This blog discusses geo-politics, from an American’s perspective. Today that means discussing threats and dangers, resulting largely from years of mismanaged public policy. We need not fear the future, despite the tough times coming soon. This remains a great nation, not because of our past but because of us and our polity. We differ from almost every other nation. The difference consists of our commitment to our political order, of which our Constitution is the foundation. In this we are like Athens more than our neighbors, as explained in this excerpt from Allan Bloom’s Closing of the American Mind (the book I most strongly recommend reading):
For the ancients the soul of the city was the regime, the arrangements of and participation in offices, deliberation about the just and the common good, choices about war and peace, the making of laws. Rational choice on the part of citizens who were statesmen was understood to be the center of its regime. … Pericles {in his Funeral Oration, as given by Thucydides} says nothing about the gods, or the poetry, history, sculpture or philosophy of which we think. He praises Athens’ regime and finds beauty in its political achievement…
This is even more true of America, unlike Athens not famous for its philosophy, art, or culture. The Americans who sat through the long hours of the Lincoln-Douglas debates would, I believe, have understood this. When this is again true of America we will, I believe, find that the many threats we face no longer seem so dangerous.
It seems we have abandoned this tradition. To see where this leads, read Christian Meier’s biography Caesar. He describes how the Roman people grew tired of governing themselves, perhaps finding the burden too great to bear. Inevitably, strong men came forward to take this load from the people’s backs. People who will not govern themselves have no right to complain about the decisions of the elites who rule them.
I urge everyone to take action now. Work for candidates — local, state, national, it does not matter. All are important. If you can afford to do so, contribute to a candidate’s election fund. Write to your local newspapers or on the Internet. History is being made today. If we do not make it, others will do so for us.
There is another element to America’s strength: our ability to work together. To see this in action visit your local chapter of the Blue Star Mothers. They collect money and goods to support our troops, with great success. At their work days you will see a wide range of people side by side. Different races and creeds. Moms and Dads. Liberals and Conservatives. Old and young. Boy Scouts and Hells Angels. This is America at its best, a nation well able to weather the storms that lie ahead.
For more on this subject
- Forecast: Death of the American Constitution
- The Future of America (skip to forecasts #4 and #5)
Posts about good news
- Good news: The Singularity is coming (again) (8 December 2007) — History tends to look better over longer time horizons.
- Some good news (one of the more important posts on this blog) (21 December 2007)
- Some good news (one of the more important posts on this blog)
- A crisis at the beginning of the American experiment (27 December 2008) — Looking at the problems looming before us, it is easy to forget those of equal or greater danger that we have surmounted in the past.
- An important thing to remember as we start a New Year (29 December 2007) — As we start a New Year I find it useful to review my core beliefs. It is easy to lose sight of those amidst the clatter of daily events. Here is my list…
- Is America’s decline inevitable? No. (21 January 2008)
- Let us light a candle while we walk, lest we fear what lies ahead (10 February 2008) — Need we fear the future?
- A happy ending to the current economic recession (12 February 2008)
- Fears of flying into the future (25 February 2008)
- Experts, with wrinkled brows, warn about the future (2 May 2008) — Experts often see the future with alarm, seeing the dangers but not benefits. That gets attention, from both the media and an increasinly fearful public. Both sides feed this process. It need not be so, as most trends contain the seeds of good and bad futures. This post considers two examples.
- Peak Oil Doomsters debunked, end of civilization called off (8 May 2008)
- Good news about the 21st century, a counterbalance to the doomsters (9 May 2008)
- An effective way to support our Troops: help the Blue Star Mothers of America (8 June 2008) — There are ways to support our troops, actions more effective than a bumper sticker on your car.
- There is no “peak water” crisis (19 June 2008)
Click here for all posts discussing good news about America’s future.
