The Grapes of Parnassos

Western civilization is succumbing to the false fruits of cultural revolutions to which it has consented at each stage of their development. Why do revolutions succeed? They succeed in part because the passing of a single generation is all it takes to wipe the slate and in part because the guardians let down their guard. First, the public memory fades or, as is often the case, is subtly reinterpreted. Then, citizens forget to convey the wealth of their experience and tradition to their children through nurturing, teaching, and testing. Finally, they even neglect to produce the heirs they should be preparing to carry on. These sins of omission may in some cases be absent-minded, given modernity’s capacity for producing endless distraction, but they are never less than deadly. If indeed we have sold our birthright, it will take character and courage to repent and return.