Tuesday, August 2, 2016

"Churchill taught"

   "Churchill...taught that free peoples must work together to guard their freedom, and to do so they must recognize each other for the friends in principle that they are.
   'Trust the people' was his lifelong refrain. As people are not beasts, he thought they had the right to govern themselves. He thought that statesmen must understand the propriety and advantage of the people's authority and should calculate their actions to benefit them and to sustain their authority for the long term.
   Churchill taught that free markets are 'twice blessed' because they confer benefits on both parties in every transaction. He taught that 'trade...is the way in which peaceful peoples earn their livelihood', and if people are allowed to ply their trade in free markets under the rule of law, nearly all can prosper. He taught that there must be safeguards to prevent this arrangement from building a society populated by drones, or a society dominated by bureaucrats, which two things he thought moved hand in hand.  He thought opinions were elevated by talking, which meant debate and argument. He taught that citizens must pay attention to debates and arguments, or others will rule them.

   Civilization, like government, is an activity, a form of community. It begins with the rule of law under the control of civilians. It proceeds to its first goal, the safeguarding of people in their homes and with their families, living fully human lives in care of themselves and others, participating in the common rule of all. It culminates in the beautiful things to know and to see, in art, in science, in learning.
   He taught that the discipline, self-restraint, courage, and charity that make a nation civilized and strong must be located in the people, and if people have these things, they can and will care tor themselves and for their nation, including their fellow citizens who suffer misfortune and privation. If the people do not have them, all is lost. He taught that they must be encouraged to learn the things that are highest and that bring out their best, things beyond themselves and their use."


                                                      -  from Churchill's Trials,  by Larry P. Arnn  (all emphasis mine)

2 comments:

  1. He was a good egg, was Churchill, a great man. He had many faults too. But the free world owes him big time!

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    1. He could absolutely see where things were heading. An amazing man.

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