The British keep their monarchy. Americans keep their guns.
Tradition.
Today's Easy Sunday post is a brief observation of a confluence of headlines.
The British keep their monarchy. Some love it, some don't. Some say it honors tradition going back centuries, and that is reason enough. Defenders of monarchy say it is a small price to pay because the monarchy represents the British people more profoundly and permanently than does a government subject to political tides. The government might become a tyrant and the monarchy that represents the historic state is bedrock defense against that.
America keeps its guns. Some love guns, some don't. Some say gun culture honors tradition going back centuries, and that is reason enough. Defenders of the 2nd Amendment say it is a small price to pay because mass ownership of guns protects the Constitution more profoundly and permanently than does a government subject to political tides. The government might become a tyrant, but an armed citizenry that preserves the power of individuals for armed rebellion is a bedrock defense against that.
We each have century-old traditions. Some think they are long past being useful, but there is inertia. We each make our choices and pay the price.
I'm with Diderot. And John Nichols: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/to-hell-with-kings/
"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, is a great lesson in the dangers of hanging onto traditions for too long. One of my favorite teaching stories.