 |
| Brigand and His Wife in Prayer (1824) Léopold Robert, the Met Fifth Avenue |
Meglio na buona morte
ca na mala vita.1
A good friend recently informed me that I come off as too dour and humorless in my latest editorials, which considering my usually sunny disposition, seemed very out of character to him. While I don’t believe I ever shied away from unpleasant topics before, the dearth of cultural events due to the ongoing lockdowns has afforded me few opportunities to write about less weighty topics. If anything, considering how mind-numbingly stupid society has become, I think I’ve been too restrained with my criticisms.
It goes without saying, our coverage will broaden as society opens up again. This, of course, doesn’t mean when things “go back to normal,” because after the year we were just subjected to, we are never going back to “normal.” Anyone who believes otherwise is simply deluding themselves. Our current masters have no intention of relinquishing their ill-gotten gains.
Even if that were an option, the very notion of returning to the pre-Covid status quo of pretending everything is just fine and dandy while our liberties are gradually eroded is just not acceptable.
Naturally, our more celebratory posts about masses, feasts, et cetera, should not be seen as a form of escapism—quite the opposite. They should be viewed as a blatant affront to our adversaries who would have us live insipid and meaningless lives consumed with material and base pursuits. These religious and cultural celebrations are by their very nature acts of defiance showing that we won’t be easily cowed or betray who we are.
Doubling down on what we’ve written in previous posts, by living well ordered lives, celebrating our culture and practicing our faith, we are actively resisting the specious allure of globalization, newly rebranded as “the Great Reset,” or “Build Back Better.” Something so simple as keeping our identity in the face of such great hostility is a rebellious and heroic path. It is the very antithesis of the cultural leveling and social engineering being imposed on us by power hungry madmen hell bent on world domination.
Wading through the crumbling debris of our civilization, who in their right mind believes materialist uniformity and virulent secularism is progress? Under the guise of the common good, the rootless and atomized masses slavishly cling to effete, mechanized and sterile lifestyles for paltry baubles, fleeting gratification, and crushing debt. It’s long past time to break the insidious chains of modernity.
Considering the amount of drivel being churned out by the news and entertainment apparat, detachment gets easier by the day. Crass and offensive, the bread is stale and the circuses are banal. The fourth estate is a fifth column. Subversive to the core, Hollywood, big tech, and mainstream media march in lockstep. Put down your phones, turn off the monitors and tune out the infernal din.
Not limited to mass communication, the rot has spread to all aspects of our society. Politics, education and finance are all in the toilet. Art, fashion, music, and sports have been utterly debased. Perversion and drugs are ubiquitous. Churlish dolts run amok online while state sanctioned criminals run riot on the streets without consequences. In complete moral decline, we are witnessing the last days of Rome—American style. All that remains is the imminent collapse.
I know I painted a bleak picture, but all is not lost. In these days of confusion and uncertainty, we don’t have to sit quietly or in fear, especially if we unite our hardships with Christ. These evils, in one form or another, have always existed and like it or not they always will exist. Utopia is a pernicious lie fabricated to dupe the weak-minded and cowardly. Pain and suffering are a part of life. The difference is today, with the loss of faith, people are morally unprepared to deal with them. We have succumbed to temptation and lost our way. In order to truly revivify our society, a spiritual life is imperative. Live a life of prayer and reparation, deliverance from evil lies with our Lord and Savior.
It goes without saying, along with faith we need reason and action. At the risk of sounding overly simplistic and a bit repetitive, learn to live modestly and enjoy the simple things. Don’t get bogged down with counterproductive or trivial matters. Whenever possible, withdraw from the rat race, refuse to participate in the perfidy, and form pockets of old-world civilization in our homes, businesses, and churches. Forge bonds with like-minded people and support those willing to fight the good fight. Start families and if possible, homeschool your children, or at the very least deprogram them of all the undesirable nonsense when they get home. In short, build a tight-knit Catholic community, one home at a time.
I’m throwing down the gauntlet to all God-fearing men, myself included. Be steadfast and chivalrous. Defend the natural and supernatural order against the unrelenting scourge of corruption and decadence. Uphold the time-honored ways of our ancestors and find your raison d'être, a true purpose in life founded on the traditional guiding principles of faith, family and culture. Let’s be better men and look to the hearth, throne and altar once more. Viva Cristo Re!
~ Giovanni di Napoli, July 29th, Feast of Blessed Urban II
1) Better a good death than a bad life. ~ Neapolitan proverb
