A Necessary Sacrifice

At this time of war in Europe and the Middle East, with a global conflagration looming once again, it is good to recall the brave spirit of the greatest generations, those of the two World Wars, in confronting ideologies of darkness seeking to overwhelm the established values and freedoms inherent in Western culture’s classic liberal democratic order.

The post-modern era is identified by ego-centrism, narcissism, relativist morality and ethics rather than self-sacrifice, courage and duty for the greater good. This is an era dominated by rampant identity political construals with focus on primacy of the imperial-self but without concomitant obligations toward others and the common good. This is a period in which divisive members of society seek superficial identity through sectarian promotors while eschewing national unity, commitment to community, and meaningful connection in these uncertain times. In particular, ideologues disparage the traditional concept of place: a home where the family unit, as the nucleus of society, can thrive in peace and prosperity. Home is no longer regarded as fundamental to the well-being of those narrowly fixated on their therapeutic-selves. 

From time immemorial, the heart of society has been reflected in the family unit. This collective nucleus, with its home and hearth, is a haven where members can interact, enjoy peace, love, warmth and comfort as well as find acceptance and sanctuary in turbulent times. Traditionalists continue to emphasize the comforting atmosphere of a family home for, as Alexander Gauland, president of Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland political party explains, “We do not seek to defend Judeo-Christianity in any religious sense but as a traditional way of life, as a traditional sense of home.” The latter idea is likewise pivotal to Jewish life, as stressed by the late UK Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: “the concept of family and home is absolutely fundamental to Judaism.” This has been the case for millennia. It is through their common faith and the ideal of home, specifically that of Israel their ancestral homeland, that has enabled Jewish people of the world, although scattered among alien cultures, to maintain their sense of identity, their uniqueness and culture, both individually and collectively.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger explained the biblical concept of place this way: “the free man is one who is at home, that is, one who really belongs to the household. Freedom has to do with being given a home, for humans long for connection.” In a similar vein, James Matthew Wilson describes the concept as “fidelity to place,” explained in order of priority as “fidelity to God, family, and country,” all of which contribute toward a sense of community, a liberty of order, and emotional well-being. Fidelity to place, says Wilson, is “not merely one virtue among others, but a foundational and formative source of our character.”

Even so, real belonging, finding a true home leading to deep emotional satisfaction, commences with a sacred vertical relationship from which flows meaningful horizontal, interpersonal connections. The great English poet John Donne acknowledged this theme in 1623 when he wrote, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” The staple requirement of “fidelity to place” is what creates right-thinking and psychologically secure individuals, those determined to conserve virtues enjoyed for generations within the freedoms, rights, and obligations of a classic liberal democratic environment.

In a micro-cosmic sense, the concept of home is a form of nationalism for which deep allegiance is required. The Jewish people of Israel well understand the necessity of this ideal and refer to it as Zionism, which is simply an attempt to establish a home, a refuge, a sanctuary of their own in an alien world. Based on long-standing Judeo-Christian values, great leaders of the past sought to secure their society’s way of life. Leaders that come to mind include Charles de Gaulle of France, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher of the UK, Jan Smuts of South Africa, Roosevelt and Eisenhower of the U.S., Menzies and Curtin of Australia, the great formative leaders of Israel, and other notable allies—all men and women who never wavered from their vision. They motivated their people to sacrifice for the greater good of the country, to defend all that is theirs not only for themselves but for future generations. And, in inspiring nobility of character, these determined leaders led their people into a promising future.

They motivated their people to sacrifice for the greater good of the country, to defend all that is theirs not only for themselves but for future generations.

It is a combination of all these primary concepts, these core human needs, that from generation to generation has created a deep sense of obligation in preserving the traditional way of life. And, from this sense of obligation comes duty, sacrifice, determination and patriotism, all of which give rise to nobility of character and purpose, qualities upheld for millennia by committed defenders of truth: the great men and women of society.

Greatness of character, evident from combatants of the two world wars, are reflected in the stirring words of poets Ezra Pound (“Hugh Selwyn Mauberley,” 1920), Rupert Brook (“The Soldier,” 1918), John McCray (“In Flanders Fields,” 1915) and W. H. Auden (“September 1,” 1939). The poets immortalize commitment to the greater good of their society, actions that ultimately cost so many their lives as they fiercely defended core social values. These qualities are indicative of Western civilization’s virtues, the fount of which are Judeo-Christian principles emanating from the natural law, containing within tenets of justice and definitive ethical paradigms. Dedicated warriors of truth and freedom embraced the transcendence of sacrificial action, patriotism and duty.

