November 8, 2024
The darkest hatreds of our past are reaching into the present.
Are we better than we were in the past?
Is humanity better?
Have we learned from our mistakes?
Are we truly more open, more enlightened, and more ethical than those who came before us?
Or are we just lucky?
Are we lucky to have lived in a world built on post-WW2 foundation of Liberal Democracy that helped to spread democracy, individual rights, trade, prosperity, and freedom across the globe to an unprecedented extent?
Are we just the inheritors of a system so successful that we have been spared the difficult moral, ethical, and economic choices most human beings faced?
In short, is our entire self-image based on nothing more than the fact that we haven’t been tested, and thus don’t really no what we are made of?
Sadly, it appears increasingly likely that is the case.
As you likely saw in the news, a pogrom took place in Amsterdam:
This is the latest example of what has been escalating violence against Jewish People around the world, including in many countries that like to believe they are havens of tolerance and safety.
And let’s not forget that a major land war is taking place in Europe and China is undertaking the largest military buildup since before WW2. And of course, China was able to get away with throwing a million Ugyhurs in concentration camps with nary a peep from the free world.
As a result, a massive gap has opened up between what we claim our values to be, and what our real values – as expressed through our actions or lacktherof – are.
So when we say things like “Never Again Is Now”, those words are increasingly empty.
The only way to give meaning to those words is through action.
We need to enforce the laws against hate speech and antisemitic violence.
We need to make it clear that non-citizens who spread hatred & violence have no place in our country.
We need to stand up to Russia & China in tangible ways (including aiding Ukraine and aiding Taiwan).
We need to stand up to Iran, which includes shutting down the Islamic-regime-funded groups operating within our country, and providing aid to Israel to ensure Israel has everything it needs to confront Iranian terrorist proxies.
And we need to redouble our commitment here at home to truth, individual freedom, democratic institutions, the rule of law, and treating our fellow citizens with dignity and respect.
If we are unable or unwilling to do these things, we will become a tragic cautionary tale for future generations.
Spencer Fernando
https://spencerfernando.com/2024/11/08/never-again-is-now/