ABRIDGED: The Age of Heroes
The West is dying. Will we stand back and watch it burn?
“The world is awash in threats that will inevitably wash up on our shore if America doesn’t get its act together.”
Wake up America, by the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board
Empires are born when a fledgling nation of young, brave men burst onto the global stage, guided by destiny and devotion to a higher power. They and their immediate descendants build a nation of enterprising artists, scientists, and businessmen, erecting monuments and temples that inspire awe from the rest of the world. But as decadence and greed take hold, the empire begins a slow fall from grace. The people grow increasingly corrupt, pessimistic, and hedonistic. Eventually, a new empire takes the limelight, and the old empire falls into obscurity. This is the imperial lifecycle, which has defined every great empire, regardless of its lifespan, region, or culture.
Today, multiple empires are collapsing in real-time. America and the wider West are experiencing a slow, painful decline, aided by selfish governments and apathetic citizens. Our cities are burning; our children can’t read1; mental illness is on the rise; debauchery and violence attack our senses. We are manipulated and used by conglomerates that only care about their bottom line.
Rather than fixing it, our American “leaders” hide away in their ivory towers like the cowardly snakes they are. They promote the conglomerates pushing cultism down our children’s throats, in the name of “social justice.” They promote the violence as being “a result of systemic racism and oppression.” They promote arrogance in their speeches, and would rather defame potential allies than solve issues. When not doing that—of course—our “leaders” are busy chattering on about whatever is trending, because it’s easier than actually doing their jobs. (Can someone tell me why they’re being paid $174k/year?2)
In past generations, revolts would be long overdue. But because that would just stress us all out more, let’s keep the guillotine locked in the attic for a little while longer, eh? While we may be surrounded by depravity and inefficiency, we as humans have the gift of agency and choice. Though the imperial lifecycle may state America must die, why should we let the past wholly determine our future? Why should we let the West crumble, so that foreign totalitarian regimes can subjugate us to their tyranny? We must rebuild America so that we may uplift our Western allies.
Let us break the cycle of history. Let us become living saints and champions for our nation, for our children, and for ourselves. Let us create The Age of Heroes.
The Age of Heroes is an experiment (of my own design) that is based on Sir John Glubb’s The Fate of Empires, the Revolution of 1776, and modern psychology. Admittedly, it is still in its early stages. Though, I encourage anyone who wants to challenge my ideas and/or expand upon them to do so.
Each era is defined by the set traits of the masses and/or its leaders. For the Age of Heroes, the traits are as follows:
Intellectualism: We must embrace honesty and truth in all aspects of life. We should pride fact (i.e., historical, scientific, mathematical, etc.) over falsehoods and emotional irrationality. We must raise our children to value education—to embrace their natural curiosity and develop a love of life. We must stop supporting policies and ideologies that are not bound by reality. We must turn our backs on the socialist and totalitarian dogmas that have plagued our society. We have the right and duty to build a nation of leaders and competent citizens. We must educate ourselves on politics and the preexisting system, so that we may work to reform this system for the betterment of our people.
Accountability: Today’s society is rife with unruly, debaucherous, and otherwise unproductive behaviors. People have embraced their individuality to a fault, becoming self-centered, vain, and unable to take criticism. We must shed our egos, and shun hypocrisy. We must confront the current “leaders”—the politicians, so-called academics, and corporate heads—and hold them accountable for the damage they’ve caused society. Through civility, we must strip them of their power. In the void, we must provide our own TRUE leaders, who uphold the virtue of accountability.
Respect: Respect is integral to the success of any society. Today, however, many people have the misconception that “respect is earned” or that respect is the total embrasure of another person’s attributes. Both perspectives are incorrect. The former is an excuse for disrespect, while the latter is an excuse for sin. Respect is a virtue we must practice freely, treating both ourselves and those around us with dignity and well-meaning. We must let virtue be our guide, never letting ourselves degrade or be degraded by others.
Duty and Honor: In this life, we must embrace both our heavenly and earthly responsibilities. The universe isn’t a one-of-one. It is a collection of individuals, and we have the duty to serve, support, and uplift many of these individuals—be it our family, community, nation, or even those throughout the world. Use your talents to uplift and enlighten. At the same time, do not erode your morals, beliefs, and authenticity to conform to a cause. While we may sacrifice our wants for the greater good, we must not allow ourselves to be turned into another faceless member of the mob. Be noble and teach your children likewise.
