Both consumption and US Empire stem from the same source- unrestrained desire. Modern man, feeling himself liberated from nature, tradition, and any higher law, seeks to create the world in his own image. There is no theoretical limit to his passions, and the passion to dominate will necessarily become universal whenever the means present themselves. The Pax Americana is only the latest and most comprehensive variant of the Enlightenment notion asserting Liberté, Égalité, and Fraternité, which translate to the absolute sovereignty of the will of man.
The liberation of desire reveals itself in all spheres of life; the US imperial project and the assumption of unending economic expansion and the accumulation of material goods are only two examples. The sovereign will is manifested in every realm, from the family to art to sex, so that humans are left with their constructed rights to define themselves in a vacuum. Should it surprise us that the outcome is disorder and spiritual death? Consumption through the further manipulation of desire, as seen in mass anti-culture, along with the presentation of manufactured “diversity” and “choice” are the ways in which our managerial elites govern the resulting anarchy.
The US imperial project is profoundly radical, as its promoters hope to transform the world according to this model. Religion, ethnicity, and particularity of place are consigned to irrelevance since men are reduced to mere units in the market. Like the historical expressions of other modern ideologies, American Empire is metaphysically impoverished. In creating a counterfeit order, it attempts to form a closed system. However, reaction follows revolution, the unjust application of power will be balanced, and debt cannot be massed into perpetuity. Such prideful violation of natural law incurs a heavy punishment.
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An Empire of Desire
Both consumption and US Empire stem from the same source- unrestrained desire. Modern man, feeling himself liberated from nature, tradition, and any higher law, seeks to create the world in his … [Read More]
Posted by Mark Hackard on May 20, 2009
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