a resurrection of a speech heard round the world...

What follows here is a snapshot of what was actually spoken on that day long ago. You will notice some comments encapsulated with quotes, these are word for word what Alexander spoke. The rest of what is contained is thought for thought and will not be referenced in any manner throughout the document. It is also a free-flow of the ideas and statements made not necessarily a scholarly critique or writing. You may notice some breaks in thought or an out-of-sorts feel to it. Please read to the end. Should certain statements anger you keep reading, it gets better. Don’t be weary with the length; please read to its conclusion.

These thoughts were prophetic in the day they were spoken and now finds a reality only congruent with prophets sent by GOD. He had a word then that now needs to be heeded, somehow, and to find, at least, understanding for the age we find ourselves in. The reality expressed within this speech is frighteningly upon us today. Let us not lose heart, but speak things as they are and stand for the Kingdom that is to come, the Kingdom that will triumph over all lesser kingdoms here on earth.

TWO WORLDS
Alexander Solzhenitsyn
An address delivered Thursday, June 8, 1978 to an afternoon exercise at Harvard

There are two views of the world around us. One is a Man-centric, the other a Theo-centric. The first view believes that successful diplomatic negotiations and a balance of armed forces is adequate and sufficient in abolishing danger in our world. Do you believe this? This is a political concept.
It is a shallow view and cannot describe the deeper issue and truth that this world flows from a Theo-centric lifestyle.
-Israel stands apart from the Western world in that its state system is fundamentally linked to religion.
-Western society has expanded in a triumph of human independence and power and suddenly in the 20th Century, and beyond, we have seen our fragility and friability.

The Blindness of Superiority

The West upholds that all in this planet should be like us and we will go to war to make it so and if these nations are not like us, we believe it is because wicked governments temporarily prevent it. It is to our western mindset incomprehensible that everyone does not embrace our pluralistic democracy.
Did our nation’s forefathers foretell this?
Did they have this end in sight and provide for the checks and balance of this whole affair?
Was the writing of our constitution and polity intended for pluralism in democracy; in religion; in governing?
So, countries are even judged on the merit of their progress toward this end; their western thought; their western image. We are a Pax Romana of sorts…

“A decline in courage may be the most striking feature…in the West in our days.” This decline is noticeable in ruling groups and the intellectual elite. “Political and intellectual bureaucrats show depression, passivity and perplexity in their actions and in their statements and even more so in theoretical reflections.” America, the great, determined at the outset and stated, “governments are meant to serve man, man lives to be free to pursue happiness.” But, we are a welfare state now. Our material goods have increased and thus, should our happiness (in the morally inferior sense).

One psychological detail has been overlooked: the constant desire to still have more material goods and a better life, the struggle to get them and maintain them imprints the faces with worry; depression, though concealed. All this is at the expense of common values and the defense of the nation. Did you get that? Do you need to read it again? We are increased in goods and say continually, ‘we need more.’ As a smart theologian said, J.I. Packer, ‘We are a sorry, flabby lot.’

Look it up: biology tells us that habitual and extreme safety and well-being are not advantageous for a living organism.

“Mediocrity triumphs with the excuse of restrictions imposed by democracy – in light of the rebuffs of press and parliament to a statesman with reform on the mind.”

“The defense of individual human rights renders a whole society defenseless against certain individuals.” It is time to defend human obligation not human rights.

The legalistic structure is inadequate to stand through the trials that threaten us. In light of defending individual rights “destruction and irresponsible freedom has been granted boundless space.”
- There is little defense against the abyss of human decadence.
- Life organized legalistically has thus shown its inability to defend itself against the corrosion of evil.
“Thus, legal frames are broad enough to encourage not only individual freedom but also certain individual crimes.” When government fights against terrorism there are public opinion groups that accuse it of violating terrorists civil rights. Is anybody listening, or am I preaching to silent ears? Is it too late for this message? Freedom, taken to its other extreme, is evil, unregulated wickedness. This tilt of freedom in the direction of evil is brought out of a humanistic and benevolent concept according to which there is no evil inherent to human nature. We suffer from the view that the world belongs to mankind and all defects of life are caused by wrong social systems which must be corrected by a legal band-aid.
- Strange enough, the West has the best social conditions; sterile, but the best. Yet criminality is abounding here considerably more than lawless countries such as the Soviet Union.

