Will We Go The Way Of The Romans?

Journal Entry: 12-27-2011 A friend and I were discussing the famous analogy between modern America and ancient Rome: Will our moral decline and decay lead to our demise as a people similarly to how moral decadence led the to fall of the Roman nation and empire? Now historical analogies are always a little tricky, but there appear to be true parallels at work here between the two societies. Both the Romans and the Americans were practical peoples, utilitarian and enterprising. Both peoples were and are can-doers capable of engineering roads, public works, plumbing infrastructure and expanding their empires through conquest. One similarity that occurs to me is that Greeks were considered culturally superior to the Romans as Euro-philes regard Europeans as superior to crass, vulgar, grasping and materialistic Yankees. We are looked down upon as philistine upstarts. American influence extends all over the world, like earlier Greek and Roman influence were transmitted all over the world through the growth of the Roman Empire. It may be that the superior culture is the one that comes out on top, predominating and wide spread. American mass culture, with its material abundance, economic success, capitalism, constitutional democracy and bourgeois values are exactly the core values upon which to build that highest culture, the Mavellonialist culture. This gift should be offered to the world. The American culture is profoundly individualist, where each individuators' entire effort is to serve his interests as an enlightened person. The hate-America first, Obama-loving crowd polarize people, divide people, promote division, class envy, and class warfare with a Marxist tinge to it. They want ever more and expanding government with more and more people dependent on it. If the people believe that government is inherently good (it is inherently evil) and that free market economy is bad (it is inherently good), then the Leftists that dream of setting up a one world socialist government are a bit closer to their ultimate goal. Their primary ambition is to misdirect and work up the masses making them envy and hate, not admire and emulate the successful. The industrious and prosperous are made to feel guilty, not proud of themselves for acquiring and enjoying the legitimate fruit of their hard work. These statist, self-appointed, would-be rulers of the masses like to characterize themselves as caring, noble and driven by higher motives than what impels mere money-grubbers. Their only motive is centralizing power, and the evil that they have exacted upon helpless humanity is a terrible evil, all done in the name of saving humanity. Each life counts. Each person should be treated with dignity and respect. The government and economy should be arranged to facilitate affirmation of each citizen's worth and signifcance as an individual. The system must augment, not detract from his humanity. They must get out of the way so he can work assiduously to be all that he can be before he perishes. The end product will be that the cultural gift that he gives back to society at the end of his life will. this impressive gift will leave his presence here immortalized as well as putting him in good stead in the after life in terms of the destination for his immortal soul. In the actualizing of their talents while here while caring for their families, working and maintaining their suburban homes and life-styles while leading their lives as Super-Moms, Super-Dads and Super-Kids, this citizenry will be the model for the rise of bourgeois middle classes and constitutional democracy for all people and nations across the globe. This should prevent Romanesque collapse of our way of life. The masses will find happiness and gratification in living this way as a people that upholds a strong moral code. They will run society and conduct their lives with moral insight, shared meaning, clarity of vision and direction, a framework a certainty about how to manage is laid out for them. They know what direction to go to stave off decay and decline so historically devastating.