The Troubles Yet to Come

The Catholic Philosopher #21

“Men have forgotten God. That is why all this has happened.”

Solzhenitsyn’s explanation of the chaos and destruction of Russia under Communism,

War lies ahead – war and civil collapse. I cannot predict this as a certainty, but the warning signs are there. The dangers do certainly lie before us, and we need to prepare. We can see the international problems: an expansionist Russia invading one neighbor and threatening others, China steadily expanding its military reach in the Pacific, a recalcitrant Iran proclaiming and acting on its goal to destroy the “little Satan” (Israel) and the “great Satan” (USA). And within our own country we are grievously divided, not only in our politics—just saying “Trump” is often enough to start a fight—but within our American society.

We can point to these things and analyze the history, the policies, and of course the personalities involved. It is important to be aware of and even to study such things, to the extent that each of us individually is able. But this is not the heart of our responsibility.

We need to examine our consciences, collectively and individually, while keeping constantly in mind what Solzhenitsyn said: “Men have forgotten God.”

The 20th century was disastrous. We saw two world wars with their attendant deaths and destruction in Europe and Asia. Soviet Communism and German Nazism enslaved and murdered millions. We have seen old photographs of bombed out European cities and gaunt prisoners leaving the death camps. In 1945 the Second World War ended with our (American) destruction by the A-bomb of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with their civilian populations. Then, in 1990 Communism in Europe finally collapsed, leaving in its wake a heritage of ruined lives and the gulags. It is of this that Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn called the result of men having forgotten God.

Nazism and Communism are defeated, but what did we learn? The American answer was prosperity. When Austrian leaders began to examine their nation’s participation in the crimes of the Third Reich, our American leaders told them to forget it and look forward. Instead of being a perpetrator (albeit a minor one) of Nazi atrocities, Austria was “Hitler’s first victim.” Soviet Communism was on the horizon. The postwar task was to build a prosperous democratic Europe. After the fall of Communism, our collective job was to build prosperous democratic countries with free market economies. In this was the key to world peace.

Indeed, this vision formed by western liberalism is the underlying vision of the European Union, which, despite the ardent pleas of Pope John Paul II and others, refused to recognize the Christian roots of their civilization. Solzhenitsyn said, “Men have forgotten God,” and the EU deliberately wrote him off. We in the United States have not done much better. There are many symptoms of our spiritual and cultural decay. After forty-nine years of constitutionally protect abortions, the Supreme Court ruled that there is no such right to abortion, but about half the American people steadfastly insist that abortions not only be legal but also frequently performed. Religion is disfavored, especially among our educated elites. One simple sign of this is how often contestants on the Jeopardy TV show are unable to answer simple questions about the Bible. The best we can say is that America tolerates religion.

We live under an illusion. The false dream that comforts us is that what happened then—from 1939 to 1945—and there—in Europe, Japan, and east Asia—cannot happen here. If Ukraine falls to Putin or Taiwan to Xi Jinping, our lives will go on in peace and comfort. Our cities will not be destroyed. We will not starve or go without necessities. The German poet Goethe wrote, “Amerika, du hast es besser“ – America, you have it better. Would that it were so. We see ourselves as God’s sort-of chosen people, the “city on the hill” as Ronald Reagan said. We are not. We have a good constitutional form of government, but we are not exceptional. I love the USA. It is my home. But God has not made us his own chosen people.

We are in danger. The United States of America is in danger. So, what must we do? Remember Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s warning: “Men have forgotten God.” We must find God and turn to him. In saying this, I am not calling for a massive evangelistic campaign or for a new movement of Christians. No, what I mean is that you, dear reader, and I should turn to God. How so?

First, each of us needs to pray, to spend even as few as ten minutes daily alone with God in prayer. If you don’t spend time with your spouse, then your marriage will decay as you become strangers to each other. By the same token, if you and I do not spend some time every day with God, he will become a stranger. Reading some of the Bible regularly is important, as is going to church on Sunday (or synagogue on the Sabbath, if you are Jewish). But it is vital to pray, to get to know God—and let him get to know you. (I know. He already knows each of us, but have you told him what is on your mind, what you want, what you need?)

Second, love your neighbor. If what I fear does come to pass, we will need each other. If your neighbor’s son goes into combat and is killed, your neighbor needs you. If your neighbor has no food, you must help her. We must care for the people next door, on our block, in our town. During Communist years, a Polish man was caught by the Secret Police where he should not have been (supposedly). The police demanded that he explain why he was in that place at that time. Desperate, the Pole answered that he had just been to see the dentist “in that building over there” (pointing with his hand). With a knowing smile, the Secret Police made the man wait while they called the dentist. “Has Mr. Kowalski^[1] been to see the dentist today?” “Kowalski?” the exasperated receptionist answered. “He has been told again and again how to care for his teeth. Of course, he was here. Tell him to do what Doctor says, and he won’t have to come back!” The secret Police let the man go. Under Nazism and then under Communism, Poles looked out for their fellow Poles. When times are very hard, we must be there for each other, especially if the day comes when the regime and its authorities begin recruiting informants from within our midst.

We must be grateful. Life now is so good that we are put upon to have to do without our ordinary comforts and conveniences. We have far more than most human beings have had in history. We are safer, better educated, and better fed. Let us right now be grateful for all that we have. We might possibly lose it, but we are not entitled to plenty. And in our gratitude, we must share our good things. Let us not disdain our neighbor. The day may come when she could lie to the Secret Police for you. Or you may have to lie for her.

Our world, the world as we know it, is already falling apart. Its fall may well be disastrous for us and our country. I hope it will not be, but we must be prepared. War and social chaos will call on our virtues, our courage and love for each other and our closeness to God. More important than anything else we can have or do, we must become spiritually strong.

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^[1] Not his real name.