After Me, The Deluge

I care not what happens after I am dead

Après moi, le déluge
After Me, The Deluge
I care not what happens after I am dead

This Quote, attributed to King Louis XV of France, is an expression of deep selfishness. It shows a level of self absorption fit for a king. Sadly, I think that this sentiment still presents itself in our culture through many forms.

Unfortunately, I have seen a few of these bumper stickers in the wild. They always frustrate me, because they show brazen contempt for the subject's immediate family, those for whom they should have a natural duty and affection. This would cause even a pre-modern pagan to blush. Scripture does commend those who have the ability to leave an inheritance to their descendants¹, but the primary issues isn't financial². It is an attitude of complete disregard for securing a better future for posterity. I have seen a similar pattern with older men who express concerns about the future disintegration of our nations cultural norms. After giving their political musings they end with the statement "Well I'm glad I'll be long gone before things get bad". I don't see how any parent could utter this statement with complete disregard for their children and grandchildren's well being. After me, the deluge.

Thomas Paine rebukes this best.

I once felt all that kind of anger, which a man ought to feel, against the mean principles that are held by the Tories: a noted one, who kept a tavern at Amboy, was standing at his door, with as pretty a child in his hand, about eight or nine years old, as I ever saw, and after speaking his mind as freely as he thought was prudent, finished with this unfatherly expression, "Well! give me peace in my day." Not a man lives on the continent but fully believes that a separation must some time or other finally take place, and a generous parent should have said, "If there must be trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace;" and this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every man to duty.

Society has always been built and held stable by men who are willing to sacrifice their immediate desires for the good of their household. Our transactional society seeks to extract what pleasure it can out of this life without concern for the secondary consequences. Men, we need to reverse this pattern and have a concrete vision for building a better world that nurtures future generations.

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit”

I see this attitude of resignation in a slightly different form amongst those who are "Doomers", people who have fallen into a fatalistic attitude about the eventual collapse of modern society, and thus turn to a nihilistic pattern of living. The sense of powerlessness derived from these issues causes men retreat and abandon the responsibilities they have been given. More than that, they live a life that, in small and seemingly insignificant ways, further contributes to the systemic problems they rail against. They have resigned, they care not for what is left to the next generation, let them be damned. In some cases (see Antinatalists) they actually wish for the complete cessation of the human race. It would be better if the next generation is never born. After us the deluge.

This mentality can only thrive in an atomistic society that has devalued the preciousness of human life and has starved us of close relationships we feel a sense of responsibility for. After the birth of my first daughter I had a profound sense of responsibility for the physical, cultural, and political climate that her and my grandchildren (Lord willing) would be left with after I am dead. It is clear that America is living in a time of accelerated moral decay. The situation is not hopeless, but will require good men to come together and contribute their talents to developing holistic Christian communities. I pray I can contribute what I can, and leave my community a better place for those after me.

Some Encouragement

I am sympathetic to the fact the there are plenty of overwhelming issues that we feel powerless to solve. While this is true, we can not let this drive us to resignation. We must not believe the lie of Doomerism which holds that global problems have global solutions. We are not absolved of our responsibility. Any systemic problem is an amalgamation of local issues. I may not be able to solve problems at a national level, but I can seek to solve problems on a personal and local level. During WW2 40% of American produce was grown in wartime "Victory Gardens". Communities were using their backyards and public parks to grow what vegetables they could. The operation was completely decentralized You could see the temptation that each Gardner would feel to believe that his or her efforts were futile, but the combined efforts of each locality amassed into a substantial amount of food production, over 8 million tons. How can we adopt the mindset of a wartime gardener in our community, contributing our small sum to Its education, cultural enrichment, food production, conflict resolution, preparedness, gregarious fellowship and more. Our efforts may seem feeble on their own, but overtime they compound into massive change. Do not despise small beginnings. Global problems require local solutions.

This has been a scattershot of a few ideas. For some additional writing on the subject of local responsibility hop over to Hadden Turner's article Where You Are Is Where You Are

1. Proverbs 13:22

2. Nor is the concept of an inheritance purely financial. Leaving a godly legacy is to be prized above any sum of money.