The Pulpit Speaks: January 23, 1960

An article written by my father, the Rev. C. Thomas Paige, as it appeared in the Tri-State Defender on the date shown.

One of the most depressing statements of some time is included in an article, “We Can’t Survive As We Are,” by General Maxwell Taylor. This article brings us face to face with some of the most startling facts presented to people for some time. How tragic it is that one who has devoted so much of his life to war and the like now comes to conclusions that will startle good thinking people of our day and time.

How tragic it is that, even through the eyes of a man of military action, it is seen the hopeless state in which all of us find ourselves today. The high morality, the love of one’s fellow man, the desire to be something – all have left us. We now find ourselves living in a world of, once again my familiar word, “conformity.” Everyone wants to be like everyone else. We don’t want to be different any more. The hatred, the jealousy, and the selfishness characteristic of the group has become characteristic of those bent on being seen and recognized as one who conforms.

This is the kind of picture that Gen. Maxwell saw and it is the kind of picture that each of us sees when we look out over the world today. General Maxwell is up in years now. The standards that he held so dear as a youth are now nowhere to be seen. I don’t condone the idea that everything that the older people did was right, but I do believe that much that they did stand as good examples for those of our day and time.

We might as well face that fact. We live in a day unparalleled as far as morality, spiritually and sociability are concerned. These things are at an all time low level. The things that have been so prominent in stalling the catastrophes of our generation are slowly moving away. The barriers that have been instrumental in the lives of men as far as molding of nobility are concerned are slowly moving away.

The warped standards of modern living are dragging us down daily. The shiftlessness that is so characteristic of our day and time must be supplanted by a new industry on the part of us all. We once again must refortify ourselves along the lines of morality, ethics, and spirituality that will lead us to much better lives.

No, we can’t survive as we are! We can’t survive when decay is evident everywhere. We can’t survive when life has nothing to offer many of us but eating, drinking and being merry. We can’t survive in the midst of misdirected aims and goals. I agree with Gen. Maxwell: we can’t survive as we are. We might as well be realistic about the whole thing. We can’t survive as individuals and we can’t survive as groups. There are entirely too many people who are living lives bent on “getting away” with something. We take great joy in life that we are able to get away with this or that and no one will ever find out. How tragic.

Survival of the individual and the group is based upon healthiness. We must have healthy minds, souls and bodies. Nothing else will do. Survival will only be realized when we come to grips with the basic facts of this life and nothing else.

Far too many of us have designed our own little worlds – we make up the moral, ethical and social laws that govern our lives. The insufficiency of our laws and our lives are largely responsible for current world conditions. We need not fool ourselves. We cannot survive as we are!

This calls for an examination on the part of each of us. It will be most startling what such an examination will reveal. Let us examine ourselves and see if we can survive. Maxwell has looked and seen that we can’t survive. What do you think about it?