In April, George Will wrote a column which has stayed with me. Actually, three words stuck. They’re from a German proverb: “Beware the beginnings.”

Will talked about the power of one person to affect history. Without Hitler, there would have been no Holocaust. But he said Hitler began with small things, and as the years passed, progressed to bigger and worse things. Beware the beginnings, when the small things are happening.

Will mentioned the new fascist government in Hungary, and the growing appetite for authoritarianism, tribalism, and anti-semitism across Europe. It’s still in the early stages…but beware the beginnings.

Many countries are tilting toward authoritarianism. Turkey, The Philippines. Venezuela. Nicaragua. I spoke recently with a missionary from India who says the current government is the worst she has seen in this regard. I’ve been told of alarming ways China is clamping down on religion. Russia, under Putin, is sliding back to its old Soviet ways.

Beware the beginnings.

America used to be a strong voice for freedom and democracy. But President Trump seems uninterested in that role. He loves being around dictators, strongmen, and has raised the idea of indefinite terms for presidents–jokingly, he says, but there are some ideas you just don’t voice in any context. The world is listening, and dictator wannabes are taking heart. I’m sure they see a kindred spirit in Trump.

In the years ahead, amidst silence from the United States, will more and more countries descend into authoritarian rule? Pay attention to what happens.

Beware the beginnings.