Should we despair, giving up on America?

Summary:  On this Sunday we’ll interrupt the FM website’s flow of information, insight, and exhortation for something different.  A moment of reflection on America, where we are and where we’re going.  The situation looks bleak, so it’s time to consult the pros.

It’s an article of faith on the FM website that only cold analysis can provide the basis for accurate diagnosis and treatment of the Republic, to restore our lost liberties and return us to the path of prosperity.  With 2,060 posts since September 2003, and almost 21 thousand comments, the authors, guest authors, and commenters have provided analysis totalling millions of words.  Combined with the work of greater writers elsewhere, also working for the reform of America, then the Republic would be saved – if words alone sufficed.

But as Spock reminds us in Star Trek IV, “logic is only the beginning of wisdom”. Logic give us no motivation, no energy, no drive. But worse, if relied upon alone it can lead to despair. Fortunately, we can turn to the sages for the solace and inspiration that reason cannot provide. First let us consider the wisdom of despair. And then the see the necessity of hope, which is  our greatest resource.

For Roman Catholics, despair is a sin against the First Commandment.

By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins.  Despair is contrary to God’s goodness, to his justice – for the Lord is faithful to his promises – and to his mercy.

— Article 2091 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church, asks “Is Despair the Greatest of Sins?” His answer…

If, however, despair be compared to the other two sins {disbelief or hatred of God – or, in this context, Liberty} from our point of view, then despair is more dangerous, since hope withdraws us from evils and induces us to seek for good things, so that when hope is given up, men rush headlong into sin, and are drawn away from good works.

Wherefore a gloss on Proverbs 24:10, “If thou lose hope being weary in the day of distress, thy strength shall be diminished,” says: “Nothing is more hateful than despair, for the man that has it loses his constancy both in the every day toils of this life, and, what is worse, in the battle of faith.”

And Isidore says in Sententiarum seu De summo bono, ii, 14): “To commit a crime is to kill the soul, but to despair is to fall into hell.

— The Summa Thologica, Part I – Treatise on the Theological Virtues, section I, Question 20 – About Despair, Article 3

Even pop-cultural reference sometimes have wisdom. Such as in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings saga.

“Despair or Folly?  It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not. It is wisdom to recognize necessity, when all other courses have been weighed, though as folly it may appear to those who cling to false hope.”
— Gandalf at The Council of Elrond, in Fellowship of the Ring.

“Do not cast all hope away. Tomorrow is unknown. Rede {council} oft is found at the rising of the Sun.”
— Legolas, in The Two Towers.

“The counsel of Gandalf was not founded on foreknowledge of safety, for himself or for others. There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.”
— Aragorn, in The Two Towers.

“For thus it is spoken: ‘Oft hope is born when all is forlorn.'”
— Legolas in The Return of the King.

More thoughts about despair and hope

Other posts about hope

1. Some good news (one of the more important posts on this blog), 21 December 2007 –  I do not believe we need fear the future, despite the tough times coming soon.  This remains a great nation, not because of our past but because of us and our polity.  We differ from almost every other nation.  The difference consists of our commitment to our political order, of which our Constitution is the foundation.  In this we are like Athens more than our neighbors …
2. An important thing to remember as we start a New Year, 29 December 2007 — As we start a New Year I find it useful to review my core beliefs. It is easy to lose sight of those amidst the clatter of daily events. Here is my list…
3. Is America’s decline inevitable? No.. 21 January 2008 – Why be an American if one has no faith in the American people?  How can you believe in democracy without that faith?
4. Let us light a candle while we walk, lest we fear what lies ahead, 10 February 2008 — Many people look to the future with fear. We see this fear throughout the web. Right-wing sites describe the imminent end of America: overrun by foreigners, victim of cultural and financial collapse. Left-wing sites describe “die-off” scenarios due to Peak Oil, climate change, and ecological collapse – as the American dream dies from takeover by theocrats and fascists.  Most of this is nonsense, but not the prospect of massive changes in our world. But need we fear the future?
5. Experts, with wrinkled brows, warn about the future, 2 May 2008 — Experts often see the future with alarm, seeing the dangers but not benefits. That gets attention, from both the media and an increasingly fearful public. Both sides feed this process. It need not be so, as most trends contain the seeds of good and bad futures. This post considers two examples.
6. Peak Oil Doomsters debunked, end of civilization called off, 8 May 2008
7. Good news about the 21st century, a counterbalance to the doomsters, 9 May 2008
8. A snapshot of our engines of innovation, as they develop new energy sources, 12 May 2008 – There are many solutions under development to the energy crises.  These things just take time, even decades, to mature.
9. Some thoughts about the economy of mid-21st century America, 12 January 2009 — Optimistic words from the greatest economist of the 20th century.
10. Good news: air quality in the US has improved!, 12 March 2010

Other posts giving inspiration

1. Washington’s Gift, 24 December 2007 — A summary of and link to an article by the author Thomas Fleming, published on the Opinion Page of the Wall Street Journal.
2. A crisis at the beginning of the American experiment, 27 December 2008 — Looking at the problems looming before us, it is easy to forget those of equal or greater danger that we have surmounted in the past.
3. “America’s Greatest Weapon” , 25 May 2008
4. An effective way to support our Troops: help the Blue Star Mothers of America, 8 June 2008 — There are ways to support our troops, actions more effective than a bumper sticker on your car.
5. Support the USO – more effective than a bumper sticker, 5 July 2008 — Another way to support our troops, more effective than a bumper sticker.
6. A Thanksgiving Day note, 26 November 2010 — About the Medal of Honor presented to SSG Giunta.

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