History, Revolution, Eugen Rosenstock and SNAFU …

Looking for parallels in history is a fool’s game; one can find in history nearly anything imaginable. Nevertheless, many fools play this game with themselves or with others in the hope of finding some light in history’s dark glass. We, no less foolish, noticed some parallels the other night as the soap rinsed off in the shower. (A time in which there is absolutely nothing else to do, but think.) We were contemplating the Great Depression (1929 – 1941) in comparison to today. The first thing we noted was that back then, there was a world war, followed by a decade of economic prosperity and cultural license that came to be called the “Roaring Twenties.” Then, the stock market collapse of late 1929 and the ensuing depression. Interestingly, in much of the United States, there came with that depression, a reversal of the previous license and corruption that manifested, at least in California, in years of decent government upon the ouster of venal political machines. And with that, rather decent behavior in much of society, too. At least, it was a notable contrast to the attitudes in place before the crash. Today we have come off WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, etc. and accompanying prosperity through the licentious latter half of the 20th century into today’s post-Christian, corrupt and economically and we think, politically, declining era. Our stock market seems again to be searching for an excuse to crash while our government is, with most others, unarguably unable to manage its finances and our voters are unarguably unable to elect responsible politicians. Long time social bindings seem to be loosening everywhere and nasty things are escaping into freedom while personal responsibility seems to be receding. Is this the Roaring Twenties/Great Depression/WWII writ large? If so, may it be followed by a return to rectitude and reason? Hell, how would we know? Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy wrote: “Out of Revolution” near a hundred years ago; his thesis was that all of man’s major progress required first, a massive political revolution before it could come to pass. Most revolutions were simply a change in who the boss was, but there were these special cases that brought real change and without which, the change was impossible. He made a fascinating case. Professor Rosenstock wrote: “Part One, From Lenin to Luther: The Secular Revolution,” and “Part Two, From the Roman Empire to America: The Church Revolution.” He laid out the antecedents of Western Civilization as a series of awful struggles interspersed with periods of rest and germination. If he was correct, our present apparent gallop over the economic and political cliff on the back of high technology may be an opening door into a future we cannot see but one that will lift our descendants as much above us as we have found ourselves above our progenitors. “Above” in some senses of the word, but little better in others. Of course, maybe not; we will not be here to see; these things have always taken time. Meantime, we have Mr. Putin, channeling Adolf Hitler’s bad behavior, Militant Islam, anxious to return us to the 7th century under its thumb, declining world trade, overly indebted, spendthrift governments and in general, conditions described by a WWII term popular with U.S. troops: “Snafu!” That was an acronym for: “Situation Normal; All Fxxxxd Up!” That is admittedly and even unarguably, a parallel with history.  We must be on the right track! German ‘Dr. Death’ opens corpse museum in Berlin.  Paris Sex Clubs hip.