Portrait of a Nation in Peril

A nation or civilization that has a strong heroic ideal or vision of greatness cannot lose it without itself collapsing. As Americans, we are beginning to lose it. This book argues that we’ve lost touch with our founding vision, our sense of purpose and direction, resulting in the sharp polarization splitting our nation apart today. We hear much talk about making America great again, but little about what this actually means. Does it mean economically great? Militarily great? Culturally great? Morally great? ” Portrait” explores our founders’ conception of greatness and their vision for America. Much can be borrowed from them for us to build upon. The world’s old, us-vs.-them, enemy-oriented heroism derives its identity from fighting an enemy. It requires an adversary and is at a loss without one. A new, citizen-oriented heroism, by contrast, revolves around the citizen’s responsibility to society and to other citizens. All are citizens of the world. There is a time and place for both kinds of heroism, but if we want a truly civilized world, we must choose the right one for the occasion. The old heroism must psychologically die within us in order for the new one to be born.