J. B. Shurk – The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus argued, “A man’s character is his fate,” by which he meant that we are all capable of shaping our futures. It is also true that a nation’s character is its fate and that countries prosper or perish by their own hands.
Taking these two truths together, it is easy to look around today and lose hope about what lies ahead. Western civilization is in moral peril and spiritual decay. Increasingly authoritarian political leaders have abandoned Enlightenment principles recognizing the sanctity of individual rights and a social compact ensuring that legitimate government arises only from the “consent of the governed.”