Re: What drives civilizations to grow, thrive and then fall? How does this apply to the US and the Middle East? -- SPEAK UP

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Date Posted: 15:06:59 06/02/02 Sun
Author: Jack Sprouse
Author Host/IP: kdialup34.phnx.uswest.net / 209.181.105.34
Subject: Re: What drives civilizations to grow, thrive and then fall? How does this apply to the US and the Middle East?
In reply to: Richard 's message, "What drives civilizations to grow, thrive and then fall? How does this apply to the US and the Middle East?" on 12:09:07 06/02/02 Sun

The best analogy that I can make is of a great football team. Over the years I have noticed that various teams are "great" for only a few years then another team takes over. Good players are lost. Other players become complacent. Primarily, every other team is gunning for them.

I think that thriving civilizations fail ultimately because they start to believe their own propaganda. They try to rest on their laurals and lose that fervor that drove them to greatness. In other words, they just get lazy.

Usually the reach exceeds the grasp. As with the Roman Empire, a civilization cannot control all that they rule. Pressure from within and from without weakens them to the point that they turn in on themselves.

America has become so involved in projecting its' power around the world that we have forgotten to protect our own borders. We have tried so hard to achieve political correctness that we have become foolish.

Rather than concern ourselves with protecting our citizens we engage in heated debate over whether or not our military are violating the "constitutional" rights of men who are trying to destroy us. We have failed to realize that we are in a struggle for survival. In other words, we have just gotten lazy.

I think any civilization (ours included) that does not pass along to succeeding generations the absolute "urgency" of danger that the world poses is a civilization that is destined to fail.

We may at some time in the future look back at the attack on the WTC and say "Thank God" it happened when it did. It may have been the very thing that will ensure the survival of the American Nation.

Jack

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I believe it's something much more fundamental (and I am not alone)... -- John, 23:38:55 06/08/02 Sat