They could've ignored it all and lived their lives as prosperous gentleman, but instead they decided to sign. The chances of being executed as a traitor were pretty good. But they had this belief that there was something that transcended their individual lives. Not that they were in any big hurry to die, but they recognized that there are some things worth fighting for...
I'm referring to the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Without the sense that there was something larger than themselves, there never would've been a Declaration of Independence.
They came from varied backgrounds and their religious beliefs were far from homogenous. However, they all believed that there was a God and that He was somehow connected to the idea that liberty was something all people deserved,
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." [Source]They all believed that something greater awaited them after their mortal lives were finished. They believed that the struggle for liberty was worth the sacrifice, if necessary, of this current life. The moment they signed that sheet of paper they were rolling the dice with their lives on the line.
Without the belief in the transitory nature of this physical life, the belief that there is something worth the sacrifice, there is no sense in going to war. It is this lack of eternal perspective that causes the left to shrink from war. If you believe that current existence is all there is, then there is little reason to risk it all for liberty. Whether it's the liberty of your countrymen or liberty for those living thousands of miles away. Nothing is worth sacrificing this life.
It's no accident that the left is composed, to a large degree, of hedonists, atheists, agnostics and those who see heaven and hell as simply metaphors and not literal locations. They fight, sometimes violently, for women's rights, for "reproductive rights", and for the right to live their lives in any way they choose, but don't seem to believe in fighting for those same rights for people living in another country. By the twisted logic of the left, Saddam Hussein is somehow noble and George Bush is Hitler. (Except they wouldn't have opposed Hitler either. ) Their bottom line is that nothing is worth the sacrifice of one's life and that is why they oppose the war in Iraq.
A moral relativist might say that the Taliban and other fanatic Islamists have the same belief in a paradise after this life and it is that belief that motivates them to action. The moral relativist views all such beliefs as being hopelessly illogical, even dangerous. The moral relativist is correct, except for a certain belief system.
Islam is a religion that stresses ritual and rigid obedience as the path to heaven. Therefore, cruelty is acceptable in the pursuit of heaven. By contrast, the Judeo-Christian system is based on the idea that we must respect, even love, others. You don't have to go to the New Testament to find this sense that there is an obligation to treat others well. The 10 Commandments contain an implied sense that you should respect and even love your neighbor. As a result, you don't steal from him, covet his belongings, etc. It's one thing to pursue heaven but from a Judeo-Christian worldview it isn't okay to pursue it on the backs of others. Not even if they are unbelievers.
In the face of an increasingly post-modern age, we have large numbers of people who see no absolute sense of right and wrong, no transcendant values, and no God, just life created by accident over billions of years. Therefore, there is no reason to risk life and limb to bring liberty to another land. There is no reason to conquer evil. Evil exists only as an abstract concept determined by cultural values and by expediency.
Fortunately, there are still those who believe, as the signers of the Declaration did, that there are things more important than any single individual. When those who believe there are things worth fighting (and dying) for cease to exist then our great country will shortly thereafter cease to exist. I believe this is the issue at the heart of the presidential campaign and that the choice we make on Novemeber 2nd will, in large part, determine our future as a country.
Posted by jdmays at October 3, 2004 09:11 PM | TrackBack