Chapter 22
The brick and mortar of civilisations
The received wisdom is that civilisations rise and fall.
I submit that civilisations rise to the extent they can provide equality, fraternity, internal freedom and external defence, and they decline and/or fall to the extent they can no longer provide them.
Morality is key to every community, as it represents the structure in which equality, fraternity, freedom and defence are implemented. Civilisations rise on the back of morality and decline with it.
Morality brings prosperity. Prosperity brings choice. Choice erodes morality, which erodes prosperity and defence, which is why some civilisations decline and fall. This cycle is not inevitable, some civilisations may respond adequately to moral decline, rise to the challenge and rebound in prosperity and defence.
Will western civilisation endure?
My guess is yes. No other civilisation to date has implemented the Ten Commandments and Jesus' "love your neighbour as you love yourself" rule as thoroughly as western civilisation, which makes it the most sustainable and resilient civilisation in history.
The Tend Commandments and Jesus' rule in combination also make western civilisation the most democratic, equitable and prosperous one on Earth. Therefore, I agree with Francis Fukuyama's prediction that western-style democracy will soon become the global gold standard. It already is the most prosperous and most attractive one in the world. This is why so many people want to immigrate.
Potential immigrants should be made aware that the prosperity they covet is the result of the Ten Commandments and Jesus' rule, so they cannot reasonably hope to take the prosperity and reject its source. If this message is brought home, western civilisation will likely be able to cope with the current migration wave and emerge stronger, freer, fairer, more prosperous and better defended.
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