Hearts and Minds

Where do people go when their gods fail?

One wonders if there are some signs that the disastrous fires in the nexus of "Libland" might be causing some Democrats to question if their party truly has their best interests at heart.

Many may remember the old saying that a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged (or in this case, had their house burned down). Facing tragedy can sharpen one's perspective, and a wildfire ravaging through your neighborhood brings reality into stark focus. This might be the ultimate test of the logical dichotomy of whether something is or isn't.

Richard Crossman, editor and contributor to one of the greatest yet least-known books about communism, "The God That Failed," wrote:

"…no one who has not wrestled with communism as a philosophy, and communists as political opponents, can really understand the values of Western democracy. The Devil once lived in Heaven, and those who have not met him are unlikely to recognize an angel when they see one."

One wonders if losing square miles of idyllic homes in an area steeped in post-WWII American pride and optimism, Hollywood glamour, and eclectic architecture - built by the families who shaped it all - is enough to pierce through decades of ideological insulation.

I know this sounds harsh, but it's the only explanation I can offer for how California has seemingly descended into what might be the closest to a functional autocracy our Constitution allows.

There's no question that many Democrats in the fire-ravaged areas of LA are unhappy, even angry. Some are making noises that sound conservative - but can this conversion by fire be real? Can they truly distinguish between the Devil and an angel?

My answer is "maybe." My skepticism stems from past events like 9/11 and the Great Recession, which I thought would jolt people from their ideological slumber but didn't.

When I was far younger than I am today, I was the protégé of a very learned man who had seen both world wars firsthand. His experiences transformed him from a rash ideological adventurer into a sober and ardent anti-communist. He's been gone nearly three decades, but I remember our conversations vividly.

We spoke often of communism and capitalism, and he explained that communism involves either the heart or the mind - never both - because the heart desires universal equity but ignores consequences, while the mind understands these consequences but only sees the goal. He contrasted this with capitalism and classical liberalism (now called conservatism), which require both heart and mind, and he noted how this was akin to the faith to accept Christ as savior. He warned that without the emotional commitment of the heart, the mind alone can be, and usually is, cruel - even if unintentionally so.

Many might recall these lines from Rudyard Kipling’s “The Gods of the Copybook Headings”:

"In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all, By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul; But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy, And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: 'If you don’t work you die.'

... As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man There are only four things certain since Social Progress began. That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire, And the burnt Fool’s bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;"

Changing one's mind isn't enough without a change of heart - and that is a personal choice each individual must make. People cannot be converted by the sword.

The evident failures of California's elected officials make one wonder where people turn when their ideological "god" fails. Even if the fog of authoritarian collectivism lifts, will logic and reason automatically take its place?

I'm not convinced. History shows, as Kipling suggests, that people most often revert to old beliefs and habits. I fear the will to persevere might have been bred out of Americans, leading to a malignant narcissism that could be the death knell for our culture and civilization.

I pray for a conversion of both heart and mind.