The crumbling of empires is mirrored in its decline in civility. We seem increasingly unable to disagree without contempt, correct wrongdoing without cruelty, or defend our convictions without trying to humiliate someone. Courtesy, restraint, modesty, gratitude, and respect for others are too often treated as signs of weakness rather than evidence of character.
Abigail Adams wrote, “If we mean to have Heroes, Statesmen and Philosophers, we should have learned women.” She understood the tremendous influence women have upon the moral and intellectual character of a society. Women help shape homes, children, communities, and future generations—not because this is their only possible role, but because it is an enormously important one.
I have been reflecting upon my own generation. In my youth, I wanted to outman any man. Annie Get Your Gun’s “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better” was almost a girlhood mantra for me. Women rightly sought education, opportunity, independence, and recognition of our abilities. I remain grateful for those freedoms.
Yet somewhere along the way, our pursuit of equality sometimes became confused with the idea that men and women must imitate, compete with, or diminish one another. Too often, society has devalued fatherhood, motherhood, fidelity, modesty, spiritual leadership, and the daily sacrifices required to build a stable family. We now see some men withdrawing from the traditional responsibilities of fatherhood, protection, provision, and spiritual guidance, while some women are encouraged to measure liberation by how publicly they can discard modesty or imitate the worst behavior once associated with men.
Equality should never have required either sex to abandon dignity, responsibility, or the qualities that allow men and women to strengthen one another.
Where did we go wrong? Perhaps we began confusing freedom with freedom from all restraint, confidence with aggression, equality with sameness, and personal fulfillment with freedom from obligation. We taught people to claim their rights, but not always to honor their duties. We weakened the institutions that once taught self-control, service, reverence, and accountability, and then seemed surprised when loneliness, disorder, and incivility followed.
The part of this article that spoke most strongly to me was the picture of people sitting together, sharing food, singing familiar songs, and rediscovering community. We need more experiences that bring people together—not to exclude or condemn others, but to restore fellowship, gratitude, responsibility, faith, and mutual understanding.
A healthy civilization needs honorable men and honorable women. It needs fathers and mothers who understand that raising children is sacred work. It needs adults willing to model the civility, discipline, courage, and kindness that we hope the next generation will inherit. <><
These gatherings sound wonderful! These folks should definitely continue - no matter the push back. Unfortunately, I see a lot of the same bad things happening in Canada with the very left government that we have. Our PM Mark Carney said that Canada is not really a Christian nation (that Canada wasn't founded on Christian values) and also that Muslim values are Canadian values.
Just recently in Ireland, he said that Canada was a mosiac and not a melting pot. But what we are experiencing now is immigrants coming to Canada not respecting the values and rules of Canada. These are immigrants who seem to come here to take advantage of free health care but not wanting to really be Canadian. It's very disturbing. Immigrants typically vote Liberal in Canada so the more that come the more the Liberals can attempt to stay in power.
Hi John. I enjoyed this piece and it makes me think of the dilemma I am going through.
There is a 250th anniversary hat being sold to honor our country. Sold on Amazon, Patriot Depot
and several other places. It's very eye-catching and a big seller but the flag furling in the wind on the front of the hat is being desecrated by the addition of blue stripes.
I am a Vietnam veteran and patriot and feel this is a disgrace to God and country,it's founders and it's defenders. I sent emails, and made phone calls to the merchants, and to state representatives and the maker and/or distributor of the hat. Nobody is willing to take a stand in defense of our flag by a simple public announcement about this product which has been advertised since March. This hat is continuing to be sold. The United States flag code, in my opinion, has allowed for interpretation that will allow desecration under the 1st amendment.
Just like in France, Christianity and nationalism are falling away.
What a lovely thing to do, cherish the best parts of your country's history! The leftists use the tool of "shame". However, their idea of shame is manufactured secular humanism. True shame is defined by God alone. Never let godless people determine what is "shameful".
Decades ago, I decided I did not want to return to the threats of Madrid. Would Paris - beautiful Paris - now have the same effect as did Madrid - or worse?
