Cultural Suicide And Choosing To Live Again

25 Aug, 2010 by Melissa Clouthier

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The Anchoress writes a breathtaking piece and you absolutely must read the whole thing. I would like to focus on one small part.

On the one side suicide, on the other redemption:

As of April of this year, America’s own fertility rate has for the first time dipped to 2 children per female, suggesting that Americans, too, have lost sight of redemption. Drowning in guilt and content to be distracted, the iPad-ed and iPod-ed and singular West appears to be waving a white flag and settling in for the big sleep.

Catholics should appreciate the irony in all of this: The postmodern world has willfully misunderstood the Catholic Conscience for what they derisively hoot at as “Catholic guilt,” and yet it is the “enlightened” secularist culture that is condemning itself to extinction, because it rejects the concepts of “good” and “evil,” recognizes no sin beyond “intolerance,” and sneers at the need for a Savior; it is therefore unfamiliar with mercy and lacks the tools of absolution.

The humble confessionals of the Catholic Church have contained a billion battles between darkness and light, and from their cramped recesses have stepped forth people exposed to mercy, prayed over and created anew; no matter their age their souls are, in the words of Chesterton, “only five minutes old.”

Those imperfect, broken but absolved people—whether peasant living in the meanest hovel or prince in gilded palace—stepped away from the experience of confession on an equal footing, as mere and acknowledged mortals made redeemed Sons and Daughters of the Eternal King. Acquainted with Eternity and willing to perceive something greater than themselves, they could see beyond the day’s crimes, and that gave them hope; with the strength of spiritual vitality, they maintained their perspective about passing things, and kept living.

A person and a culture is only moving one direction: toward living or toward dying. And I fear that America, in its self-loathing and shame, cannot see a way out and cannot see that they need one anymore.

There is some guilt here: People living beyond their means, envying their neighbors, living selfish and lush lives, hardening hearts toward lovers and neighbors and children born and unborn, taking more than they need or ought and not using gifts for good. Living, ultimately, small, base lives and creating a belief system around things instead of love, for God is love.

Being driven by base desire is in itself shaming–a slave to the sensual is hopeless. Many people walk like strung-out meth addicts and look around at a fallen world and feel helpless.

It would only take surrender to a greater law. It would take forgiveness. Grace.

The solution for lost souls? Well, the caring thing to do is to not bring another sad person into this world from this point of view. Why add to the desperation? Childless and careful and afraid. Ultimately, cultural suicide.

Having a child and having more than one, is an act of surrender and hope. A mother’s life is literally no longer her own. She is fundamentally a different person carrying that baby and the life germinating inside her, she can feel it. And if a married couple decided to have a child, they are hoping and planning and looking toward the future. They have a reason and great motivation to make the world a better place.

Every decision either affirms life or destroys it. Entropy will consume us all at some point so doing nothing is not a living choice, it’s a dying one, too.

I hope Americans change their hearts and see the goodness and the possibility again. I hope they live life and abundantly. I hope they renew themselves and choose life over death. The world needs a happy, good, loving America. Leave self-loathing and cultural suicide to the Europeans.