Lord of the Flies, written in 1954 by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding, portrays the struggle of a group of British boys who, while lost and stranded on a deserted island, are forced to govern themselves in order to survive. The novel, written during the same period as Orwell's “1984”, is a critical analysis and exploration of what the future of mankind would be in the dangerous world of the Post-War Era.
At first glance, given that the stranded tribe of young Brits are children, the novel would appear to focus on that human demographic in its exploration of the impact of base human primal instincts, lust for individual power, and human proclivity towards random violence and chaos versus democratic self-governance with a proper balance between the needs of the individual and the greater good of society. Needless to say, this youthful experiment in self-governance was a failure, devolving into wanton violence, savagery, and ultimately murder. At the end of the novel, the children, when being rescued, turned from murderous savages back into crying children when explaining their ordeal to the British officer who came to their rescue. Kind of like an early version of Millennial/Gen X Snowflakes, right?
The authors of “The Federalist Papers”, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison must have read “Lord of the Flies” over 200 years before it was written. The "Federalist" was authored as a blueprint for interpreting and communicating the original intent of the Constitution. In so doing, they took into account human power, lust, greed, and pathological individualism exercised at the expense of society, all of which were compelling themes in “Lord of the Flies”.
This genius triumvirate of Founding Fathers was exceptionally well educated and schooled experientially and intellectually in the ideas of the Enlightenment. They knew that in order for their idea of self-governance, through their brilliantly contemplated Constitution, to work they must deliver the means by which to govern our Constitutional Republic and create the means by which the excesses of human nature, i.e., the inevitable abuse of power by any branch of government or individual, could be checked and balanced. Hence, the separation of powers created our American Constitutional Republic where the “checks and balances” of power prevent the excesses of executive despotism, legislative overreach, and judicial activism.
In order for our Constitutional Republic to function, American citizens, elected officials, and all participants in our society must respect the Constitution, which ultimately means respecting all of the governing institutions and mechanisms that properly originate or are properly derived through the Constitution.
In America 2023, we are moving toward a state of potential anarchy. Our public officials now openly encourage citizens to disregard the law if they don't agree with it. This destructive phenomenon was most recently conveyed by AOC, a young fool, and Senator Ron Wyden, an old fool, to disregard a Federal Court ruling regarding the abortion pill. This is not an isolated example, but an apocalyptic one regarding a nationwide trend towards the breakdown of our entire society resulting in selective prosecution of crime and criminals, complete disregard for the First Amendment at every level of society and government, the complete ignorance of at least two generations of young Americans regarding our civic institutions, and the frightening threat that an increasing plurality of Americans have no respect for the law, resulting in a complete breakdown of the civil order that is essential for the survival of a free Constitutional Republic.
As the electoral prominence of the Millennial and Gen X demographics rise in numbers, two generations have emerged unschooled in the beauty and unique nature of our American Constitutional Republic.
We are moving towards perilous proximity to a “Lord of the Flies” world… Remember America is not a savage little island, but it could easily become a savage nation.
-Emes