From the beginning of this nation, the one thing that distinguished us from the others is individual liberty. The "blessings of liberty" referred to in the Preamble to the Constitution are a real thing that was absent in all others. The reason this works is because each individual is more deeply affected by God's Divine Providence. Where a society has a complex system, the effects of nature are blunted. The consequences of poor choices are distorted by welfare programs, prohibitions and the imperfections of man's law. God's law is irrefutable and as simple as what goes up must come down. In a free land, if you don't work, you might not eat(more often, generous and compassionate people will feed you). But, charity only occurs, as a moral principle, voluntarily. It is unthinkable, to me, that one can truly believe in God, but demand the law enforcement their opinion of His will. No thanks, I would imagine Him saying, I can handle this all by Myself.
11 August 2016 at 21:46
1. Religion: A vigorous, pervasive, personally-engaged, positively-inflected religious life.
2. Love: Above-replacement fertility rates; loving families are valued and usual.
3. Soul: Individuals who are acting-from their own souls (not passively-controlled by the external environment). This means relationships are deep and valid; and also means that what people do is expressive of their real selves.
NOTE: I didn't mention anything about Peace, Prosperity or Comfort - because although they are very nice, they are at best a means to an end - and, lacking RLS, the country/ society/ culture lacks meaning, purpose or genuine relationships - so PP&C are merely ephemeral epiphenomena.
This analysis gives a very different result from the kind of survey which focus upon stats derived from the likes of Longevity, Health, Economics, Political systems, Crime, Violence, Education, Innovation etc.
"What are the best observable criteria for a successful country, society or culture? Three suggestions..."
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From the beginning of this nation, the one thing that distinguished us from the others is individual liberty. The "blessings of liberty" referred to in the Preamble to the Constitution are a real thing that was absent in all others. The reason this works is because each individual is more deeply affected by God's Divine Providence. Where a society has a complex system, the effects of nature are blunted. The consequences of poor choices are distorted by welfare programs, prohibitions and the imperfections of man's law. God's law is irrefutable and as simple as what goes up must come down. In a free land, if you don't work, you might not eat(more often, generous and compassionate people will feed you). But, charity only occurs, as a moral principle, voluntarily. It is unthinkable, to me, that one can truly believe in God, but demand the law enforcement their opinion of His will. No thanks, I would imagine Him saying, I can handle this all by Myself.
11 August 2016 at 21:46