I recommend the following book to all. It is fictional, but was written as a foretelling of a possible future,
Submission (or Soumission in French) by Michel Houellebecq. [1, 2]
In actual guerrilla warfare it is said that it takes ten soldiers to hold back one dedicated guerrilla. (Think Ho Chi Minh!). The threats of political guerrillas have been shown to be equally effective. Your true enemy is sitting right there in your own Legislature or teaching/managing in your local school or college. When such an enemy is dedicated and united, the larger number of intelligent citizens, intentionally relaxed within their version of “freedom, but rarely with a passionate common “mission," are just not powerful enough.
As is often said, a successful freedom is not attained without its own strong common defense. It ends with a foreseeable submission. ... bandglynch@gmail.com
We should do the same as the French, host big communal feasts celebrating the bounty of our lands and the pride in our heritae. We should join together in peace over great food, great company, great wines and rejoice in our history and sovereignty. This sends the very strong message to the George Soros' and Klaus Schwabs of the globalist cabal that sovereign hearts are still beating strong and always will, and sovereign countries will prevail over globalism.
John….this is an over the top great article by you. Thanks for the teach on France.
Due to the prior greatness of France and its more recent decline, the US populous should keep a watchful eye on France…it may be a canary in the coal mine. As we begin celebrating USA 250, it is great to see many citizens beginning to see our exceptionalism and World Cup guests are seeing it as well.
The left continues to be mad at everything and many continue to chase the failed promises of socialism which basically destroys human initiative. The left will fail because they are against human nature. The rest of us, in the solid majority but often too quiet , need to stand strong and rejoice in our achievements.
Yeh, I pray my many French
Grand/great grandchildren
are part of the remnant restoring
the particularity of traditional France.
Merci, John…
f
😖🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
The crumbling of empires is mirrored in its decline in civility. We seem increasingly unable to disagree without contempt, correct wrongdoing without cruelty, or defend our convictions without trying to humiliate someone. Courtesy, restraint, modesty, gratitude, and respect for others are too often treated as signs of weakness rather than evidence of character.
Abigail Adams wrote, “If we mean to have Heroes, Statesmen and Philosophers, we should have learned women.” She understood the tremendous influence women have upon the moral and intellectual character of a society. Women help shape homes, children, communities, and future generations—not because this is their only possible role, but because it is an enormously important one.
I have been reflecting upon my own generation. In my youth, I wanted to outman any man. Annie Get Your Gun’s “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better” was almost a girlhood mantra for me. Women rightly sought education, opportunity, independence, and recognition of our abilities. I remain grateful for those freedoms.
Yet somewhere along the way, our pursuit of equality sometimes became confused with the idea that men and women must imitate, compete with, or diminish one another. Too often, society has devalued fatherhood, motherhood, fidelity, modesty, spiritual leadership, and the daily sacrifices required to build a stable family. We now see some men withdrawing from the traditional responsibilities of fatherhood, protection, provision, and spiritual guidance, while some women are encouraged to measure liberation by how publicly they can discard modesty or imitate the worst behavior once associated with men.
Equality should never have required either sex to abandon dignity, responsibility, or the qualities that allow men and women to strengthen one another.
Where did we go wrong? Perhaps we began confusing freedom with freedom from all restraint, confidence with aggression, equality with sameness, and personal fulfillment with freedom from obligation. We taught people to claim their rights, but not always to honor their duties. We weakened the institutions that once taught self-control, service, reverence, and accountability, and then seemed surprised when loneliness, disorder, and incivility followed.
The part of this article that spoke most strongly to me was the picture of people sitting together, sharing food, singing familiar songs, and rediscovering community. We need more experiences that bring people together—not to exclude or condemn others, but to restore fellowship, gratitude, responsibility, faith, and mutual understanding.
A healthy civilization needs honorable men and honorable women. It needs fathers and mothers who understand that raising children is sacred work. It needs adults willing to model the civility, discipline, courage, and kindness that we hope the next generation will inherit. <><
Julia: TY for an insightful comment. It is long enough — and good enough — that I will likely repost it as a commentary...
