I am a writer and photographer who lives in Wyoming. I grew up in a Chicago suburb during the 1950s and 1960s, during what has become a mythical time of American growth, ingenuity, and prosperity. Can I trust my memory of what now is described as a "perfect" time of American values in action? I'm not sure.
God, Country, Truth, and Democracy These are big words whose meanings are being fought over today. The United States has changed radically in concrete ways. The lid has been blown off cherished misconceptions about the nature of government, religion, and social and personal responsibility; I say cherished because these are lies that we tell ourselves about ourselves.
Times of disruption can be times of growth; Americans have everything we need to push the accelerator, to give emotional, social and technical growth the gas, but instinct is causing many people to hit the brakes hard. We cannot go back to 1500 B.C.E; the 21st Century cannot be navigated with ridgid and archaic beliefs. Science is not the bad guy. Science is the gateway to reality. What we lack is the wisdom to apply science in the interest of humanity instead of using knowledge to increase suffering. Peace is a difficult concept for our species. What does it mean?