The Backward Foundation Myth of Europeans
Everyone wonders why Europeans are so susceptible to guilt. One explanation is that all cultures have a foundation myth that tells them who they are, and the foundation myth of modern Europeans is a negative one. How do you recognize a foundation myth? It fulfills three functions. It explains the origin and structure of the world (and society). It defines ultimate good and evil (and from those definitions are derived the values that are used to justify the holding of power). It determines what is held sacred in that society. For modern Westerners the story of WWII has become their foundation myth. It fulfills all three functions. We live in the ‘Post-War World’. The lines on the map, the institutions, the sense of what era we live in, all arise from the starting point of WWII. Ultimate evil is Nazis. Ultimate good is opposing…
