William R Collier Jr

More and more thoughtful people are talking about the social/moral, sacred/spiritual, market/fiscal, and civic/political condition of our civilization and concluding that catastrophic failure and collapse are almost inevitable. In short, they are openly talking about the decline and fall of Western Civilization.

While the average person may not articulate these thoughts in such terms, almost everyone who holds to some form of virtue or godliness coupled with personal responsibility and faith-affirming as well as life-affirming lifestyle choices agrees that “things are moving towards the wrong direction.”

Our social, sacred, civic, and market life as a civilization is not merely falling, it is collapsing in on itself in a free-fall of doom that, to informed observers, is unprecedented in its speed. This translates to corrupting of our youth, higher prices for everything, higher taxes an regulatory burdens, corruption of high officials, and general dishonesty, unfaithfulness, and indecency all around us. The terrible results of this fall are daily confronting us and the agents of this decline have an “in your face” boldness and arrogance that frustrates and infuriates normal, decent people who know that such behaviors are bad for everyone.

If you are not accustomed to think in terms of the rise and fall of civilization and how these processes can effect your daily life, for good and for ill, I want to challenge you right now that knowing how these things work can help you to deal with what is happening in your life right now.

It is true that Western Civilization is not merely “in decline” but that it is quite literally coming apart. The final calamity of destruction may be drawn out in a slow-motion train wreck that takes decades.

Yes, Western Civilization is in decline and headed for collapse. That is true. But is it ALSO true that YOU in particular are compelled by forces beyond your control to partake of the awful results of that decline?

Barring a miracle we cannot predict with certainty, it is statistically improbable that Western Civilization will produce much more than negative results for all who follow and depend upon its social, sacred, civic, and market institutions for their daily necessities. Let that sink in- if you depend on the institutions of Western Civilization for your daily necessities, you cannot expect very positive results. This basic fact of life is never going to change unless an outright miracle occurs.

While it IS true that Western Civilization is in decline and that it will drag everyone who depends upon it down with it, it is NOT true that you and I have to depend on Western Civilization’s godless institutions to meet our daily needs. We are more free to choose what kind of institutions we will depend upon to meet our daily needs than many suspect.

If institutions are regular relationships and exchanges that we habitually and normal resort to then if we change the terms, norms, standards, and philosophical basis of our relationships and exchanges then we start a process of establishing our own institutions to meet our daily needs. IF these new institutions are not built on the present civilization’s norms and standards, because we reject those godless norms and standards, then even if Western Civilization collapses those institutions and those who depend on them will not be dragged down with Western Civilization.

Western Civilization is going to crumble, but you and I do not have to let that get in the way of building a positive and hopeful future. If we decide to deliberately create relationships and conduct exchanges based on the values and beliefs of a new, God-fearing civilization then we will watch the old civilization fall without having to partake in the catastrophe ourselves.

The OLD will die, that is the nature of things with people AND civilizations, but just as the OLD die, new generations are born and life, human civilization, goes on. For those who stick with the old out of loyalty, habit, or apathy, there will be catastrophe and sorrow. For those who consciously take a different path towards the new, there is hope that they and their offspring will avoid the sorrow and misery that their neighbors might be forced to endure.

The decline and fall of an old civilization is not the real news item here- the real news that we can put our hope in is that the emergence of the NEW will help people escape from the decline of the OLD.

Creating A New Civilization

William R Collier Jr.

Civilization is the highest form of human culture, including technology, styles, social norms, social conditions, and way of life as expressed in lifestyle, beliefs, art, social arrangements, laws, policies, and organizational/institutional structures and governance. A society that follows a culture whose norms inhibit technological advances or that are contrary to obersvable natural laws of cause and effect can hardly be called a civilization.

As more and more people consciously and unconsciously adopt a secular and hedonistic way of life, as permeates a Hollywood led popular culture, human civilization around the globe is in decline, losing its capacity for virtue and other moral and creative strengths and adopting practices and behaviors that are contra-indicated by observable laws of cause and effect.

