Burn, Baby Burn
In reference to our economy, there's a saying, "when America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold." America has contracted a severe case of
the flu. The rest of the world is watching and waiting. In some ways the enemy we face today is more insidious and lethal than the struggles our
Greatest generation faced.
Today, it is understood that the enemy is in large measure within, evidenced by the civil and racial strife we're facing here in America. The enemy is also outside our borders, the climate crisis and the coronavirus being the most significant.
The internal threats we face today are self inflicted, making it hard to admit guilt or take responsibility. Our external threats are less clearly delineated then they were back then. These complications make them both harder to tackle. The first step in solving a problem is recognizing that it exists. That alone is too hard for some of us to accept. Climate change and coronavirus deniers and those who seek to ignore our own history should step aside. They will not lead us toward a better future.
You can argue that the Greatest generation saved the world. We began that struggle unwillingly, at least at first. Having suffered a leadership vacuum, and given the global scale of our current crises, America's place in the world is again being tested. We can't save the planet by ourselves, but we can offer the same leadership that we have in the past. To paraphrase; we lead not by the force of our power but by the power of our ideals.
As Ronald Reagen remarked, if we were attacked by Martians, the nations of the world would put their differences aside and unite to defeat a common threat. Thankfully, Martians aren't attacking us, but the global and domestic threats we face today are real, cannot be ignored and must be addressed.
The world is waiting and watching.
Today, it is understood that the enemy is in large measure within, evidenced by the civil and racial strife we're facing here in America. The enemy is also outside our borders, the climate crisis and the coronavirus being the most significant.
The internal threats we face today are self inflicted, making it hard to admit guilt or take responsibility. Our external threats are less clearly delineated then they were back then. These complications make them both harder to tackle. The first step in solving a problem is recognizing that it exists. That alone is too hard for some of us to accept. Climate change and coronavirus deniers and those who seek to ignore our own history should step aside. They will not lead us toward a better future.
You can argue that the Greatest generation saved the world. We began that struggle unwillingly, at least at first. Having suffered a leadership vacuum, and given the global scale of our current crises, America's place in the world is again being tested. We can't save the planet by ourselves, but we can offer the same leadership that we have in the past. To paraphrase; we lead not by the force of our power but by the power of our ideals.
As Ronald Reagen remarked, if we were attacked by Martians, the nations of the world would put their differences aside and unite to defeat a common threat. Thankfully, Martians aren't attacking us, but the global and domestic threats we face today are real, cannot be ignored and must be addressed.
The world is waiting and watching.