The Press/Media

Question of the century – Can the press both simulate (not stimulate) public opinion and mis-educate it? It is a fact that the press can both heroize terrorists or defame by revealing shameful secrets all because “we have the right to know. This is a false slogan, characteristic of a false era.” But people have a right not to know – this constant, instant load of information is both burdening and vain. But then you could argue: ‘They have a right not to read or tune-in’
Where would this rationale end, then?
Where is the just end of ‘our rights?’
Answer: “When it infringes on our moral obligation and the golden rule.”

Hastiness and Superficiality is the psychic disease of the 20th Century. The press holds more sway and power than the legislative, executive and judiciary branches of our government. Ooops, I said ‘our government.’ It is no longer ‘our government, or ‘we the people’ but I the person.
Who has elected them?
Has the vote of America been heard?

Concerning this power of the Press:

There is a “self deluding interpretation of the contemporary world situation. It works as a sort of petrified armor around people’s mind. It is only broken by the pitiless crowbar of events.” I am wondering what kind of events he is referring to? This ‘self delusion’ comes from a fashion in thinking formed by the influence of the media – that which is fashionable.

Solzhenitsyn has mentioned several times “a weakening of human beings in the west.” There is no struggle; we are a neutral, comfortable, sterile lot here in America. We are weak. Suffering produces a longing in the human soul for things higher, warmer and purer than those offered by today’s mass living habits, introduced by the revolting invasion of publicity, by Television stupor and by intolerable music. Wake UP America! A ‘crowbar’ is coming and it is necessary. An ‘event’ unimaginable is upon us and this will try your heart, your allegiances and your will.

History gives us fair warning of threatened or perishing society: the decadence of art or lack of great statesmen. “The faces of evil have begun their offensive, you can feel their pressure and yet your screens and publications are full of prescribed smiles and raised glasses. What is the joy about?” George Kennan says, “We cannot apply moral criteria to politics.” But we are: Our laws are trying to knuckle down, screw down every possible moral failure and apply legislation; all this without a Standard. Thus, we mix good and evil, right and wrong and in doing so make space for the absolute triumph of absolute evil in the world [Pluralism]. On the contrary, moral criteria are the only thing that can release the west against Communism’s well-planned world strategy. It has a different face then in Germany’s hey-day but the same goal.

After a certain level of the problem has been reached, legalistic thinking induces paralysis; it prevents one from seeing the size and meaning of events. Oh my! We may even miss the coming of this ‘event’ he is referring to and dumb it away by our stupor.


Loss of Will-Power – The Weakness of Americans

“In a state of psychological weakness weapons become a burden for the capitulating side.” Please read that again…

“To defend oneself, one must also be ready to die; there is no such readiness in a society raised in the cult of material well-being.” Wow! And this is how we are raising the Army today; lowering the standard just to make recruitment goals. We are promising any recruit to come taste of our goods, our high dollar bonuses to join our ranks. I am writing this as a current soldier. We have forgotten the greater, nobler ideal of character, loyalty, leadership. This promise of material goods laughs in the face and dismisses the 7 Core Army values.

“The debilitating dream of status quo is the symptom of a society which has come to the end of its development.” GULP!
How have we gotten here, to this present sickness and weakness? The mistake, the sickness is the root and at the root; the very basis of human thinking even passed down from past generations. We have given up our privileges of well-processed thought, community and our universities are reciprocating this cycle.

This thinking, born during the Renaissance, found its political expression in the Enlightenment. It is defined as rationalistic humanism or humanistic autonomy – the proclaimed and enforced autonomy of man from any higher force above him. It is anthropocentricity which says that man is the center of everything existential. This new way of thinking does not admit the existence of intrinsic evil in man nor did it see any higher task than the attainment of happiness on earth. Modern Western Civilization based its view and thinking on the dangerous trend to worship man and his material needs. This is the new Hellenism. Or the old Hellenism revived.

“Mere freedom does not, in the least, solve all the problems of human life – it even adds new ones.” American Democracy at the time of its birth granted freedom and human rights because man is God’s creature. “Freedom was given to the individual conditionally, in the assumption of his constant religious responsibility.” What was the cause of this total liberation from the moral heritage of Christian centuries? State systems become materialistic as responsibility to God dims and dims and fades…

If humanism were right in declaring that man is born to be happy, he would not be born to die. Since this body is doomed to die his task on earth must be of a more spiritual nature. “Only voluntary, inspired self-restraint can raise man above the world stream of materialism.”

What Russia, Germany, North Korea and Vietnam created under the gun, the knife and by force America has done completely under the duress of woozy and sleepy citizens. We are buying it hook, line and sinker and we do not even know we are the fish in the tank.