self reliance 赏析.doc

A friend forwarded the following message to me:　　This memorable quotation, from the 1801 collection of his lectures, is from Sir Alex Fraser Tytler (1742-1813), Scottish jurist and historian, widely known in his time, professor of Universal History at Edinburgh University in the late 18th century:　　A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury. From that time on the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the results that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the worlds great civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence:　　from bondage to spiritual faith;　　from spiritual faith to great courage;　　from courage to liberty;　　from liberty to abundance;　　from abundance to selfishness;　　from selfishness to complacency;　　from complacency to apathy;　　from apathy to dependency;　　from dependency back again to bondage.　　To that I can only say: What a conservative crock.　　This is Anglo-American myth-making at its most egregious. Most civilizations start with greed, folly, and suffering, not more noble sentiments. Lets look at an example were all familiar with, America:　　Columbus: Sought fame and riches for himself. Bumped into a continent he barely knew existed. Immediately began enslaving the natives. Died in poverty and disgrace.　　The English at Jamestown and Plymouth: Outcasts, dissidents, fortune-seekers. Wouldve died if not for the help of Pocahontas and Squanto. Believed in religious authority, not individual freedom.　　The Founding Fathers: Didnt want to pay their fair share of taxes. Unwilling to provide enough money to feed and shelter their troops. Lost most of their battles. Won only because of outside aid.　　Doesnt sound like a perfect record of faith, courage, and liberty when