Summary: America has become a great and powerful nation of people dominated by fear. Fear of the weather, of our government, of each other, and many other things. As we start a new year, let’s regain our courage by remembering the best moments of our past and seeing the better days that lie in our future. We conjure these by our myths and the dry pages of history to help us 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. …
Tonight, let us make them remember, this is America AND WE ARE NOT AFRAID!
What I believe
Every New Year I review my core beliefs. It is easy to lose sight of these important 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 work to make it so.
For More Information
Ideas! For ideas about spending your holiday cash, see my recommended books and films at Amazon. Also, see a story about our future: Ultra Violence: Tales from Venus.
If you liked this post, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. See all posts about forecasts, about fear, about good news for America, and especially these…
- Inspirational words for the New Year from JFK.
- For the New Year, let’s shed our fear of flying into the future – Reasons we need not fear the future.
- A New Year’s resolution for America – begin the political reform of America.
- America’s New Year’s Resolution: see the future without fear!
- Some words from a great man to give us a strong start for the New Year – By Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Rebuttals to the big list of reasons why America will fall.
- A crisis at the beginning of the American experiment – 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.
- Is America’s decline inevitable? No. – Why be an American if you have no faith in the American people?
Sources of inspirational for New Years day!
All societies replenish their strength and confidence by looking back to their beginnings. We can do so today by watching 1776
The play begins with the road to the declaration at a dead end and describes the Founders’ efforts to overcome what looked like insurmountable obstacles. It ends on July 4, 1776. Much of the dialogue and lyrics come from the letters and memoirs of participants of the Second Continental Congress (especially John and Abigail Adams’).
The songs are great. The singing and acting are superlative. It will give you a powerful start for 2020!
I also recommend David McCullough’s book, 1776
Happy New Year Larry and community! Got some catching up to do here. I shall.
Best to all!
I dont know if things are worse or just seem worse because of the internet and 24/7 news cycle.
Sven,
I believe both are irrelevant, just another in the long list of excuses we give for our own behavior. We should replace “e pluribus unum” as America’s national motto with “Not My Fault” (non mea culpa). Esp since “out of many, one” no longer fits us well.
Donald J. Trump tweeted this quote on 29 September 2019:
This time next year will be interesting, especially if Trump loses, and doubly so if it’s a close defeat. He’s the first President to state openly that he will not abide the results of Constitutional processes. Would he leave office willingly?
glouconx,
“He’s the first President to state openly that he will not abide the results of Constitutional processes.”
Thank you for that wonderful demo of how political extremists casually lie! Pastor Jeffress says nothing remotely like that. He describes what he believes will be the result if Congress does remove Trump from office – and outcome that he (and almost all political experts) believe is almost impossible (given the GOP majority in the Senate and the requirement for a supermajority vote to remove the president).
This is America today, with tribal truths – no matter how false, or even bonkers – taken as Truth by so many. We’re not quite at 1984, where tribes believe that “we’ve always been at war with Eastasia.” But you and your peers – left and right – are more than halfway there.
By the way, I put the full quote from Pastor Jeffress in your comment, and a full citation to it and Trump’s tweet. The full quote makes it even more clear that you’re lying.
Very dishonest of you not to post what I sent, which is the actual tweet Trump wrote. Trump didn’t tweet that entire quote. He only tweeted the last sentence. That left it open to interpretation that he would not leave office even if he was removed by election. And do you think it’s responsible for him to encourage talk of Civil War? No president has ever done that!
GLOUCONX,
I am afraid the Pastor is right both about what is going on with the impeachment effort, and about the results were it to be successful.
Whether Trump was wise, as President, to quote him is another matter.
This is a cultural crisis. The thing that makes it so difficult and so dangerous is that it is not a matter of simple disagreement about one or two well defined policy choices. Those are usually manageable in a democracy no matter how difficult the choices.
We have just seen the UK more or less work its way through one of these, where the issue was to leave the EU or remain in it. It may have good or bad consequences, it may even lead to the breakup of the UK, but there was a choice to make and the country finally did make it. We are currently seeing other European countries working their way through other similarly difficult issues.
Its very difficult to see in the case of the US what exactly in policy terms the disagreement is about, but what is clear is that there are two sides, both of whom think the other is deranged, wicked or both. But the problem with these kinds of culture wars is that the unclarity on their subject in policy terms makes it very hard to see any decision that will put an end to them.
I hope Larry’s optimism is justified in the event but am finding it hard to see how this ends well.
This said as the Dems literally refuse to abide by the results and have given us nothing but, ultimately unconstitutional, impeachment. Listen to them and know that you are listening to a rationalization and a confession. Wait until the actual sentences are handed out. Ps. If there are no sentences, I will leave the trump train.
Although I frequently speak of my fears and concerns here, I am in complete agreement with this post.
The future is going to come whether or not we are afraid of it. We can either spend our resources delaying it and have nothing left to face it or we can spend our resources preparing for it and stand a better chance of owning the future.
Happy New Year, Larry.
2019 was tumultuous and 2020 is likely to make 2019 seem calm. Let us be prepared for it and do our best to make our dreams come true instead of our nightmares.