Extolling the virtues of Western civilization

I just happened to catch a program on PBS this evening that outlined the six "killer apps" of Western civilization. 

1. Political competition
2. Democracy
3. Science
4. Medicine
5. Consumerism
6. Work ethic
(I think that Rule of Law and Private Property Rights were somewhere in there too, just not sure how they were included.)

So this may not be exactly what was explained, because I caught the tail end of the program and I might have missed something in there. 

What caught my attention was how China is quickly adopting many of those apps, although it is still controlled by communist rule.  They even pointed out how China is anticipated to become over 30 percent Christian in the next X number of years.

Which led to the film maker's next point - how we have lost faith.  The narrator said that we don't even have faith in ourselves, much less, God.  He then went on to point out how the rest of the world has adopted OUR killer apps - democracy in Peru, science in Arabia, medicine in Africa, consumerism in Turkey, and so on. 

However, the last point he made, as he stood overlooking the smog-enshrouded Shanghai, was that the West still had all of the apps.  And while the West wasn't perfect, it was still the best, primarily because he had the freedom to think that and say that.

I am thankful every day for where and when I was born.  I am truly blessed.  It was good to have a reminder.