Matthew Russell: “Will and Ariel Durant, perhaps the most renowned recorders of the history of mankind, wrote shortly after their landmark…”

“Will and Ariel Durant, perhaps the most renowned recorders of the history of mankind, wrote shortly after their landmark 40-year multivolume work was completed: ``Civilization is not inherited; it has to be learned and earned by each generation anew; if the transmission should be interrupted . . . civilization would die, and we should be savages again.'' It is a warning we must heed. For all of our advancement in self- governance, the rule of law, and the betterment of people's lives, the world stands in crisis. Our actions toward evil, twisted brands of militant Islamic jihadism in the coming months will determine how humanity navigates the coming century. As Will Durant correctly predicts, we must either prevent the death of civilized life or become savages again. Responding to the Paris attacks, French President Francois Hollande is correct in saying enough is enough. The coalition of willing defenders of humanity is immense. The world looks toward America for our leadership. ``Why? Why does it have to be us?'' people ask. It is for the same reason we ask a trusted colleague for counsel, for the same reason a resident asks a neighbor to help him with a heavy lift, for the same reason a parishioner asks his pastor for guidance in times of crisis, for the same reason a citizen asks a policeman for assistance in times of trouble, and for the same reason those attacked ask a soldier to defend them. For the sake of civilization, we must provide it.…”