I sometimes wonder – given the news these days – how people in Rome felt as their empire days came to an end. It often seems that the bigger and more difficult the problems facing us become, the bigger fool we elect to fix them.
The public sector is usually the last to be infected with "getting mine before it's gone." The rise of public-sector unions may have changed that, or at least accelerated it. The observation still applies to elected officials, however. Corruption and greed are different animals, but when they cohabitate, rational and ethical behavior, as well as thoughts of the common good go extinct.
The History Channel has this nice little list of reasons the Roman Empire finally collapsed. I couldn't help noticing the road we've been traveling has much of the same scenery. Here are a few quick observations:
1) Invasions by Barbarian tribes. The invaders came from a different culture, which they sought to continue. Their beliefs and practices were at odds with Roman culture. They built their own enclaves. We can't endure uncontrolled illegal immigration from other cultures, either.
2) Economic troubles and over-reliance on slave labor. Wars and overspending brought about excessive taxation. The wealthy fled. Slaves worked in agriculture and as craftsmen. When the supply diminished, the economy collapsed. Here we call that worker-bee population the middle class. Does the H1B Visa fit in here? You can just Google the term.
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3) The rise of the Eastern Empire. The nation split apart to remain governable. The two pieces drifted apart. In America, I think it might be the urban-rural divide. Rural areas are often resource-based. City folks like to keep their hands green, so they destroy the rural economies.
4) Over-expansion and military overspending. That says it all. Eisenhower redux.
5) Government corruption and political instability. Our Congress now passes legislation to see what's in it. Secret laws and courts now determine which parts of the Constitution the government obeys – and which it doesn't. Washington, D.C., is now "Chicago on the Potomac." Those with big checkbooks at the ready have no shortage of representation. Even foreigners can play, at least when Hillary was in the State Department. Americans have a harder time getting representation.
6) The arrival of the Huns and the migration of the Barbarian tribes. The Huns pushed the former immigrants deeper in toward Rome, where they fled for protection. That was expensive, trading their children into slavery for dog meat. I wonder what will happen here if Islam sweeps through the inner cities. Has the effectiveness of public welfare in buying time simply delayed the inevitable?
7) Christianity and the loss of traditional values. The new religion displaced emperor worship. Looks like that trend has come full circle.
8) Weakening of the Roman legions. The Romans couldn't get enough citizen recruits, so they turned to hiring outside help. The mercenaries were good fighters, they just had no loyalty to Rome. That, of course, could never happen to us.
Back to those Roman citizens wondering what in the world was going on – and us today. History tells us that all earthly kingdoms eventually come to an end. America is widely viewed as having been under divine favor in its past, and I agree with that. But divine favor suggests that some sort of relationship existed between the divine and the one to whom He granted that favor.
It's one thing to be disappointed in the behavior of someone you love. It is quite another to recognize that the new behavior is the new normal. I think we can safely say that America has reached the end of a long run of divine favor.
Regarding the end of empire and of divine favor, Jesus had this to say about it:
Some Pharisees and Sadducees were on him again, pressing him to prove himself to them. He told them, "You have a saying that goes, 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight; red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' You find it easy enough to forecast the weather – why can't you read the signs of the times? (Matthew 16 1-3 MSG)
There is a new kingdom forming. In fact, there are two. One on either side of the veil that some call death and others call eternity.
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