The rise and the fall

My older and wiser brother (Daniel Earl Spector, born Dec 19th in 1942, now resting in peace for several years) was one of the very few people I know who read The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (a six volume treatise by Edward Gibbon which is critical of Islam, Judaism and Christianity and ultimately blames both the rise and the fall on Christians although many factors contributed to the fall, including corruption, invasion, slave labor, economic problems, and the rise of Eastern empires – all currently existing factors). Were my brother still with us and available to advise those in and out of power, his advice would probably be to read Gibbon’s work and learn from history that greed and lies do not a stable society make. “Notice how the chest rises when praising one’s own accomplishments.” “Notice how the jaw drops when blaming others for real and imagined ills.” “Brow beating and chest pounding do not a truth make.” The unfilled need to be praised is betrayed by the fake news that one embraces. I remember my brother telling me more than 60 years ago that what happened in Nazi Germany could happen in America. I did not believe him then but have since come to my senses. It is happening here. And now. In plain sight. With no shame but lots of blame to go around and around and back again. I used to think the path to insight and knowledge was through logic and philosophy. My brother thought it was through memory and history. Someone said "It's not the earth the meek inherit ... it's the dirt" ... If one's worth is judged by the number and quality of one's friends, then I am amazingly wealthy. ... And yet in the midst of racism, intolerance, injustice, greed and hate there is beauty and innocence and grace ... and yet there is hope for this species called the race to the bottom ... mike see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceX5jJ5fggs also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a23945btJYw