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Upon reflecting upon my last post, I feel the need to clarify my remarks, lest I touch off another round of accusation of fencesitting.
First issue - Freedom of the Press. Edward was apt to point out that there is a freedom of the press that is fundamental to our way of life, however, whatever happened to the Responsibilities that come with Freedoms? Is their any responsibility that comes with the freedom of the press, or is this just some lip-service paid to Edward R Murrow? You would think that a newspaper (including its staff) would have some sort of responsibility to present news in a manner that is above showing a grown man in his underwear.
Second Issue (which this first one leads me into) - The Discord between us and them. We are quite content to lump criticism on the acts of those we oppose - sure, there are very good reasons to do so, but we must not assume that their follies necessarily validate our superiority. There are some very important cultural traits within our Western liberal framework that we should cherish - I've trumpeted them around here as much as anyone else - freedom of the press, freedom of speech, secularism, political egalitarianism, rule of law, the sanctity of the individual. These are all things that give our society the advantages it has and allow us to have an unprecedented standard of living amongst the world. Quite frankly, they are the reason why people flock to the West and not the other way around.
However, we must not rest on our laurels - if we are not careful, we may sow the seeds of our own downfall - I remember a quote by Patton (which I could unfortunately not find) that said something about staying on our guard or having the Mongols move in, burn our houses, and take our women. Many of the things that are common in the West bother me - and these may contribute to our own seeds of decline.
- There is a lack of responsibility in serving the greater good - individualism is rampant in our society, and service to the country is seen as some fools game. We seem content to let others do the job of securing our liberties, whether it be on the floors of governance or the dark corners of the world (both in and outside of Canada).
- Our "fire-proof" house of rights, freedoms, and prosperity has given the West a short attention span. Do we have what it takes to fight a war of perception (4GW) with an enemy who views existence in an ethereal manner and conflict in terms of generations rather than months or years? There are pressing matters at hand, and while we are content to read the National Enquirer, watch Entertainment Tonight, and waste away with Reality TV our enemy prepares himself to kill us.
- Many expect someone else to provide for us - whether it be protection, Health Care, Welfare, and now Daycare; if it isn't delivered, than it is someone else's fault. Since when did we abscond being responsible for ourselves?
- We, in our enlightenment, let murderers, rapists, and child-molesters roam society; there seems to be an antipathy towards punishing those who forsake the values we claim to uphold.
- I, My, Me is the watch word - not We, Ours, Us. Individual responsibility for ensuring the social good seems to have went out of style for some reason.
- The relative high standard of living we have may lead to structural undoings if we are not careful - although it may seem somewhat Malthusian, there was a good article in Foreign Affairs a while back that concluded that the only ones who were growing in the West were religious folks who saw it as a duty to have a large family - other than that, the economies and lifestyles of Western living seem to promote little or no children (and when we do have children, for many there is the expectation that others will be responsible for them). Perhaps, in a few generations, the only people around won't care for a secular state anymore? What is the point of bettering something if there is nobody to give it to? Perhaps, content with our luxury, we will leave no one to inherit it, essentially hoisting ourselves on our own petard.
As I said, there is much to admire with our way - but in pointing the finger at others, we must be careful not throw rocks in glass houses. These are some traits I've seen in our own society, traits that leave much to be desired. We've seen it in our own military, where many lament the loss of the "warrior", which is a trait all too present in many of the societies we fight.
People fight us because they feel a responsibility to protect their families, their culture or their spiritual safety against some of the stuff I've mentioned above - will we be able to live up to the same responsibility when crunch time comes? I can't help think that when the West is a burning heap of glowing rubble or decends into anarchy for some reason, the Afghan warrior who we deride as violent, bloody and incapable of coping will keep on living his life the way he always has....
First issue - Freedom of the Press. Edward was apt to point out that there is a freedom of the press that is fundamental to our way of life, however, whatever happened to the Responsibilities that come with Freedoms? Is their any responsibility that comes with the freedom of the press, or is this just some lip-service paid to Edward R Murrow? You would think that a newspaper (including its staff) would have some sort of responsibility to present news in a manner that is above showing a grown man in his underwear.
Second Issue (which this first one leads me into) - The Discord between us and them. We are quite content to lump criticism on the acts of those we oppose - sure, there are very good reasons to do so, but we must not assume that their follies necessarily validate our superiority. There are some very important cultural traits within our Western liberal framework that we should cherish - I've trumpeted them around here as much as anyone else - freedom of the press, freedom of speech, secularism, political egalitarianism, rule of law, the sanctity of the individual. These are all things that give our society the advantages it has and allow us to have an unprecedented standard of living amongst the world. Quite frankly, they are the reason why people flock to the West and not the other way around.
However, we must not rest on our laurels - if we are not careful, we may sow the seeds of our own downfall - I remember a quote by Patton (which I could unfortunately not find) that said something about staying on our guard or having the Mongols move in, burn our houses, and take our women. Many of the things that are common in the West bother me - and these may contribute to our own seeds of decline.
- There is a lack of responsibility in serving the greater good - individualism is rampant in our society, and service to the country is seen as some fools game. We seem content to let others do the job of securing our liberties, whether it be on the floors of governance or the dark corners of the world (both in and outside of Canada).
- Our "fire-proof" house of rights, freedoms, and prosperity has given the West a short attention span. Do we have what it takes to fight a war of perception (4GW) with an enemy who views existence in an ethereal manner and conflict in terms of generations rather than months or years? There are pressing matters at hand, and while we are content to read the National Enquirer, watch Entertainment Tonight, and waste away with Reality TV our enemy prepares himself to kill us.
- Many expect someone else to provide for us - whether it be protection, Health Care, Welfare, and now Daycare; if it isn't delivered, than it is someone else's fault. Since when did we abscond being responsible for ourselves?
- We, in our enlightenment, let murderers, rapists, and child-molesters roam society; there seems to be an antipathy towards punishing those who forsake the values we claim to uphold.
- I, My, Me is the watch word - not We, Ours, Us. Individual responsibility for ensuring the social good seems to have went out of style for some reason.
- The relative high standard of living we have may lead to structural undoings if we are not careful - although it may seem somewhat Malthusian, there was a good article in Foreign Affairs a while back that concluded that the only ones who were growing in the West were religious folks who saw it as a duty to have a large family - other than that, the economies and lifestyles of Western living seem to promote little or no children (and when we do have children, for many there is the expectation that others will be responsible for them). Perhaps, in a few generations, the only people around won't care for a secular state anymore? What is the point of bettering something if there is nobody to give it to? Perhaps, content with our luxury, we will leave no one to inherit it, essentially hoisting ourselves on our own petard.
As I said, there is much to admire with our way - but in pointing the finger at others, we must be careful not throw rocks in glass houses. These are some traits I've seen in our own society, traits that leave much to be desired. We've seen it in our own military, where many lament the loss of the "warrior", which is a trait all too present in many of the societies we fight.
People fight us because they feel a responsibility to protect their families, their culture or their spiritual safety against some of the stuff I've mentioned above - will we be able to live up to the same responsibility when crunch time comes? I can't help think that when the West is a burning heap of glowing rubble or decends into anarchy for some reason, the Afghan warrior who we deride as violent, bloody and incapable of coping will keep on living his life the way he always has....
