When A Civilization Begins To Fall
When a civilization begins to unravel, the first action is always internal. It is hidden, spiritual, and unobserved by the public. Brazilian philosopher Olavo de Carvalho recently pointed out that Western Civilization has produced more “educated” people than we have positions for. In fact, we’ve educated them beyond their intelligence, giving them tools too advanced for their character, putting a simple life of contented drudgery out of their reach. In other words, we’ve mass-produced a horde of impotent wits, angry because their princely education cannot produce for them a princely sum or a kingdom.
When a civilization is far along the path of unraveling, the barbarians sense the Empire’s growing weakness. They gather at the frontiers. They push, threaten and fuss. Earlier this week the president of Russia, having invaded and looted a small country, warned that Russia would crush anyone who got in its way. Menacing language was used with regard to Poland and Ukraine. In response to this NATO was split. Some member states were unwilling to hold Russia accountable because Russia supplies them with natural gas and oil.
It’s funny how things play out. The price of oil should start rising again. There is a leaky pipeline in the North Sea, and the world’s second-largest pipeline has been damaged in Georgia. Funny thing, too, and most will think it a coincidence; but a Ukrainian patriot recently explained to me that energy prices bottomed out just before the Chernobyl reactor blew up in April 1986, releasing a radioactive cloud that blew across Europe. People who’ve experienced such an event aren’t eager to build nuclear power plants. What better advertisement could there have been for Russian natural gas? And now Europe depends on Russian gas.
The West is ideologically divided. Too many of us believe the Russian lies. We believe, in our simplistic way, that tiny Georgia provoked mighty Russia. We haven’t bothered to find out what actually happened. Here are just a few indications that Moscow planned everything in advance: 1 Last month the Russian army practiced invading a small country; 2 Russia recalled its ambassadors to Moscow for a meeting on July 15 to discuss a new foreign policy concept connected to the necessity of “defending” Russian speaking people in unnamed other countries; 3 Moscow’s South Ossetian proxy evacuated ethnic woman and children before beginning an intense bombardment of Georgian villages; 4 The South Ossetian artillery opened fire at 11 pm, while the Georgian artillery didn’t return fire until 12:30 am; 5 Russian mechanized columns were actually moving into Georgia prior to Georgia’s push into South Ossetia on 8 August ; 6 The Russians were mobilizing ships in the Black Sea weeks before the supposed “Georgian aggression”; 7 Georgian internet sites came under intensive Russian attack in advance of military operations.
