The Golden Triangle of Os Guiness

[Jolly]

Actually, The Golden Triangle of Freedom.

Guiness writes the triangle is made up of freedom, virtue and faith. This triad of cultural goods is mutually reinforcing. “Freedom requires virtue; virtue requires faith; faith requires freedom.”

The book by Metaxas, If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty is reviewed here.
https://www.acton.org/pub/religion-liberty/volume-26-number-3/eric-metaxas’-golden-triangle-freedom
Much of the book revolves around Guiness' concept.

I think Mr. Guiness is correct.

[Mik]

He's got a point, for sure.

[Jon]

The contrast between Guiness and Bud Light couldn’t be more stark.

[Jolly]

Pithy.

[Jolly]

I'll flesh this one out some more...In today's America, particularly in urban areas, stores are locking up shaving razors and soap behind plexiglass, because of massive shoplifting. These thieves have no virtue.

Webster's defines virtue as: 1
a
: conformity to a standard of right : MORALITY
b
: a particular moral excellence

These thieves have no virtue, because they have no faith. No faith in God, no faith in their country, no faith in their fellow man and no faith in themselves. They trust no one, because they have no moral compass.

Without a moral compass in a free people, there is no Freedom. You can't be truly free, because the people around you will not allow it.

Faith. Virtue. Freedom. Each leg of the triangle must have the other two, in a high-trust, well functioning society. Societies that don't have high trust...Somalia, Kenya, Peru, etc., don't do well economically, either. Hard to do business with people you do not trust.

Back to that plexiglass...Americans used to be a high-trust society. Old Pew Research polls usually hovered around 80% of Americans trusted other Americans. That number is down to 58% and is still trending downwards.

No faith, no virtue. No virtue, no trust. No trust...Well, the end result is less freedom and an erosion of what makes America what it is.

[Jolly]

“In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.” - C.S. Lewis