In America and Western Europe, the process of losing our civilization to the vagaries of barbarism paraded as “Progressivism” is well under way. The wholesale and illogical rejection of virtue, morality, and faith go hand in hand with the deepening of a crisis of reason and identity which is making the very fabric of civil society come apart.

Our present culture cannot even muster up the fortitude to define the identity of the sexes, confusing the sexes and even the very nature of marriage itself.

Without the arts of virtue and reason to guide them, most unthinking individuals devolve into self-serving savages with no sense of any greater purpose but to fulfill their animal lust and no deeper thoughts than how to obtain the things needed to fulfill those lusts. Promise them joy without pain, benefits without cost, and pleasure without constraint and they will give up their intellectual and spiritual freedom with gladness.

This is the civilization we find ourselves in the midst of, a civilization that is losing its right to even be referred to as a civilization- a civilization fast turning into a savage and godless culture ruled from the top by cruel masters who thrive on lies, coercion, deceptions, manipulation, and exploitation.

While most people, most of the time, cannot see any possibilities outside of their own limited experiences and what the present popular culture says is possible, we are not slaves of the present civilization. We are not condemned by any logic, laws of cause and effect, or moral/ethical judgment to slavishly adhere to and go along with the doomsday lifestyle of this decadent civilization.

We have an opportunity to decide amongst ourselves whether and how to craft the lifestyle and social norms of a higher, spiritually empowered civilization. We cannot take any other course of action if, in fact, we do not want to suffer the inevitable negative side-effects that are visited upon savage godless cultures.

Do not for one second presume that following the godless savagery of this Progressive culture will provide anything but the most awful of consequences to you or your progeny. It is easier to escape the hold of gravity’s power than it is to walk in the way of godlessness and expect to escape its ultimate consequences for your life.

How can we craft the way of life and social norms of a spiritually empowered civilization, as opposed to simply going along with the savage godless culture in which we find ourselves?

This proves to be a group effort- it is self-evident that a new civilization is NOT an individual affair. If and when a small group, we believe as few as 100-200 families and some 200-500 adults, adopts a common way of life and value system rooted in shared beliefs and a shared identity, the seeds of an alternative civilization are “germinated.”

While an individual cannot create a new civilization, it might surprise the reader to learn that as few as around 300 adults and their families can constitute amongst themselves a self-contained and self-sustaining “culture” amongst themselves.

What the individual can do, however, is start the process of finding like-minded people who eschew the moral depravity and savagery of the present “Progressive” culture and from these draw a core of pioneers who wish to intentionally live and act together according to higher beliefs and values than the culture that surrounds them.

Until now the focus of improving things for individuals has relied heavily on mass change through political power, thus the reliance on the state. This has occurred because the present culture has abdicated almost all real decisive authority from individuals and their free associations to the state, forcing anyone who wishes to make or stop a change to either get political power or face failure in their efforts.

The alternative approach is different- it relies on a path towards independency through mutual assurance and support amongst people who intentionally create norms, standards, and cooperative associations based on a higher, spiritual civilization’s values, beliefs, and shared identity. In every possible way, the new idea seeks to organize activity, behavior, and relationships on a different basis while freeing its adherents from dependence upon the existing godless institutions.

Wherever and however and to whatever degree possible, the new idea seeks out ways to find living expression and manifestation amongst people who embrace it.

In whatever spheres or areas where the individual and their free associations still have the preponderance of power, the new idea takes root, while, at the same time, working to roll back and limit the control of the state in other areas that more properly belong in the sphere of individuals and their free associations.

The initial organizing of a few people, with the intent of establishing their own dispersed community of fellow travelers, is the very first “conception” phase for a potential new civilization.

While much of what will happen and what people will do in terms of building civilization together amongst themselves will emerge and cannot be managed, there are some fairly obvious and reasonable laws of cause and effect that must be observed intentionally during all building phases before the work can even begin. Without ANY kind of roadmap there is no guarantee of ever reaching the right destination, although too much planning leads to too little creativity and participation on the part of all those involved in the enterprise.

