Today Western imperialism is the imperialism of relativism, of the
“it all depends on your point of view”; it’s the eye-rolling or the
wounded indignation at anyone who’s stupid, primitive, or
presumptuous enough to still believe in something, to affirm
anything at all.

No social order can securely found itself on the principle that
nothing is true. Yet it must be made secure.

The catastrophe is not coming, it is here. We are already situated
within the collapse of a civilization.

— The Coming Insurrection*

*The Coming Insurrection is a French radical leftist, anarchist tract written by The Invisible Committee, the nom de plume of an anonymous author (or possibly authors). It hypothesizes the “imminent collapse of capitalist culture”.

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A friend commented yesterday upon the diminishing relevance of our institutions.  I had to agree.  Police function in a traditional fashion only within a community comprised of law-abiding citizens.  The church serves as a touchstone of transcendence only as long as the ancient myths are recognized as metaphors.  The stories are shadows cast by our fractured human nature.  The milestones of birth, marriage, and death are accorded transcendent meaning by means of communal ritual in the penumbra of those stories.  And then there’s the institution of education.  Public education is effective to the extent that knowledge, and the teaching profession is widely respected.

Everyone recognizes that our institutions have transformed to suit the spirit of these times.  Law enforcement has been militarized.  Any encounter with law enforcement is potentially fraught with expensive legal consequences or worse.  The church, no longer custodian of evocative stories, has become cheerleader for capitalism, proclaiming a health & wealth gospel.  Public education has long been underfunded, eroded by vouchers, and “for profit” charter schools.

No worries.  The social order must be made, will be made secure.

Our President, acquitted of impeachable behavior, is poised for enthusiastic reelection by approximately half of our citizens.