March 09, 2005

THE LIBERAL MIND AND THE SEA OF FAITH

        There is nothing so rigid as a secular faith. One of the benefits of such faith for the true believer, is that it creates a sense of specialness, intelligence, strength, even invulnerability. When faith is shaken the consequences can be severe, for it is a faith without a God to provide sustenance in times of difficulty. Only gradually, if at all, can a new reality be acknowledged after the old one is destroyed. In recent years Liberal utopian faith has been shaken to its very foundations. The therapetic belief that all human conflict is caused by unfairness, inequality and deprivation, that all hatreds can be resolved by verbal reasoning, and Clintonian empathy, that institutions like the UN and the EU are noble ventures, that signed agreements and professions of good will can eliminate war, that the martial virtues are obsolete-- all these beliefs are threatened. The horrors of 9-11 weakened the multi-cultural relativism that sustains the Liberal Mind. The initial reaction to those terrible events was not to question the Liberal faith, but instead we saw the timeless reaction of true believers: seek scapegoats. Search out and attack the followers of Satan who must be to blame. These of course were the evil Jewish neo-cons and their Cowboy puppet, George Bush. Faith, when threatened, will initially turn on the un-believers rather than question the grounds of its own beliefs. The main house of Liberal worship, the UN, was revealed as an utterly corrupt enabler of tyrants and rapists. Political correctness, the catechism of Liberalism, had to accomodate the fact that it was our firemen, policemen and soldiers who sprang to the country's defense at the risk of their lives, not pampered Ivy Leaguers who were much too busy easing the bathroom conflicts of bisexuals, lesbians, gays and transsexuals.
        The pillars of Liberal faith were further shaken by the re-election of the President. It wasn't supposed to happen when such a paragon of multicultural, multilateral virtue as John Kerry was the Democratic candidate. Very often the initial reaction to a shock to one's belief system is denial followed by attempts to restore the old order. The church of Liberalism truly believed it would reestablish its rightful role as pursuer of the true and good with the election of Kerry.
        Try arguing a delusional person out of his belief that the earth is the center of the universe. He will become furious, accuse you of malice, ignorance and stupidity. If you mention that perhaps he enjoys feeling that he possesses a truth that enhances his own sense of self by putting him at the center of the universe, one that makes him smarter than even Einstein, he'll initially insist that you are insane and should be hospitalized. Slowly, very slowly, however, with appropriate understanding of how small and insignificant he really feels, the delusion may become unnecessary and fade away. It's a gradual process, requiring restraint and we should therefore try not to rub reality in the face of those Liberals who are showing glimmers of recognition. The church organ of Liberalism, the New York Times, (see here) is struggling to come to grips with the painful reality that the policies they fought so hard have accomplished a tremendous amount already, and more good seems on the way. How can this be? The use of force, the waging of war to bring about the liberation of millions of people? The very things the neo-conservatives argued for, happening? The horror! Yet here is Joe Lieberman in the NYTimes: "Look, this moment in the Middle East has the feel of Central and Eastern Europe around the collapse of the Berlin Wall,..."It's a very different historical and political context, and we all understand that democracy in the Middle East is in its infancy. But something is happening."
        Mr. Lieberman said Mr. Bush deserved credit for at least two things: the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the continued American military presence in Iraq, which he said showed "the proven willingness of the United States to put its power behind its principles."

        Such real events might even throw into question the central dogma: Liberalism's intellectual superiority. My God, what if liberals are not as intelligent as they believe? These are difficult times and we should understand the melancholy gripping the Liberal Mind. As Matthew Arnold put it in his poem Dover Beach,

"...The Sea of Faith
Was once, too, at the full, and round earth's shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating, to the breath
Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear
And naked shingles of the world..."

        Here is the latest New York Times effort at self-healing. While it still clings to some shreds of hope for future disasters, it has taken the first few steps in a multi-step process towards acceptance of the world as it is, rather than as it exists in the dreams of Gail Collins's editorial board. We should all encourage these forays into the real world and perhaps the NYTimes editorial board will one day breathe free. If liberation can come to Kabul, Baghdad and perhaps to Beirut, surely one day it will come to W. 43d St. and the New York Times.