Inheritance

Those with heaps of money, made

Or born to it, though they play

With bankers, senators, with generals,

Like gods to mortals, while they

Stroll in knots through crowded halls

Where others bustle, they are judged

Rejected by what they don’t know,

And think because they can command

They are beloved. Not for long.

Time to stand up for the put-upon,

Who must believe the bad do well

Because they would be gods, as I am

Certain all of us are children

Of the Lord, but also humans

Who will die, will fall like rulers

From the high seat to a black hole:

Wake up, judge, the gods decay

And leave the earth for you.

Dear Reader,

Can I be direct with you?

War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.

First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.

But we can’t do it without readers like you.

Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.


Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.

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If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.

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