The Lack Of Resolve Inherent In Selfishness
From 'Two Kinds Of People' by P Atkinson (13-Aug-23)

Being at the mercy of the vagaries of their feelings means the selfish are:

  1. Whimsical — Moods change, so must the understanding that reflects those moods. This is demonstrated by the way our community now reacts to criminal acts, which swings from "zero tolerance" to mild rebuke, depending upon the fad of the moment. On the TV news 25th August 1998 a compulsory 14 day prison sentence was handed out to a youth whose first and only offence was stealing a $2 lighter in Darwin, whereas in July 2000 a mother who stabbed her child to death received only a 24-day prison sentence. Neither reaction was appropriate.
  2. Disloyal— Constantly searching for advantage without effort makes the selfish well aware of the value of other people's friendship for the easy rewards this can win. But this cannot change their own nature; being committed only to their own ends they will discard anyone whose allegiance is not profitable; and this applies to all their associates, be they relatives, friends, or a regime.
  3. Unreliable— The immoral are the slaves of their feelings, which undermine every private intention; they cannot trust themselves to do, or not do, anything, because it is not their reason that is in charge of their person, but their feelings. And as lust can instantly give way to loathing when some chance event exchanges attraction for revulsion—making the spouse or lover the first suspect in a murder enquiry—the selfish must be considered unreliable in everything.
  4. Cowardly And Weak — Unrestrained by truth or morality the selfish invariably seek the quickest and easiest path; which in turn makes them cowards and weaklings, vulnerable to all of life's ills. Their inability to resist difficulties and overcome problems has won a collapse of marriage, a retreat from rural living to the easier city life, and an unwillingness to undertake the task of raising children.

Inevitably a nation of timid citizens demands a government that shrinks from unpleasant truths and resolute action; one that abhors violence. The result is:

The Loss Of The Military Spirit
Edward Gibbon noted in his History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, that the decline of Rome was inevitable following their loss of military spirit, meaning the Romans became cowardly. Our cowardly society is now repeating the example of the Ancient Romans.