When speaking of democracy versus despotism, of course, I would say, “I choose Democracy.” After all, we all know democracy satisfies best the human thirst for freedom. And isn’t freedom what we all seek? Yet, democracy being undisciplined, turbulent and luxury seeking, it fails time and time again when it faces austere, singleminded despotism. Despotism, in case you forget what that is the exercise of absolute power in a cruel and oppressive way.

You don’t have to think very hard to know what I’m getting at. The cruel attack by Vladimir Putin on an independent democracy two weeks ago simply because he “wanted it” reminds us of the actions of Hitler several years ago in 1940 when he simply invaded and took over Poland. The results were WWII.

Centuries before Christ a great philosopher by the name of Thucydides made the observation that the freedoms, we gain from being free bring on this undisciplined behavior that allows despots such as Hitler (or to swing back to Thucydides’ own times) when he must have been thinking about Nebuchadnezzar or Alexander the Great and their ability to thunder across the plains sucking up and stealing vast empires.

Yes, the people they run over and enslaved had been free, but they too were unable to focus on preserving their freedom with the same amount of intensity as the despots who sought to conquer and enslave them. Are we doomed to face these kinds of threats forever into the future? We can see it was almost impossible to make Americans willing to pay the prices in taxes to raise an adequate armed defense force back in 1940. We had no king or absolute ruler to order us to do so and the people chose instead to believe that Hitler and his ilk would not be able to harm us because a great ocean separated us from Europe.

Many leaders knew better than this but the so called “body politic” in America was unwilling to be taxed to pay the bill for a large effective defense force to adequately protect us from invasion and war. In 1941, America needed to use its great economic powers to build ships, rifles, airplanes and other defensive materials. Instead, we wanted and got consumer goods. Chevrolet manufactured and sold more vehicles than they had ever sold in their history that year. Americans wanted more and better highways and refrigerators and “stuff.” Its wasn’t until December 7 of 1941, after Japan attacked the US, that the horrible truth was unveiled. And it was nearly too late.

Thus, again, the philosophy and rule that the nearly forgotten rules that a real man named Thucydides wrote out centuries ago again came true that day. I ask this. Are his rules about free people and despots obsolete in 2022? I again invite you to look at the actions Russia has just unleased (with little reason except a powerful despot wanted it) against the Ukraine and its democracy.

You can argue that Russia isn’t Hitler, and the Ukraine isn’t Poland and that you can’t see how it all relates to us in a direct way, but I beg your pardon. Right now, it may just mean higher gas prices and even shortages of wheat next summer, but we need to be alert and urge our leadership to be on the alert for our national security. And will we be able to follow our leaders? Your lives and freedoms may depend on it.

Have a good week and be sure and go to church Sunday.

Wayne Bullard, DPh cwaynebullard@gmail.com