Time Life World Library

Time Life World Library America –The Practical Idealist by Patrick O’Donovan Now it is possible to tell the character of a country from its myths at least as well as from its economic statistics or its current politics. The myths may be largely true or false. But they serve to enshrine, as nothing else a nations view of itself. They serve to shore up the individual, to dignify the routine vulgarities of government and to put gloss on ugly necessities. And the essential American myth is one of vernal innocence. America sees itself set apart from other nations by its primal innocence, by its good intentions and by its dedication at home and abroad. It is the only nation in the world that has set itself the conscious goal of doing good. That the United States is often wrong, misinformed, self deceiving or even perverted by some current emotion is beside the point. Under God and above all it means well. Americans believe that they have something that no other person has. And in believing this particular myth of moral dedication they are probably justified. Furthermore, most of them vaguely believe that it came as a gift of divine power, which in politics at least is always left dogmatically undefined. This myth in practical terms also means that to Americans, America is still a young and inexperienced country. This part of the myth is dying, dying now of the patent impossibility of fitting it to the facts. It is still expressed occasionally in an almost insulting difference to the European humanities. But like all potent myths-and this one is more potent that the glory of France or the Inherent Right of the English to govern- it contains at its heart a colossal truth. Comment: Americans live in a self contained continent. I live on a tiny recently inhabited by non Maori people group of islands at the bottom corner of the world- So we New Zealanders manifest insecurity- while by comparison we have always been impressed by the massive levels of bombastic boastfulness of Texans-American preachers who come to tell us not much that we ever needed to hear but do so with amazing levels of confidence- we lack! And living in their own Continental Universe of the world’s greatest ever collection of wealth and technology it is easy for people in America to believe things which the rest of the world think is stupid- But how-How would I tell you as an American reader of this that what you believe- lacks reality and more importantly lacks God sustaining it? The critical thing which these first two paragraphs present for us is to what extent does the God of heaven stand behind current USA. And my own internal answer to that question is the utterly respectful verse in Genesis 10 about the man who creates the religion in the Bible which from Genesis 10 to Revelation 18 stands in competition to the True Religion of God’s People and in Daniel first five chapters there is a contest going on between the two- But once again such high levels of respect for a man who other prophets sees as a virtual Anti Christ- but who Daniel must respectfully address and inform- Heil Hitler- as to the meaning of his dreams. That balance is exactly what I am struggling to communicate in this blog. Yes I can blow hot as a prophet of Doom And Gloom- the words of Prophet Jeremiah Wright –which are used against him even if in time they prove to be true! But instead I want to tell you things like Daniel so that if you have a heart for the True God you can pull away from the False God of the Myth of America. What is true?- and this author has it in his spirit-And I agree with him- that the past 400 years since Dutch and English arrived in New England has been a unique time in human history and some of what has come out of USA can be eternally dedicated to God. And for my own super literalist view of the Hebrew bible some of Israel’s tribes have been developing themselves in USA prior to a return to the middle east in difficult days when such biblical migrations such as the first Exodus- take place as the bible tells us-including the A380 Jet aircraft seen by Isaiah in Isa 60:8. But the facts are in human history- Only a tiny remnant avoid Holocaust. That is the facts of history. Study and see if what I say is true. But on balance we in the outside of America world see more negatives than positives-good, innocence, and dedication to making the world a better place. We see more greed, bullying, self delusion, plausible deniability. So I do leave the last word to Jesus; USA the standards you used to judge the world are now being used to judge you. Matt 7.