In short, while the present culture is becoming godless and savage we can choose to craft a lifestyle, norms, standards, and way of life based on shared beliefs and a shared identity that enables us to step outside of the orbit of this culture, and thus empowering us to escape its negative effects for ourselves and our progeny.

How To Create Shared Affection
William R Collier Jr

How we see others and ourselves determines how we treat people. If we see others as valuable and worth caring for, and if we ourselves as valuable and worth being cared for, then we can and we will care for them and believe that they can share a form of identity with us.

Bringing people together around common goals, asking them to care for one another, and showing them the power of a shared identity all happen with plain old “togetherness”- getting people to spend time communicating and sharing together at the same place and time, face to face, and with regularity.

You have to have a time and space for potential (qualified) members of your community to connect in a meaningful way that they actually ENJOY. If nobody likes “meetings”, don’t use that venue, create activity times for people to DO things together and use small break periods to share a presentation that is interesting and that informs people about the goals, the need for affection, and that constantly presents the shared identity.

Of course, “meetings”, having a discussion and forming a consensus, must occur, but only for those who aspire more to leadership. For those who do not have such aspirations, “meetings” can be extremely wearisome, so don’t try to “fit” people into them if those people are not aspiring to such leadership.

The key thing is not, as you might suspect, your “awesome” ideas and concepts. The key thing is to get people who have shared goals to be in the same space at the same time to do things together, even if those things are just fun and entertainment. Entertain people with a message, give people a fun time and tell them about goals, affection, or shared identity.

Getting people to come together, encouraging them to connect to each other, and giving them things to do or participate in is the best thing to do. Telling them all about your vision and mission and all those other things important, because it adds depth to your community, but if you start with togetherness then shared identity will come and when it does it will have depth.

People cannot identify with something that has no activity and no connectivity with other people, so start with activity and connectivity and then layer in goals, vision, mission, and shared identity in an unobtrusive but persistent and obvious manner.

Activity times can include picnics, open houses, movies, debates, skits, special projects, or problem-solving sessions, among other things.

Don’t just have “teaching” or “lectures”, unless you are training people in something they want to become better at for personal or professional reasons. Of course, as with any rule of thumb, there are exceptions- a deign team that must be quickly brought up to speed must be prepared for “teachings” and “lectures” as these activities can deliver the most amount of content and information in the shortest space of time.

To get people together, call them together, on the basis of an activity that answers a felt need. Whatever the most commonly felt need is, that is the ideal need to address. Is it crime? Call people to a neighborhood watch. Is it low sales? Call people to a sales training session that will really help them. Are church members experiencing an economic downturn? Have a get-together to look for ways to save money by buying food in bulk together.

At these activities, get people to use each other’s names (name tags), encourage them multiple times to connect with each other, get them all to be on a virtual discussion list or forum, and share elements of your vision, starting with the most accessible and readily understandable elements first and building upon them.

People will naturally network, but they often need “permission” to do so- give them permission by connecting yourself and asking individuals “have you connected with at least one other person you did not know before?”

Never just put out an idea or suggestion and leave it at that- find individuals to personally encourage and ask them to do the same thing with at least two other people.

When you do your activity, always be clear that you have a bigger agenda, that the activity is only the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of what a community can be and do.

Frequency is important, weekly get-togethers create continuity and, if done right, can become a highlight to people’s weeks, something they look forward to. If people prefer to watch TV and sit around doing nothing to being at your activity, then don’t blame them, blame yourself and make changes until they prefer coming to your activity.

When people connect with each other, then they are more likely to connect to your vision, so get them in one place at the same time, and, with little guidance or “management” from you, they will grow into common affection with one another.

Part One- The Basis of Togetherness and Common Identity

William R Collier Jr

Community is a word that is bandied about like a panacea for all our woes. The problem is that talk of community rarely ever leads to community. Community, like marriage, requires work.

We can’t have real community until we have created a sense of community within and amongst the people we want to have community with.

Do we want community with our neighbors? If we do, then we need to create a sense of community with them, a little neighborhood togetherness and identity goes a long way towards inspiring and motivating people to DO the things that a community does.

