In the Shadow of Giants

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It was the time of trials. The twentieth century tested the strength of civilization to the limit. As Westerners indebted to Roman law and Erasmus of Rotterdam humanism, we barely survived the mortal challenges of Bolshevism and Nazism. Like the ancient Greeks, the founders of democracy who had to go to war with the Persians time and time again, we faced the threat of final annihilation. It was touch and go.

Before the outbreak of World War I, none but the most tormented misanthropes could have guessed the extent of the man-made disasters that awaited humanity. Bastards of the war, the twin ideologies of Soviet-style communism and national socialism — rivals unto death — marked the transition to modernity. Moving far beyond Christian ethics, observing the transgressive standards of deception and violence that characterize totalitarianism, and preaching both group hatred (i.e. class and race war, respectively) and rebellion in a setting of utopian hypocrisy (i.e. revolution), they were on the verge of overthrowing the West. In pursuit of undivided dominance (including control over history, as modern wokeists also have in mind), they created general unrest, organized sabotage against social institutions, and worked to destroy the trust of civil society. Fortunately, they failed to succeed with their malignant venture at first. That is the reason why we have so far been able to reflect on the course of history without academic boundaries — self-censorship never seriously distorted the public debate until the breakthrough of second-generation Marxism, the so-called “wokeism” threatening “cancellation,” if not physical incapacitation.

Naturally, Bolshevism’s fratricide on Nazism was an immense relief to the enlightened part of humanity, considering the unspeakable atrocities uncovered in the heart of Europe (i.e. from systematized “euthanasia” in the German fatherland before the outbreak of war, to industrialized mass murder of Jews in distant extermination camps), though fairly short-lived; after all, the rival ideologies shared the same murderous view of people as tools rather than ends in themselves. In the aftermath of the war, the Bolsheviks took over the Nazis’ anti-Western — and anti-Semitic, for that matter — alliances in the Third World. Western civilization, technologically, aesthetically, and ethically refined, based as it is on a mixture of Hellenistic-Roman and Judeo-Christian traditions, truly unique and without any claim to moral universalism, staggered for a while back then, contested by Nazis and Bolsheviks in turn, but regained its footing.

This time, however, we may finally have had it. The threat to the survival of civilization comes from several sides. It may indeed be suspected that the enemies of the West have been making their secret preparations for a long time. Enemies of openness and freedom, the totalitarian forces preferably work under the cover of darkness because their long-term visions and undermining business conflict with the tenets of a democratic social order and the rule of law.

The balance of power in the world is changing. The West as, not only the cradle, but also the sanctuary, of freedom is yielding to the dark forces of totalitarianism. The light of hope that spread in the entire world after the collapse of the Soviet empire is once again giving way to darkness. The enemy is as confident as ever, sensing weakness like any other predator; allied shock troops from near and far are on the move, preparing for the final push. While we are being eaten up from within, as it were, by the peacefully disguised enemy — who has infiltrated us since the end of World War II, gradually displacing our fundamental principles of freedom and undermining the cohesion of society — we are threatened at gunpoint from without by his co-conspirators.

Bolsheviks and Nazis, equal exemplars of political gangsterism, originally conspired with each other against the power structures (e.g. following the distribution of land areas, population centers, and natural resources) from the aftermath of World War I, dividing the spoils from coordinated wars of conquest (e.g. the Polish partition). The criminal alliance, which also included trade in oil and weapons, lasted until one side cheated the other (Operation Barbarossa); that is what invariably happens, sooner or later, in the relationship between habitual criminals. Like everyday psychopaths who consistently wrong their fellow man without remorse, the zealous servants of totalitarianism cannot plead ignorance or misguided benevolence; they are black at heart.

The present-day alliance forged against the West consists of (a) Eastern European revanchists, (b) Middle Eastern Islamists, and (c) Far Eastern communists. Although a triad of widely disparate conspirators, they are the united enemies of the “open society” — in other words, united by the fight against a common enemy rather than anything else. They form a fearsome criminal cartel all the same.

How do we then deal with the situation that could conceivably herald our imminent doom? Many of us refuse to face the danger, but prefer to trivialize it and indulge in superficial diversions as if nothing had happened. That is “denial.” Others covertly serve the interests of the enemy and attack anybody who warns of the danger and demands timely countermeasures. That is “treachery.” However, both denial and treachery as defined above may very well originate in cowardice; the cowards do not believe that the West can hold out in the long run. They consider resistance utterly futile and are only trying to save their own skins.

The antiprogressive skeptic, encouraging moderation and reflection, may find it difficult to get through with his messages in the cacophony of social-media nonsense and political announcements without insight and determination. On the whole, it seems to be a minority of people who actually realize the danger and are willing to act on it. Heroism is in short supply these days. Most do not value the freedom that they have inherited and therefore take for granted, but are sadly diverted by the endless temptations of consumerism.

Unfortunately, the will to survive has become like a distant motif in our collective memory. We refuse to be in touch with our own past as Westerners and learn from our hard-earned experiences. Long-forgotten is the resilient spirit of the Spartans, outnumbered by the Persians, who fought bravely at Thermopylae, though betrayed by one of their own in the end (i.e. Ephialtes of Trachis). Similarly, nobody cares about the victory of the Athenians at the battle of Marathon, allegedly a turning point in the wars between the founders of Western civilization and the tyrants of the Orient.

Our civilization, truly second to none, rule-based and humanistic, is being challenged by hostile countercultures as we speak. Insidious signs of moral decay are to be seen everywhere. There is nobody to save us but ourselves. Under and above the dramatic clash of cultures, the laws of nature are at work: Whereas our Third World invaders and colonizers multiply ad infinitum, we become fewer and fewer. Time is on their side. And they know it. They are storming an open city whose walls have been deserted.

Western civilization is doomed unless we are actually willing to fight for it. Human nature does not allow us to rest and turn our backs on the world. The implacable enemies of freedom (i.e. nihilistic maladaptees inflamed with spite, though pretending idealism, and natural-born bloodhounds of totalitarianism) appear wherever society shows signs of indecision and weakness; they are always prepared to band together, exploiting or destroying the “open society.” Accordingly, the institutions that support civilization require ongoing maintenance. Put another way, we have to man the walls.

Like the ancient Greeks, we cannot afford to lay down our weapons and armor, but must keep ready for battle if we still have any loyalty to ourselves and our kindred. History is sure to erase us in case of moral decay and cowardice. The same fate has befallen many other peoples before us, including the Hittites, Babylonians, and Harappans.

The Greeks were giants. What about us? Are we already beaten? Or shall we surprise the world and rise again? Melancholic self-abandonment, bordering on the masochistic (i.e. a hysterical death drive — and futile sacrifice — of post-Christian secularism), is really our greatest enemy in the West.

Image: Public domain.