Strength & Discipline: In America’s dying days, we find ourselves surrounded by chaos. Violence fills our streets while decadence fills our minds. Our children are unhealthy, both physically and mentally. The pathocracy3—which has infected virtually every institution in America—feeds off this madness. We must restore order and discipline to our society. We must abandon the mentality of decadence: cynicism, complacency, complaining, lust, entitlement, greed, laziness, vanity, overspending, etc. We must foster strength, resilience, and mental clarity to face the challenges and evils of the world head-on. Our nation must do the same, even if this means being “politically incorrect.” We must reform our nation to raise resilient children who have resilient leaders ready to brave the enemies of the world.
Spirituality: Today, the gods society worships are money, lust, and the ego. Many people spurn faith altogether, living in a state of limbo. Others do claim to be spiritual. However they make a mockery of spirituality by living contrary to their chosen code; warping ancient practices4; interpreting faith through a biased lens, etc. Spirituality is something we must embrace at a societal level. We should applaud those who live in accordance with the way of the universe. Exploring our souls is a journey that should be celebrated. By opening ourselves to pure spirituality, we will be able to find a deeper level of balance within ourselves and our society. Our place and purpose in this world will become less muddled. We will be able to spot the liars and deceivers. As we strip power away from the malevolent, we will be able to form a nation of spiritually inclined men and women, led by Heaven’s earthly warriors and princes.
Beauty & Creativity: We must embrace beauty and creativity in our day-to-day lives. Our modern society is filled with pain and ugliness. Today, there seems to be an erosion of aesthetics. Garish, ugly, or even downright grotesque “art” exists everywhere. It exists in the museums and in the entertainment we consume. It is a sign of decadence and must be spurned. Rather than let the status quo be dictated by soulless executives and their attention-starved puppets, society must embrace true creatives—visionary businessmen, scholars, inventors, and artists.
Valuing the Right People: Who a society values is a reflection of the men and women within it. Societies that pride favoritism and arbitrary factors over merit are sure to fail. To rebuild America, we must prioritize meritocracy. We are blessed to have equality of opportunity and must embrace this to its fullest potential. Rather than be guided by irrational quotas and destructive ideologies, we must only be concerned with “Who is the best?” This is how empires and visionary businesses are built. This is how the world advances.
Expansion & Growth: There’s nothing more tragic in this world than wasted talent. Many of today’s youth are embracing the idea of quitting altogether, believing productivity to be “toxic” and a form of societal oppression. This is a failure of society and its parents. In this Age, we must embrace personal growth and adaption. This is how our species has been able to thrive. As for our nation, the American government must embrace economic, societal, and military advancement. Our government must only base its policies on facts and what is needed for America, rather than what looks the best for a photo-op.
Patience & Determination: To rebuild our nation will take patience. It will not be reborn overnight. It may take years or even decades to happen. But we must not let our determination waver. We must strive to live by the American Dream envisioned by our Founding Fathers and bled for by countless souls. If nothing else, we must keep the American spirit—a beautiful amalgamation of all great empires—alive, no matter the cost.
Almost 250 years ago, America was united and born under the beautiful banner of Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness. We are one nation. E Pluribus Unum. While we may have individual goals and struggles, we must remember that we have one common purpose. We must embrace our higher selves, plant the seeds of freedom into the minds of the hopeless masses, and create a more enlightened society for our descendants to live in.
I understand my words sound optimistic. Probably naively so. Shortly after I published the original article, its perspective was challenged by fellow writer Mr.
in America Will Not Recover.
I was thrilled when I saw this! I encourage all of you, whether you agree or disagree, to take this haphazard plan of mine and do with it what you may. Tear it apart, expose the flaws, expand upon it—whatever. We are thinkers, after all—lawyers, teachers, mathematicians, historians, etc. The future is ours. Together, we can build a greater Age for a New America.
History is watching us. Will we go down as the men and women who rolled over and cried as America burned, or will we be remembered as the brave souls who built a new nation on top of the ashes?
From The Nation’s Report Card. Long story short, over 50% of 4th, 8th, and 12th graders cannot meet government standards for reading and mathematics.
From the National Taxpayers Union Foundation. The speaker gets paid $223,500/yr. Remember, it’s all coming out of YOUR paycheck!
AKA, a government/society run by lunatics.
Please, keep my techno out of my church.
I remember thinking this way when I was an idealistic conservative. Now I spend more time focusing on nurturing a small flame to outlast the decline - even that is very tough, but I also think it has a good chance of working.
(PS I read this to Mrs. Apple Pie. She enjoyed it, but she's complaining about a sore throat and disappointingly has no comments of her own)
like fall of roman empire? tks for post