These gatherings sound wonderful! These folks should definitely continue - no matter the push back. Unfortunately, I see a lot of the same bad things happening in Canada with the very left government that we have. Our PM Mark Carney said that Canada is not really a Christian nation (that Canada wasn't founded on Christian values) and also that Muslim values are Canadian values.
Just recently in Ireland, he said that Canada was a mosiac and not a melting pot. But what we are experiencing now is immigrants coming to Canada not respecting the values and rules of Canada. These are immigrants who seem to come here to take advantage of free health care but not wanting to really be Canadian. It's very disturbing. Immigrants typically vote Liberal in Canada so the more that come the more the Liberals can attempt to stay in power.
Christine: Yes it is disappointing that Canadians are subjected to Marxist indoctrination.
Hi John. I enjoyed this piece and it makes me think of the dilemma I am going through.
There is a 250th anniversary hat being sold to honor our country. Sold on Amazon, Patriot Depot
and several other places. It's very eye-catching and a big seller but the flag furling in the wind on the front of the hat is being desecrated by the addition of blue stripes.
I am a Vietnam veteran and patriot and feel this is a disgrace to God and country,it's founders and it's defenders. I sent emails, and made phone calls to the merchants, and to state representatives and the maker and/or distributor of the hat. Nobody is willing to take a stand in defense of our flag by a simple public announcement about this product which has been advertised since March. This hat is continuing to be sold. The United States flag code, in my opinion, has allowed for interpretation that will allow desecration under the 1st amendment.
Just like in France, Christianity and nationalism are falling away.
What a lovely thing to do, cherish the best parts of your country's history! The leftists use the tool of "shame". However, their idea of shame is manufactured secular humanism. True shame is defined by God alone. Never let godless people determine what is "shameful".
Linda: Good observation!
Decades ago, I decided I did not want to return to the threats of Madrid. Would Paris - beautiful Paris - now have the same effect as did Madrid - or worse?
I recommend the following book to all. It is fictional, but was written as a foretelling of a possible future,
Submission (or Soumission in French) by Michel Houellebecq. [1, 2]
In actual guerrilla warfare it is said that it takes ten soldiers to hold back one dedicated guerrilla. (Think Ho Chi Minh!). The threats of political guerrillas have been shown to be equally effective. Your true enemy is sitting right there in your own Legislature or teaching/managing in your local school or college. When such an enemy is dedicated and united, the larger number of intelligent citizens, intentionally relaxed within their version of “freedom, but rarely with a passionate common “mission," are just not powerful enough.
As is often said, a successful freedom is not attained without its own strong common defense. It ends with a foreseeable submission. ... bandglynch@gmail.com
Truth has a conservative bias. That's why the left wants to censor it.
We should do the same as the French, host big communal feasts celebrating the bounty of our lands and the pride in our heritae. We should join together in peace over great food, great company, great wines and rejoice in our history and sovereignty. This sends the very strong message to the George Soros' and Klaus Schwabs of the globalist cabal that sovereign hearts are still beating strong and always will, and sovereign countries will prevail over globalism.
John….this is an over the top great article by you. Thanks for the teach on France.
Due to the prior greatness of France and its more recent decline, the US populous should keep a watchful eye on France…it may be a canary in the coal mine. As we begin celebrating USA 250, it is great to see many citizens beginning to see our exceptionalism and World Cup guests are seeing it as well.
The left continues to be mad at everything and many continue to chase the failed promises of socialism which basically destroys human initiative. The left will fail because they are against human nature. The rest of us, in the solid majority but often too quiet , need to stand strong and rejoice in our achievements.
Don: TY. I did not write this fine article, Clayton wood did. Yes, you are right about the Left!
So good! Now if we can help Americans do this as we celebrate 250 years!
Christy: Yes, hopefully Americans learn from the mistakes of citizens of other countries.
Losing particularity is loss of life.