Between the Lines XI: National and personal decline are not inevitable
People think decline and decay are unstoppable, that sooner or later all things good must die. And so, love affairs go stale, hope for a sick relative fades, peace yields to war. And a country that has seen itself as the hope of the world falls into disrepair, its time seemingly past, its President supposedly too old to fight the battles ahead.
Where did all this gloom come from? The belief that decline and decay are baked into everything is disinformation (see last week’s Between the Lines X) and mesmerism (see Between the Lines VIII).
David Darke in Holy War has wrestled with this question of American decline, as personified by a loud and belligerent bully who promotes hate as the will of God. Through the good that David and his friend Tamar have accomplished in America, they have proved that the bully is not only wrong about hate but powerless to spread it when fearless love stands in the way. Spreading love through courage and humility has brought some hope for Americans who are willing to listen.
Will the America of today survive its debilitating self-doubt and keep moving forward? If so, who is going to lead the way? Who will keep alive the love, patience, integrity, wisdom, joy and humility the country needs?
In the Russia of Holy War, Ilya Chestnov embodies his own nation’s troubles after the brief hope inspired by the fall of communism. A rapist and murderer who has found himself president, he has apparently decided that the best way to get people to believe in him is to perform fake miracles. David might be the perfect journalist to take on the task of writing effectively about this man and his delusions, but David has now dropped the ball. He has lost sight of the spirit that made him successful in America and left Tamar exposed and Russia without a witness to its better nature.
Are we all to become fallen Davids? Engrossed in our personal battles, are we to succumb to the threats and temptations that keep us from fighting the bigger battles consuming our countries? What are we ourselves doing to help keep our nations and leaders moving forward?
In America today, a man of many years occupies the White House and works with constructive wisdom to help correct problems facing his and other countries. At the same time, friend and foe alike mock him for his physical frailties and tell him to back away for someone younger. Why? Americans keep moaning about the decline of their country, yet they laugh about the supposed decline of their leader. This is not intelligent. The man refuses to accept the narrative of decline. Should we mock him for that?
This is not an endorsement of him or any other candidate in next year’s presidential election. It’s a caution that decisions need to be made on the basis of enlightened reasoning, not shallow fear. The responsibility to oppose decline falls on all of us. We have to affirm and prove daily, minutely, that decline is not a law, whether for individuals or for nations. There is no room for passivity in this. Even something as seemingly minor as a personal relationship is important. A charming video story last week in The New York Times captured the gentle determination of one very old woman and one very loving younger one to keep growing and working together in joy. There is no reason why older leaders cannot fulfil their jobs with intelligence and creativity as long as they are needed. Neither is there a law that nations must decline as long as they can bring good to the world.
There is a promise in the Bible that applies to every person in today’s world, and every nation contributing useful things to humanity: “Thine age shall be clearer than the noonday; thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning. And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope.”