The picture above, taken from an article in City Journal, shows visitors inspecting the original version of the Declaration of Independence, in Washington, D.C. The article from which I grabbed this picture is entitled, "About Those Self-Evident Truths..." The article is worth reading, as a stimulus to civic engagement.
City Journal is a politically conservative magazine published by The Manhattan Institute, which describes itself as "a leading free-market think tank focusing on economic growth, education, energy and environment, health care, legal reform, public sector, race, and urban policy."
That article on "Those Self-Evident Truths" advances the idea that our "culture," as constituted by our "manners, morals, and beliefs," is in a state of significant collapse. At least, that's how I would provide a short synopsis.
I can't say that I am completely in tune with the article, but I was attracted to this statement, the second sentence in the article, with which I wholeheartedly agree:
We are not ruled.
That is, we are "not ruled" unless and until the "culture" that supports our democratic self-government has, in fact, totally collapsed. I am not willing to concede that it has.
Still...
If we want to maintain a nation that is "not ruled," and in which "self-government" is practiced in fact, then a lot more of us will have to get involved in government ourselves.
Where self-government is concerned, there aren't any shortcuts.
Image Credit:
https://www.city-journal.org/humanities
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