The Tree of Woe author ("ToW"), who has commented here - and who I respect as a thoughtful (but IMO very over-optimistic!) reactionary thinker, influenced by Spengler, and with a strong interest in Tolkien - has written a big essay suggesting that Western Civilization is now at an crux analogous to the transformations between Tolkien's Second (Numenorean) Age, and the Third Age of the dwindling of Numenor (and elves and dwarves).
Regarding the previous era of modernity and the Industrial Revolution as a Faustian Age; ToW presents a detailed argument that Elendil is the current equivalent cultural figure that Faust was for the era from which we are emerging.
So that JRR Tolkien's fictional character of Elendil is (or could represent) a current analogy to what the historical figure figure of Goethe and his fictional/ legendary character of Faust represented for the late 1700s and early 1800 - and until recently.
Tree of Woe's conclusion is as follows:
Yet this ought be no cause for despair. If the Aenean spirit [i.e. the spirit of Aeneas who in legend fled the defeated Troy to set in train the foundation of Rome - and indeed Britain) or Tolkien’s northern courage means anything, it means that the fight must be fought regardless of the likelihood of success. And Tolkien’s myths remind us that even in decline, there is beauty, heroism, and meaning. The Elendilian Age, if it were to come, might not shine as brightly as the Faustian, or even the Aenean; but it would still carry forward the light of what came before. And in the end, that light—however faint—will be enough to illuminate the path for those who follow.
I think ToW is mistaken, and that our culture is not at an analogous transition of Second to Third Age - but instead at a much later phase during or following Tolkien's Fourth Age (as, indeed, Tolkien himself said many times).
There are indeed genuine similarities with Tolkien's Second to Third Age - but essentially we are at a far later stage of cultural decline; in which the mainstream, dominant a highest status official world view (widely shared by the masses, especially in The West) is atheist materialism.
For the first time in history; we inhabit a world in which deity is regarded as unreal - ignored or ridiculed, and indeed opposed and inverted; in which "the material" is regarded as the only reality; and in which a kind of incoherent but moralistic hedonism is the global ideology.
In other words; here-and-now it is regarded as obvious and ethically imperative that the alleviation of suffering and promotion of gratification ought to be the underlying basis of all ideologies and policies.
(Yet the ruling ideology of leftism is not coherent, precisely because it is essentially oppositional (and opposition to God, creation and The Good can and does take limitless and mutually-inconsistent forms): and that there is a strand of Leftism expressing indifference to human experience, and instead taking the side of The Planet Earth (or the Biosphere) against Men.)
The consequence is that we are in an era of established and increasing value-inversion: which means that what have been regarded throughout human history as the values of Goodness (roughly - truth, beauty, virtue, coherence); have been inverted so that Good is now regarded as evil, and sin as virtue.
We are therefore in a fundamentally unprecedented situation - and in a far-more deeply corrupted and evil situation than was the case in Tolkien's Second, or Third, Age.
And a situation in which the ideal of preservation of this uniquely depraved culture has itself become aversive to the best of people, and the best within each person.
Demotivation has become so prevalent and pervasive that even basic human survival (and reproductive) instincts have become diminished to the point of ineffectuality... That is, when they are not actually inverted into covert or explicit cultural and personal self-hatred, and an active desire for (suicidal) personal and cultural annihilation.
My impression is that ToW recognizes this, and seeks for an antidote to the consequent Demotivation and Despair.
D&D are indeed sins to a Christian - despair representing lack of faith in God's creative power and loving nature, and demotivation representing a giving-up on our destiny in this mortal life).
But ToW is seeking to reconstruct a motivating and optimistic ideology from selected and secular aspects of the past - so that instead of passive (or active) acquiescence in terminal decline; a fight will be fought.
The intent is that decline would be opposed, and a work of preservation and rebuilding begun; on the basis of the new Western spirit - analogous to the Elendil's creation of Arnor and Gondor in remembrance (as as lesser derivatives) of Numenor.
I regard this optimism as mistaken for at least two reasons:
One reason why ToW is mistaken, is that human beings have changed, irrevocably (I call this "the development of consciousness"); such that they neither want, nor could sustain, past forms of human societies.
The future must therefore be something that accepts the given-ness of current basic human nature; and adds to it to restore God, creation, and the world of spirit. The outcome will be something fundamentally unprecedented - not a restoration. But what that outcome shall be we cannot know until after enough individuals have personally changed.
I believe that this developmental process must be conscious and voluntary, and come from the inner freedom of each individual.
A worse society can indeed be imposed top-down, by the ruling class; by propaganda, brain-washing and external incentives (bribes and blackmail). This is indeed what we have seen, accelerating, over the past fifty years.
But a better society can only arise bottom-up, from robust positive change in sufficient individual persons...
That is; bottom-up in socio-political terms - but it is vital to remember that anything Good will be aided by God, via his continuing divine creation. Any Good an individual does (including in thought, in the spiritual realm) shall be incorporated into ongoing divine creation.
The second reason why his proposals do not fly; is that ToW is applying a fundamentally secular analysis to history; whereas all historical societies were (IMO) primarily religious: i.e. they perceived and interpreted the world through the lens of their religions.
Therefore ToW's selective version of history leaves-out that which was most important to historical societies; that upon-which both their coherence was based, and in which their core-motivation was rooted.
This omission of that which was fundamental to past societies is a further reason why this kind of restoration cannot work.
Finally; to add a specifically Christian perspective; ToW is basically mistaken to seek a solution to demotivation and despair in this mortal life and world.
The human condition is (as the ancients all knew) essentially tragic, and anything we can do, even in theory, is merely palliative.
What this means is that - while motivation and hope are necessary to mortal life - no fundamentally secular-material socio-political plan or destiny can provide sufficient motivation and hope.
"The Answer" is to start-with and build-upon a solid basis for hope that comes from the expectation of resurrected eternal life; and personal knowledge of the reality of the personal and loving God the Creator.
Only after that perspective has been established can we attain that hope which overcomes despair.
