Sir
Alexander Tytler was a Scottish advocate, judge, writer, and
historian. Lord Tytler lived from 1747 until 1813; about the time of
Washington, Adams, and Jefferson in America. Tytler was a professor at
the University of Edinburgh. One of Tytler's most influential and
proverbial historical writings was about the lifespan of countries
operating under democratic republican governance. Tytler believed the
life expectancy of a self-ruled nation was about 200 years.
Tytler
was very dismissive about who holds the real power in a democratic
republic or even a pure democracy. He felt these types of government do
not last, cannot sustain themselves, and eventually crumble because of
human nature. History repeats itself because human nature does not
change. Tytler's most famous historical and yet futuristic prediction
was the "Eight Stages of a Democracy." After studying human nature as
well as past history, Tytler predicted the "Eight Stages of a
Democracy." A brief reading sure makes one nervous about America's
future.
"Eight Stages of a Democracy."
1) Bondage to Spiritual Faith
2) Spiritual Faith to Great Courage
3) Great Courage to Liberty
4) Liberty to Abundance
5) Abundance to Selfishness
6) Selfishness to Apathy
7) Apathy to Dependence
8) Dependence back to Bondage
The
study of Tytler's analysis can be sobering. A great many Americans,
including 80 million Trump voters, are inclined to feel we're at stage
#7 and closing in on #8 fast. Surely you would think that even the
Americans who have placed their guy in the White House must see some of
the danger signs. The Biden/Harris administration has declared war on
religion. The Biden/Harris regime is criminalizing political dissent.
There are way too many Americans who live only on government assistance
and handouts. Our borders are being overrun by illegal immigrants for
whom there are no jobs. And when there is work for illegals, it
certainly pushes down the wages of the poor working-class Americans
already legally here. Our nation's capital has been barricaded,
bordered up, and beefed up with soldiers who are there to shoot fellow
Americans. Lincoln did not even order this during the Civil War. And
half of America does not believe the recent election results. We now in
some ways resemble Germany of the early 1930s.
Progressives
might call this the "new normal." Patriots would call it bondage. The
new McCarthyism from the Left has made some patriots prisoners in their
own land. Increasingly, patriots are being cancelled out of their own
society. Books are burned, authors are silenced, and careers are
destroyed. Churches are shuttered in this new normal. This new Supreme
Court has no credibility with half of America, which now believes the
Supreme Court is comprised of either cowards, the compromised, or
crooks. The late Milton Friedman famously said that America can either
have a society with a welfare safety net for the less fortunate, or a
borderless country without laws restricting immigration, but not both.
That is exactly what the Biden/Harris administration is trying to do
right now. It is almost as if they are trying to bring us to financial
ruin and economic collapse on purpose. One must wonder if those in
power are taking direct instructions from China. The French student of
democracy Alexis de Tocqueville once said long ago of America that
"America is a great country because America is good." But once they
cease to be good, they will no longer be great. This is an ominous
warning, even from the French. When we have to take moral guidance
lessons from the French, we’re in trouble.
Lord
Tytler continued to say that neither democratic republics nor pure
democracies last for more than 200 years for one simple reason. Tytler
explained that, "It only exists until the voters discover that they can
vote themselves largess from the public treasury." Once the voters
realize this, they only vote into office those politicians who give them
free stuff without the need to work for it. This causes economic and
eventual national collapse, and a dictatorial totalitarian government
replaces the democratic republic.
Tytler's
words of wisdom are good for a Chamber of Commerce, an AP History
class, and a Sunday School class to hear and ponder. Congress in
particular should study Tytler's eight stages. November 4th, 2020 was a
disastrous day in American history. And the days that followed January
6th, 2021, might even prove to be far worse and longer lasting.
America is now in her 245th year of existence. One must wonder, unless
we can change things around dramatically, rapidly, and extensively (and
God heals our land); if we are living on borrowed time. Sir Alexander
Tytler believed that we are.
