organic Christian society Archives

How do we keep Black Friday from Destroying Thanksgiving?

by John Horvat II November 21, 2013November 23, 2012

Thanksgiving Day should be about God and family, not shopping. But Black Friday is now creeping into Thanksgiving. This is an example of how “frenetic intemperance” breaks down the natural tempering influence of family life on our economy. How do we turn the tide?

We Must Fight for America – Not Secede from America

by John Horvat II November 21, 2013November 21, 2012

While we must kill the cancer, we must also defend the body. For this reason, we must also vigorously defend the many excellent values that still exist in America. In the order of economics, we must defend sound principles like private property and free enterprise, which are according to natural law and form the foundation … Read more

We Must Resist the Temptation to Secession

by John Horvat II June 14, 2016November 20, 2012

In face of the great discontent with the current economic and moral crisis we must resist the temptation to simply write off the present system with all its problems. We must avoid the defeatist attitude of those who advocate isolating themselves from society and awaiting better days. In individualist fashion, they would take care of … Read more

The Different Roads of the Authentic and Inauthentic Elites

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira October 12, 2020November 19, 2012

When a person acquires a fortune, whether by his own merit or inheritance, two roads lie before him: He can take the arduous road to secure for himself, or his descendants, an entrance into the traditional elites; or he can take the easy path, becoming a toad.

A Favorite Quote From Return to Order: Elites Are Necessary

by John Horvat II March 23, 2021November 16, 2012

One of my favorite quotes from Return to Order is a comment of Ludwig von Mises about the need for elites, heroes and representative characters in society. Our culture of frenetic intemperance has failed to recognize the courage of those who look beyond their own self-interests and consider the needs of the common good. These key figures, who are real heroes need to be honored at all levels in society, for they are responsible for true progress.

Ludwig von Mises states:

“Mankind would never have reached the present state of civilization without heroism and self-sacrifice on the part of an elite. Every step forward on the way toward an improvement of moral conditions has been an achievement of men who were ready to sacrifice their own well-being,

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This is the Vice that Drags Down our Economy

by November 29, 2016November 10, 2012

Frenetic intemperance is a term we coined to describe a restless and reckless spirit inside certain sectors of modern economy that foments a drive to throw off legitimate restraints and gratify all desires.

Perhaps the most obvious example of frenetic intemperance is that of the speculative
bubble of the 2008 sub-prime mortgage crisis. It is a textbook case of what can go wrong in modern economy.

Free Book: Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go

Financial Crisis

What happened during this crisis? All the parties involved simply threw caution to the wind and succumbed to spirit of reckless abandon. Homebuyers took out loans, which were called them “liar loans” since the prospect did not have to provide proofs for the information on the loan application. These homebuyers took out these loans without any money down and sufficient income to pay.
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Bankers and mortgage companies recklessly extended loans to prospects knowing them to be risky and even encouraging risks to make more profits by selling them to brokers. Brokers bundled up these mortgages and sold them to investors knowing that many of them were risky or “sub-prime.” Many brokers simply did not care about these dangers since they merely charged brokerage fees and passed the risk on to investors.

Order – the First Need of the Nation

by John Horvat II March 22, 2017September 18, 2012

Order is one of the central themes of the book, Return to Order From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go. It is the object of our return and therefore must be clearly understood.

The word order can bring several things to mind.

When items are in their proper place as perhaps in a closet, they are said to be in order.

When some kind of discipline is applied, as in the case of law enforcement, the result is order.

When Marine Corps Band executes a command from their officer, the parade is in good order.

When something works, it is said to be in order.

All these notions convey the idea of a basic set of internal principles that give meaning and organization to a situation. Perhaps the best general definition of order is that of American philosopher Russell Kirk who affirms: “Order is the first need of the soul.”

Towards An Organic Christian Society

by John Horvat II May 29, 2017September 18, 2012

It is always easier to criticize than to propose solutions. In the book, Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society —Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go, modern economy is criticized, but the greater part of the text deals with a remedy. Our proposal … Read more