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ILL FARES THE LAND

ILL FARES THE LAND (AUG 2024)LETTERS TO MY COUNTRY II

By Brother Patrick

In 1770, Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) writes a mournful poem called The Deserted Village after he watches the leveling of an entire town to make way for a rich man’s garden. Goldsmith’s lament is over productive farm and commercial land being destroyed and working class families being displaced so that a wealthy household can enjoy the luxury of an ornamental garden.

More than a poem, The Deserted Village is a work of social commentary. Goldsmith condemns modern society’s lack of concern for the earth, the working poor, and the common good. He condemns the pursuit of luxury and unbridled wealth at the expense of those who work the land to feed their own families and the local community. The poem contains 430 lines, but line 51 stands out and speaks to the overall message: Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey.

This haunting line is also the title of a book by Tony Judt (1948-2010), an English historian who taught for many years at New York University. In Ill Fares the Land, Judt writes in the aftermath of the Great Recession (2008-2009). He reflects on the years since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the opportunities missed by modern democracies to address the excesses and inequalities of our times. Judt writes: “Something is profoundly wrong with the way we live today. We have wasted two decades since the fall of the Berlin Wall; they have been consumed by the locusts, or more precisely by the shamelessly greedy…Beyond the noise of guzzling, we can hear no moral critique of what has happened, no shout of rage that things don’t have to be like this.” Ill fares the land!

More than ten years after Tony Judt’s death, we have raised the “noise of guzzling” in the form of consumption, cynicism, and silent complicity to an art form. One political party sees the termination of an unborn human life as nothing more than a medical procedure. Another party has little compassion for the poor, the sick, the elderly, or the newcomer. That same party promises to deport millions of immigrants, unravel the social safety net, and undo environmental protections in the midst of a worsening climate crisis. Ill fares the land, indeed!

Our lack of a moral compass extends to the tone and tenor of this country’s political discourse. Gone are the days when our leaders could wrangle with each other by day, then break bread together by night. The disappointment of defeat is replaced by an endless cycle of insult and accusation. Anger turns to violence. Resentment turns toward racism. And now the point-counterpoint of rational debate turns into vows of vengeance. Civility, compromise, and cooperation are the now profanities. Our hyperbole has become freakish. Our politics has become loathsome. Our enmity and disregard for the truth and for each other has become dangerous. Ill fares the land, in fact!

Tony Judt writes: “If we know what is wrong, we must act upon that knowledge. Philosophers, it was famously observed, have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it.” As our cultural and political rot deepens, what can we do? How can we change things? Our bishops declare that one issue is “preeminent” but this proposition fails to grapple with the broad grotesquerie of our political culture. It is not about taking a side. It is about taking a stand. It is long past time for people of faith and goodwill to resist the gathering storm of hatred, cruelty, and disinformation. It is time to unite against those who preach hatred, provoke division, and purvey only darkness. It is time for us to rise above the shadows and embrace the light. So may we soon cry out…In hope and goodness fares the land!

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LETTERS TO MY COUNTRY

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brother Patrick Garvey is co-founder and spiritual director of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary, and the Catholic University of America. He is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as an Associate Minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts. On October 3, 2023, the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Patrick was consecrated as a diocesan hermit by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston. For more information about the Assisi Project and our ministries with adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com.

Art Credit: Yaroslaf – 326636899 – Dreamstime

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ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. Please support our ministry via Pay Pal (see link below) or mail a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. May God bless you! May the Lord give you peace!

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