Take away togetherness and common identity of some kind and you have no real reason for people to act in unison for anything. People need these two things, first, as a basis of having community relationships together.

Community includes a common identity, a feeling of commonality, things that are held in common, and people who are in fellowship on a regular basis for specific common purposes. A community can have most of these things at different levels, but the more deeply these things are experienced and the more of them are experienced, the more cohesive the community will be.

Creating a sense of community is all about identity and affection. The other elements of community can only follow these two things- identity and affection.

This holds true for every kind of community.

The first question to ask is, “what is the purpose of your community?”

In a neighborhood your purpose might be to clean the streets, to watch out for children, to reduce crime, and to help people through economic hardships.

In a business, you want to provide a high quality product or service to your customers so that you can earn a profit and make enough money to prosper both owners and workers.

In a church you want to meet one another’s spiritual needs, care for the needy, reach out to the lost with the gospel, and support the work of the ministry.

Whatever it is that you are doing, you have to be clear about your goals. These goals will not inspire or motivate people if they aren’t based on real needs that are also felt needs, if they aren’t realistic, and if there are not really clear action items that, if carried out by enough people, are likely to acheive the desired result.

The next thing to determine is who will be asked to be part of your community. If it is a neighborhood, then it’s all of your neighbors. If it is a business, then it is the people who are part of the business and the people who are its clients and customers. If it is a church, then it’s all the church members.

Communities are exclusive: that means that not everyone at any one time is “qualified” to be a member. People from outside your neighborhood are not qualified to be members of a neighborhood focused community. People who neither work in nor are served by a business are not qualified to be members of that business’s community. People who are not members of a church are not qualified to be members of that church’s community.

Being exclusive does not being closed- while not anyone IS qualified to be a member of all communities, an open community accepts everyone who is qualified. Moreover, anyone who wants to become qualified, by moving into the neighborhood, becoming a customer or worker to a business, or joining a church, is free to do so. The only condition is that the potential member shares the goals of the community and has a stake in the community.

Moving beyond goals and who are qualified to be members, we move into affection for fellow members.

While the community has a common goal, every kind of community must also care for its own members.

In practical terms, if community members suffer then they cannot function and if they can’t function then the goals of the community will suffer. To care for member’s needs is self-preservation for a community.

Members care for one another on the basis of “my good and your good are of equal value to me.” This is affection- to care for the good of others as you do for yourself. This is practical, it isn’t just a feeling, and it is extremely powerful. When people have such affection for one another, they are not easily divided by jealousy and strife because they see that what is good for one is good for all.

Affection need not be reciprocal, although reciprocal affection is best and should be nurtured. In fact, as community emerges, standing within the community should include a requirement of demonstrating common affection for fellow members.

Not all qualified people will participate in community- standing within a community, the right to speak and have influence, should be extended only to people who are qualified, who share the goals of the community, and who demonstrate this common affection.

After affection comes identity. Identity is more than a commitment to goals and people, which are very important, it is a commitment to a shared way of life, a shared destiny, that says, “the fate of this community is MY FATE, my success and happiness is equal in value as the overall success and happiness of this community.” When someone takes on a shared identity, it’s like adding a name to their own name, like the family name (last name) or the old Latin “cognomen”.

When you say “I am a Bethesdan” because that’s the name of your neighborhood or an “IBMer” because that’s the name of your business, or a “River of Lifer” because that’s the name of your church you are saying something powerful- you are saying that this community is now as much a part of you as you are of it.

To obtain a shared identity you need a name that is unique to your community, that is rooted in your goals and the people who are qualified to be members, and that you make the “brand” of your community.

Shared identity cannot come without common goals and common affection, but a community that stops at goals and common affection can only go so far. Only people who take on the shared identity as part of themselves will be willing and able to contribute to your community in a sacrificial manner that truly makes a difference.

Status, which is authority as a stakeholder who can make decisions, should be determined on the basis of demonstrable commitment to a shared identity, demonstrable skills, and meritorious conduct and contributions to the community itself. The most important of these three things, however, is shared identity.