Douglas Wilson's Letter From Moscow

Toddlers Out of Temper

Douglas Wilson
Blog&Mablog

We have been addressing the theme of self-government, and considering that as the foundation of every other form of lawful and limited government. A nation of slaves to sin and vice can never be a free people. They are far too easily threatened, manipulated, seduced, and bribed. They will trade away the most precious liberties for the most contemptible baubles and trifles.Exhort

I have been speaking of various external vices in this regard—smoking dope, using porn, drunkenness, and so on. But we also need to reflect on the need for self-control where the lack of self-control first begins to manifest itself—in the realm of the emotions.

We live in a generation that measures truth by what the loudest and shrillest feel should be true. This is why our culture is now dominated by the offended, the hurt, and the aggrieved.
But before developing this, an important boundary has to be set. Those who have truly been abused deserve nothing from us but compassion. Those who have been mistreated by the cruelties of the wicked should not have to contend against the cruelties of the church as well.

I make this distinction because we have to deal with the fact that we live in a time when “abused” and “feeling abused” are treated as the same thing. A true victim and a false victim are merged into one, and objective realities don’t matter anymore.

Children who are pampered and spoiled with regard to their passions are being catechized in this approach. Instead of bringing their emotions in line with God’s Word and the hard realities of God’s world, the demand is made to have the world, and then the Word, cater to their passions.

And so, with fits of temper tolerated, with bursts of passion bribed and bought off, with petulant selfishness indulged, what do you think will happen when such children grow up into the overwhelming adult passions? If they can’t run with men, how will they run with horses? So if you want to know what it would be like to be governed by toddlers out of temper, look around.