davidkm

As a child, I accepted as given that our country was the greatest the world had ever seen. Of course there were problems, and my parents discussed some of them over the dinner table. However, I was almost an adult before I realized there were other countries that might be more progressive and more egalitarian than ours. Later still I realized that this was almost certainly true, considering that most of the history we had been taught in grade school had been whitewashed. Now, I see our country spiraling downwards, with no end in sight. This too shall pass, I believe, though I might not see it. For now, we all have to be strong and keep our eyes open.

The next 4 years maybe don't so look good. Perhaps the best we can hope for is that, looking back on them, we will be surprised at how much they didn't suck. From today's perspective it may seem that we've stepped onto the elevator of national success, only to realize that the elevator was still one floor above us, and that we are now falling, accelerating at 32 ft per second squared, and we don't know where or when we will reach the bottom. Even worse, most other nations are in the same boat. But we can choose to look up from the abyss and focus on the good there is and the good we can do. $20 for a homeless person here, lending a hand to help a charity achieve a worthwhile objective there, it all adds up. Once you start to look for them, there are many ways you can make a difference. And think about this. With any luck, we will see some septuagenarians and octogenarians retire from public life, and young vigorous people will run for office to take their places. You could be one of those people. The next election might be 2 years away, but it's time to think about it now. Congress, City Hall, the public school board. All are important.