In his 1920 poem “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, Ezra Pound lamented shallowness of character, the lack of introspective reflection and integrity, which tempers the cultural heritage and traditions of civilization:

The Age demanded an image
Of its accelerated grimace,
Something for the modern stage, Not, at any rate, an Attic grace;
Not, not certainly, the obscure reveries
Of the inward gaze.

To the contrary, depth of character can be found among members of great generations: those involved in the two world wars. Men like Rupert Brooke who, acknowledging their fragile mortality, nevertheless exhibited courage, sacrifice, nationalism and gravity of character in executing their duty for the preservation of families, homes, neighbourhoods and country. These are qualities that forged the West:

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed
A dust whom England bore, shaped, and made aware…
(Rupert Brooke, “The Soldier,” 1918)

Understandably, in present times and contrary to the motivation of hate-driven Hamas fighters, joining battle is not eagerly sought by the peace-loving people of Israel who are, once again, forced to defend their ancient land, faith and culture. W. H. Auden describes this aversion:

Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright
And darkened lands of the earth,
Obsessing our private lives;
The unmentionable odour of death
Offends the September night.
(“September 1,” 1939)

Notwithstanding their onerous task, the Israeli soldiers of today sacrificially defend their land and their values against jihadist fanatics and, in so doing, display greatness of character in the mode of their forebearers. In this spirit, that of the Maccabees and defenders of Masada, President Herzog of Israel in mid-December 2023 when nine brave warriors died in a single ambush, referred to them as the “best of the best; heroes among heroes, who fell in battle to defend their people and their homeland.” And when these dedicated wardens of truth, virtue and freedom fall in battle, their sacrifice will speak loudly to colleagues urging them to continue the fight until the encroaching darkness is vanquished:

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
(John McCrae, In Flanders Fields, 1915)

Belligerent clouds of war again emerge over the global horizons, so let the warriors of civilization say, “In the Spirit of Flanders’ Fields, in the spirit of peace and freedom of our faith, for our land and homes will we fight for what is right, what is true, what is beautiful.” The stakes could not be higher: As Victor Lazlo in the 1942 movie Casablanca pointed out, “If we stop fighting our enemies, the world will die.”

…the Israeli soldiers of today sacrificially defend their land and their values against jihadist fanatics and, in so doing, display greatness of character in the mode of their forebearers.

The concept of home and the sacrificial costs attached cannot be more dramatically illustrated than through the travails of the Jewish people: dispersed world-wide in 70 C.E. with the loss of their Temple and ancient homeland, they sought refuge among other nations wherever possible. Harassed, rejected, and persecuted for centuries they eventually found a way back to their ancestral land, Eretz Yisrael. Regarded as Israel’s national poet, Hayyim Nahman Bialik (1873-1934), penned emotive words concerning the sacrifice by earlier generations and their determination to return to the sacred homeland of Israel. His poem “Should You Wish to Know the Source” says it all:

Should you wish to know the Source,
From which your brothers drew
Their strength of soul
Their comfort, courage, patience, trust,
And iron might to bear their hardships
And suffer without end or measure?
And should you wish to see the Fort
Wherein your fathers refuge sought.
And all their sacred treasures hid,
The refuge that has still preserved
Your nation’s soul intact and pure
And when despised, and scorned, and scoffed,
Their faith they did not shame?
And then your heart shall guess the truth,
That you have touched the sacred ground
Of a great people’s house of life.
And that your eyes do gaze upon
The treasure of a nation’s soul.

The “sacred ground” of home is indeed the “treasure of a nation’s soul” and their “house of life.” These things are worthy of the sacrifice.

A lawyer by profession, Nils A. Haug is member of the International Bar Association, the National Association of Scholars, the Academy of Philosophy and Letters. Retired from law, his field of interest is the intersection of Western culture with political theory, philosophy, theology, ethics and law. He holds various degrees including a Ph.D. in Theology (Apologetics). He is author of “Politics, Law, and Disorder in the Garden of Eden—the Quest for Identity” and “Enemies of the Innocent—Life, Truth, and Meaning in a Dark Age.”