Western civilization in serious jeopardy
A New Scientist article stated: “We believe our global, technological society is immune from collapse. If only it were true. As the networks that connect us become ever more intricate and finely tuned, modern civilization is becoming increasingly vulnerable” (Debora Mackenzie, “The End of Civilization,” April 5, 2008).
Could the consequences resulting from something like a global pandemic bring society to its knees? Human civilization is considerably more precarious than we realize!
Some observers believe that the hour is getting late, that the peace and prosperity the Western nations have enjoyed may be coming to a swift end. For example, the geopolitical balance and economic influence of nations may be gradually shifting to Asian and South American countries like China and India—accompanied by a growing crisis over global natural resources.
As an insightful article in The Tablet stated, “Changes in the distribution of economic activity across the world will change the balance of political and military power” (Nicholas Boyle, “The Hour Is Getting Late,” May 10, 2008). Economic power is inevitably followed by political and military power.
Of course, unanticipated catastrophic events can considerably alter the course of global trends in ways many have never imagined before.
The stark reality is that a handful of nations and Western institutions keep order in the world and strive to keep terrorist activity at bay. But they need the active and loyal support of their peoples and allies. Financial Times columnist Philip Stephens recently observed that “the West has prospered because of its commitment to an international system grounded in rules as well as military might” (“A Message From Obama for Those Infuriating Europeans,” July 18, 2008).
However, public confidence in governmental leadership has weakened to disturbingly low levels. The United States is still the world’s only superpower. Yet only three in 10 Americans approve of the U.S. president’s job performance. Confidence in Congress is even lower, currently ranking in the single digits. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan plus more recent economic difficulties, such as the housing crisis and skyrocketing gas prices, have hurt the popularity of nearly all politicians.
It’s not only U.S. leaders who are unpopular. In Britain Melanie Phillips reported that “the stench is becoming overpowering. Political sleaze scandals are raining down upon us like the unstoppable effluent from a burst sewer pipe…Endemic sleaze is a symptom of decay, not just for a beleaguered prime minister, but for democracy itself that is in trouble” (“This Epidemic of Sleaze Is a Sign Our Democracy Itself Is Decaying,” Daily Mail, June 30, 2008).
Earlier this year Ms. Phillips also stated in her regular column: “The core problem besetting Britain, as in the U.S. and other Western countries, is a chronic absence of political leadership. This is because politicians are themselves led by focus groups and their wish-lists. Leadership, by contrast, means identifying a core issue and dealing with it regardless. That core issue is crystal clear to all with eyes to see. It is the pincer attack being mounted against this country: the onslaught against its identity, Western values and social fabric from both our nation-hating, amoral intelligentsia and the steady encroachment of radical Islamism” (Daily Mail, Feb. 4, 2008).
Another feature article by author Andrew Marr summed up the public’s general impression of political leadership: “Celebrity tat, prurience and self-indulgence rule. Our leaders seem small. Gloom over the globe’s future is endemic” (“Mankind on the Brink,” Daily Mail, Dec. 29, 2007).
Former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore stated: “With rising oil prices and a collapsing economy, never has the need of leadership become more necessary—and less in evidence” (“Look at the Leaders of the Western World—and Be Afraid,” July 12, 2008). For the most part, average citizens do not support national leaders the way they once did.
Peter David, foreign editor of The Economist, writing in The World in 2007, clearly stated: “The world has an authority deficit. Authority is draining away from international institutions, from the big world powers (including the superpower) and from the nation-state itself” (“The Authority Deficit”).
But where does all this leave you and your family? How can you personally cope with world and regional conditions? Whom should you trust? What should you do? The answer is: the only way out is to live by faith!