The Myths Which Define Us
I heard this years ago but can’t recall from whom I heard it. If anyone knows let me know so I can make proper attribution. Thanks. What are the three most baleful influences on the modern western world? Many would say Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud. Others might say Hitler, Mao, and Stalin. There may even be other contenders. But I nominate Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Why? Jefferson taught us that with just a little more self-government we can work everything out for ourselves. Franklin thought a little more self-reliance and common sense would solve most of our problems. And Emerson believed that if we just turned inward to that sublime and divine center within us, all things would fall into place. We have believed them. We’ve bought into the undergirding myth of the modern world: we can do it ourselves. We can govern ourselves, figure out our own problems, or tap into an inner resource that will resource our ordering of our lives. ...