Western civilisation on a path of self-destruction

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Opinion

2024 could well be a defining year for Western civilisation. We have elections in two major Western countries — the USA and UK. Indeed, half the world’s population go to the polls this year. We have ongoing armed conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. We have an emerging, potentially more global conflict, with Iran-backed Yemeni terrorists. But the biggest danger for Western civilisation comes from within, with the assistance of a few external ratbag actors.

In recent years Western civilisation has put itself on a path of self-destruction through societal division and financial ruin.

We have the climate activism movement, which if allowed to continue its current path will bankrupt the Western economy before achieving its aim.

We have crusades for racial equality, gender equality, anti-colonial, history rewriting, mass immigration, increasing censorship, equalisation of criminals with victims, etc, all of which are causing division and chaos in Western society.

These have all essentially been driven by the “progressive” Left, who are intent on controlling all aspects of Western society, their goals for power often shrouded in a call for greater equality.

Inequality is a natural outcome, and the only way to reduce it is via suppression of excellence. Whether intentional or not, actions of the Left are undermining the development of positive traits of personal character — such as probity, thrift, courage, honesty, temperance, modesty, patience, liberality, magnanimity, proper ambition.

Their actions instead have created greater inequality, greater crime, reduced productivity, and a reduced quality of life.

As actions taken to promote equality create more inequality and social chaos, the Left presses for further government action to solve the problems it created.

Panic sets in.

A self-perpetuating mechanism of destruction of civilisation ensues — a civilisation that has made incredible advancements, and provided a standard of living where even the poorest are better off than royalty of yesteryear.

Inequality — think racism, think gender, etc — is many times worse in many non-Western countries, but we seemingly measure these countries by completely different standards.

2024 will either see these destructive forces further embedded into Western society, or some degree of common sense making a long-awaited return.

Iain Boyle