It's All About Freedom

On Wednesday I posted a number of statements of belief. Only one so far has received any raised eyebrows or objections (including comments offline). I stated that:

I believe that Western Civilization has been superior to every other civilization in history. It has largely been the only place in the world where individuals could own property, have a say in government, and practice their faith freely. In times when the West has not been this way, it's been like the rest of the world.

This kind of sounds like saying, "my country is the bestest country in the whole wide world!" But it's a lot more specific. More than just blind patriotism (i.e. my country, right or wrong – something I do NOT agree with), this attempts to distinguish how different cultures are in fact different.

Certainly there are wonderful people in culturally rich places, and I'm obliged to say so. But most cultures do not understand individuals (including women, the poor, and foreigners) to have intrinsic value as taught by Judeo-Christian values. Bigotry is native to the human condition and it has been rare in human history that outsiders were given a chance. But it's not a coindidence that the West has risen above this several times to lead the world in human rights and benevolent work. It's also no coincidence that the world's immigrants flow largely in one direction – toward the West.

Most cultures also do not have a native sense of personal property and political rights, as understood by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The default throughout the world is to yield these rights to a particular class or individual, be it the government, political party, king, warlord, or priesthood. The average citizen in most cultures in most of history wasn't a citizen, but little more than a slave and peon to other people who controlled his or her fate.

Again, it's not that Western Civilization has always been true to these principles and it's not that the people themselves (or the natural resources) are superior. But the culture is. In spite of the flaws and evils in our culture, it is still based on and promotes freedom. And that part is good.

Yet people today say that Western Civilization is not good, or at least they're embarrassed to admit it. Many believe we are the greatest evil in the world. They also say we are "imposing" democracy on other countries, as if despotism was morally equal to freedom and tyranny was an equally valid option to liberty. I heard someone say the other day (crudely) that you don't fight a war to make peace. Really?! Have you never heard of the Revolutionary War or the Civil War or World War 2? Liberty has only ever been preserved by resisting those who would take it.

What kind of person must you be to think that the freedom for millions of people is not worth it? And how naive must you be to think that the freedom of millions will not affect the cultural root of terrorism in the Middle East?

/rant