What had happened in the great age of Greece happened again in Renaissance Italy: traditional moral restraints disappeared because they were seen to be associated with superstition; the liberation from fetters made individuals energetic and creative, producing a rare fluorescence of genius; but the anarchy and treachery which inevitably resulted from the decay of morals made Italians collectively impotent, and they fell, like the Greeks, under the domination of nations less civilized then themselves but not so destitute of social cohesion.  –Bertrand Russell

I’m not sure this is a pure reflection of American society today, but it’s pretty close and sufficiently decadent. We have seen our moral restraints being attacked and compromised, thus leading to an amorphous moral relativism. The Left tries to point to “superstition” in part for these problems, meaning religion, but religion has provided the basis and framework for leading lives that reflect the moral high ground and guide us in our decisions and relationships. Without religion, we are unable to ground ourselves in virtue and truth, and instead spend our time battling evil. Russell’s comment about the “liberation from fetters” has led to energy and creativity, in terms of technological advancements, and improvements that have led to life-saving discoveries in medicine and in other areas. But those advances without an ethical base have led us to anarchy and treachery and in destructive and immoral directions. We now live in a time where trust and cooperation are almost non-existent in this polarized environment. Morality, growth and respect can’t survive in these chaotic and hateful times.

Will we disappear like other civilizations and be one more story of demise? Will we continue to empower China and Russia to our own detriment?

We have become obsessed with the chaos in our own country to the detriment of our paying attention to the foreign threats right in front of us. I point specifically to China, which has made no secret about its intention to take over the world. They have lied to us, cheated us, abused their own people, exposed the world to a deadly virus–and they have no qualms about lying about all of it. Theirs is a decadent and power-hungry country, and they seem to be willing to do just about anything to get what they want.

Has it occurred to anyone that if they tried to “conquer” the United States (if it was possible to do that without destroying the planet), we could be the next people interred in their “education camps”?