the West. It will not be simple. It will not be easy. That is certain. But it will be feasible. It will be possible. Why? Because, in our time, as in every other periods of history, there have always been individuals, the best, the greatest, the truest of individuals, Defenders of the Faith, all, who have risen to the challenges and difficulties facing them and who have fought and struggled, no matter what the cost, to improve the human condition, the dignity of human beings, and the sublimity of the world.