What culture made a curse of the saying “May you live in interesting times?”  Hindi?  Confucianist?  Aztec?  Irish?  Yiddish?

Who knows?  It merely seems that that’s what we’re doing.

We live in a society that’s led by a political and media elite that seems no less dim and self-referential than Emperor Nero; a society where the schools and universities are working for the bad guys, where the President is outwardly more concerned about Tea Partiers than ISIS or an Iranian bomb, where five appointed Ivy Leaguers dictate to 535 elected representatives, where the rights of the law-abiding mainstream seem to be worth less than the wishes and desires and agendas of a motivated minority.

But to David French in the NRO, today is a great time to be alive and conservative.  Because there’s no shortage of purpose facing a good conservative today:

It’s common for our fellow citizens to sometimes feel aimless, to lack purpose for their lives. Yet no American patriot should lack purpose today. In an era when our kids are seen as the vanguard of the Left’s social revolution, it’s a patriotic act to raise children to understand and respect the Constitution, to comprehend the great truths of American history, and to acquire the psychological toughness that will help them endure the stigma and scorn of the Left.

In an era when the Left seeks to drive social conservatives not just from the campus and pop culture (where we cling by our fingernails) but also from the marketplace and — finally — from our own churches, the simple act of openly and fearlessly living out your faith and values is a patriotic act.

In an era when too many liberals seek to appropriate charity — care and concern for the “least of these” — for the state, it’s a patriotic and deeply loving act to reach out and lift up friends and neighbors in need. While there are well-meaning bureaucrats in the vast welfare-industrial complex, there is no substitute for the unique, individual impact of Americans in relationship with one another, mentoring and supporting those who need help the most. And it remains a deeply patriotic and meaningful act to enlist in the military, to train to defeat enemies abroad — even if this president is unwilling to effectively confront our foes. Reality has a way of ultimately dictating foreign policy, and we need men and women who are prepared for the days ahead. Even as we see the significance of patriotism in the way in which we live our everyday lives, we need to abandon the idea that there’s a cultural or political shortcut — that the right combination of events or the right politician will turn the tide. Cultures change as a result of the persistent effort of millions, not because of the glorious leadership of one individual — not even Barack Obama, The One.

The examples of what the Army of Davids can do are all around us, if you care to look.

This entry was posted by by Mitch Berg on Wednesday, July 8th, 2015 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Conservatism, Culture War, Slander Files. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.