Summary: As we start a new year we can gain courage by looking at the good aspects of our past and the glimmers of good fortune that lie in our future. They are conjured by our myths from the dry pages of history so that we remember who we are.
Morpheus speaking to the people of Zion
From The Matrix Reloaded
(2003)
Believe me when I say that we have a difficult time ahead of us.
But if we are to be prepared for it, we must first shed our fear of it.
I stand before you now, truthfully, unafraid.
Because I believe something you do not?
No!
I stand here because I remember.
I remember that I am here not because the path that lies before me,
but because of the path that lies behind me.
What I believe
As we start a New Year I find it useful to review my core beliefs. It is easy to lose sight of such things amidst the clatter of daily events.
- We are a people with a great past.
- The challenges ahead are no greater than those behind us.
- The American people can surmount these challenges if we work together.
- We will be what we wish to be, if we but make the necessary effort.
Some New Year’s Day inspiration: lessons from our past
Here are some posts about good news. See others at Good news about America.
Good news: The Singularity is coming (again) — History tends to look better over longer time horizons. For example, consider one bit of good news: the Singularity is coming.
Some good news (one of the more important posts here) – I do not believe we need 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 …
Is America’s decline inevitable? No! – Why be an American if one has no faith in the American people? How can you believe in democracy without that faith?
Let us light a candle while we walk, lest we fear what lies ahead — Many people look to the future with fear. We see this fear throughout the web. Right-wing sites describe the imminent end of America: overrun by foreigners, victim of cultural and financial collapse. Left-wing sites describe “die-off” scenarios due to Peak Oil, climate change, and ecological collapse – as the American dream dies from takeover by theocrats and fascists. Most of this is nonsense, but not the prospect of massive changes in our world. But need we fear the future?
Fears of flying into the future. — Reasons we need not fear the future.
Good news about the 21st century, a counterbalance to the doomsters.
“America’s Greatest Weapon”. by Major General Charles J. Dunlap, Jr. (USAF) and Lt Colonel John Nagl (US Army, retired).
Some thoughts about the economy of mid-21st century America — Optimistic words from the greatest economist of the 20th century.
