In an age of eroding values and triumphant mediocrity, has the West lost the very essence of what once made it great?

In The Competency Crisis, Will Stickle lays bare the forces driving Western civilization's precipitous decline. From the collapse of meritocracy to the glorification of envy, from the spread of entitlement culture to the chilling echoes of Soviet and Maoist experiments, Stickle offers a sobering account of how these trends threaten our future. With a critical eye on bureaucracy, overreaching government programs, and the gradual disappearance of personal responsibility, this book dissects the shift toward cultural stagnation-a shift that has snuffed out ambition and replaced it with resentment and dependency.

Drawing upon real-world data, historical case studies, and the deeply relevant warnings of defectors like Yuri Bezmenov, The Competency Crisis diagnoses the root causes of our present malaise. Stickle exposes how the welfare state can corrode a society's moral core, how "cancel culture" can paralyze intellectual freedom, and why the devaluation of practical skills and trades undermines genuine progress. But far from merely chronicling decay, The Competency Crisis also points the way toward cultural and economic renewal-toward a world where excellence is again celebrated, ambition is rewarded, and individual responsibility is the bedrock of a thriving society.

From the Soviet Union's failed central planning to Mao's brutal Cultural Revolution, history shows us the devastating outcomes when societies trade freedom and competence for ideological purity and a cradle-to-grave safety net. Today, the West stands at a similar crossroads, beset by low fertility rates, creeping bureaucracy, suppressed innovation, and a silent war on ambition.

In The Competency Crisis, Will Stickle reveals:

• How "sameness at all costs" and the cult of envy have eroded meritocratic principles
• Why the welfare state, designed to support the vulnerable, risks fostering permanent dependence
• The stark parallels between Soviet-Maoist ideological subversion and Western cancel culture
• Ways to revive personal responsibility, encourage excellence, and restore real leadership

Drawing on extensive historical parallels, economic data, and real-life stories, The Competency Crisis is both a warning and a call to action. Stickle argues that if the West is to reclaim its inventive spirit, it must abandon the policies and mindsets that punish success, foster complacency, and undermine individual freedom.

Will we stand by as mediocrity reigns-or will we break free from the downward spiral and restore the drive, responsibility, and vitality that once defined us?

Open these pages to discover what went wrong-and how we can set it right. This is your blueprint for navigating the gathering storm and reigniting the West's pioneering spark.