(Via The Smallest Minority)
Peggy Noonan has, as she is in the habit of doing, hit another one out of the park–and it isn’t even baseball season.
I believe that Ms. Noonan has got it just right. It explains a lot of what we see these days–the mindless and sometimes random violence, the “I got mine” mentality, the brainless hedonism of our young, the rush to hock one’s future to have the McMansion and similar other behaviors we see on a daily basis. It also explains a new emphasis, in some circles, in preparing for an uncertain and troubled future–from laying in guns, ammo and food to investing for an expected market/dollar/commodities/whatever crash.
One can imagine the Romans behaving similarly in the waning days of their empire.
Ms. Noonan posits that many in society have no clue what is going on–they’re just looking forward to the next paycheck and the next trip to Wal-mart. Others sense that something is wrong, but can’t figure out just what. A few know what’s up, and are just enjoying as much as possible before it all blows up. Some know and are preparing to survive it if possible.
And a few are actively working to see that it doesn’t happen at all.
An interesting question to ask yourself is which category you fall into–and which one would you rather fall in? Christmas night tends to be a somewhat introspective time for me, and this seems to be a tailor-made subject for it.