The Heroic Spirit of Flanders Fields

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
                          —Robert Frost, 1915

At this time of war in Europe and the Middle East, with a global conflagration looming once again, it is well to recall the brave spirit of the greatest generations, those of the two world wars, in confronting ideologies of darkness seeking to overwhelm the values and freedoms inherent in Western culture’s classic liberal democratic order.

The postmodern era is identified by egocentrism, narcissism, relativist morality and ethics, rather than self-sacrifice, courage and duty for the greater good. The focus is on the primacy of the imperial-self but without concomitant obligations towards others and the common good. Divisive members of society seek superficial identity while eschewing national unity, commitment to community and meaningful connection. Ideologues disparage the traditional concept of place: a home where the family unit, as the nucleus of society, can thrive in peace and prosperity. Home is no longer regarded as fundamental to the well-being of those narrowly fixated on their therapeutic-selves.

From time immemorial, the heart of society has been reflected in the family unit. This collective nucleus, with its home and hearth, is a haven where members can enjoy peace, love, warmth and comfort, and find acceptance and sanctuary in turbulent times. Traditionalists continue to emphasise the comforting atmosphere of a family home. As Alexander Gauland, president of Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland party explains, “We do not seek to defend Christianity in any religious sense but as a traditional way of life, as a traditional sense of home.” This idea is likewise pivotal to Jewish life. The late UK Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks stressed that the “concept of family and home is absolutely fundamental to Judaism”. Their common faith and the ideal of home have enabled Jewish people of the world, although scattered among alien cultures, to maintain their sense of identity, their uniqueness and culture, both individually and corporately.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger explained the biblical concept of place this way: “The free man is one who is at home, that is, one who really belongs to the household. Freedom has to do with being given a home, for humans long for connection.” In a similar vein, James Matthew Wilson describes the concept as “fidelity to place”, explained in order of priority as “fidelity to God, family, and country”, all of which contribute to a sense of community, a liberty of order, and emotional well-being. Fidelity to place, says Wilson, is “not merely one virtue among others, but a foundational and formative source of our character”.

Even so, real belonging, finding a true home leading to deep emotional satisfaction, commences with a sacred vertical relationship from which flow meaningful horizontal, interpersonal, connections. The great English poet John Donne acknowledged this theme in 1623 when he wrote, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” The staple requirement of “fidelity to place” is what creates right-thinking and psychologically secure individuals, those determined to conserve virtues enjoyed for generations within the freedoms, rights and obligations of a classic liberal democratic environment.

In a micro-cosmic sense, the concept of home is a form of nationalism for which deep allegiance is required. The Jewish people of Israel well understand the necessity of this ideal and refer to it as Zionism, which is simply an attempt to establish a home, a refuge, a sanctuary of their own in an alien world. Based on long-standing Judeo-Christian values, great leaders of the past sought to secure their society’s way of life. Charles de Gaulle of France, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher of the UK, Jan Smuts of South Africa, Roosevelt and Eisenhower of the US, Menzies and Curtin of Australia never wavered from their vision. They motivated their people to sacrifice for the greater good of the country; to defend all that is theirs not only for themselves but for future generations. And, in inspiring nobility of character, these determined leaders led their people into a promising future.

A combination of all these primary concepts, these core human needs, has from generation to generation created a deep sense of obligation in preserving the traditional way of life. And, from this sense of obligation come duty, sacrifice, determination and patriotism, all which give rise to nobility of character and purpose, qualities upheld for millennia by the great men and women of society.

Greatness of character, evident from the combatants of the two world wars, is reflected in the stirring words of Ezra Pound (“Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”, 1920), Rupert Brooke (“The Soldier”, 1918), John McCrae (“In Flanders Fields”, 1915) and W.H. Auden (“September 1, 1939”). These poets immortalise commitment to the greater good of their society, actions that ultimately cost so many their lives as they fiercely defended core social values. These qualities are indicative of Western civilisation’s virtues, the fount of which are Judeo-Christian principles emanating from the natural law, containing within it tenets of justice and definitive ethical paradigms. Dedicated warriors of truth and freedom embraced the transcendence of sacrificial action, patriotism and duty.

In “Hugh Selwyn Mauberley”, Pound lamented shallowness of character, the lack of reflection and integrity, which tempers the cultural heritage and traditions of civilisation:

The Age demanded an image

Of its accelerated grimace,

Something for the modern stage,

Not, at any rate, an Attic grace;

Not, not certainly, the obscure reveries

Of the inward gaze.

 To the contrary, depth of character can be found among members of great generations: those involved in the two world wars. Men like Brooke who, acknowledging their fragile mortality, nevertheless exhibited courage, sacrifice, nationalism and gravity of character in executing their duty for the preservation of families, homes, neighbourhoods and country. These are qualities that forged the West:

If I should die, think only this of me:

That there’s some corner of a foreign field

That is forever England. There shall be

In that rich earth a richer dust concealed

A dust whom England bore, shaped, and made aware.

Understandably, in present times and contrary to the motivation of Hamas nihilist fighters, battle is not eagerly sought by peace-loving people like the inhabitants of Israel who are, once again, forced to defend their land, faith and culture. Auden describes this aversion:

Waves of anger and fear

Circulate over the bright

And darkened lands of the earth,

Obsessing our private lives;

The unmentionable odour of death

Offends the September night.

Notwithstanding their onerous task, the Israeli soldiers of today, in defending their freedom of religion and their ancestral land against jihadist fanatics, show greatness of character in their commitment to duty, above all other considerations. In mid-December 2023, when nine warriors fell in a single ambush, President Herzog of Israel referred to them as the “best of the best; heroes among heroes, who fell in battle to defend their people and their homeland”. This lamentation fittingly describes many contemporary men and women, generally unnamed, of great courage, commitment and sacrifice. And, when these dedicated wardens of truth, virtue and freedom fall in battle, their sacrifice will speak loudly to colleagues, urging them to continue the fight until darkness is vanquished, as McCrae writes:

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Belligerent clouds of war again emerge over the global horizons, so let the warriors of civilisation say, “In the Spirit of Flanders Fields, in the spirit of peace and freedom of our faith, will we fight for what is right, what is true, what is beautiful.” The stakes could not be higher for, as Victor Laszlo in the movie Casablanca (1942) pointed out, “If we stop fighting our enemies, the world will die.” These are things worthy of the sacrifice.

Nils Haug is an author and essayist. He is a member of the International Bar Association, the National Association of Scholars and the Academy of Philosophy and Letters.