kymarto wrote:
That is certainly what I think. I'd like to see America great again, but how about some realistic proposals for doing so? People are hurting, and they want the pain to stop. They don't want to hear that they have to grin and bear it. But the US is not the only game in town, and others also have to be considered. For me the equation is very simple: when the pain of not doing anything exceeds the pain of doing something, people will act. It is important that that action be what Buddhists call "right action". I am not a Buddhist, but I do believe in karma--"what goes around comes around".
That is certainly what I think. I'd like to see Am... (
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zara steiner has written two remarkable books "the lights that failed" and "the triumph of the dark". in the first book, she writes of the years 1919 through 1929. what is notable in this volume is the "great powers" at that time France and Great Britain learn pretty much nothing from what we call the first world war. both are scrambling to hold on to their colonies and international power. this volume as does the second, deals with the diplomacy between the actors of both countries and the desire to bring Germany back into the European fold. and they all find out, that while trying to revanche (that is go back to the system prior to the war) and make certain Germany is brought back to Europe each is a contradictory avenue. it is impossible.
the second volume deals with the diplomacy from 1929 to 1940, and it is harrowing to say the least. both are very dense and heavy books, hard to rest on one's stomach while reading. but oh so valuable in drawing contrasts to our present day situation in relations among nations.
what i find fascinating is we here, in the United States, have been attempting to do the same thing, and it is not working. people speak about America, but America is a continent, stretching from Canada to Central America. so when someone states they want to make America "great" again, i cannot but help thinking they have no idea of the country in which they live.
the United States will never again be in the position we were at the end of the Second World War. since then, other nations have risen and some have failed. we are living in a time of great change, and we are trying to hold on via old tenants of diplomacy and military positions. it is notable that every missle in Europe is pointed at Russia. and we have become bedeveled by them and their desire to once again, obtain a position of a great power and respect from western Europe and the United States. you can draw whatever conclusions you wish, in considering Germany's position after the Great War.
some things must be compromised, some things must be held closely. the ability to discern the value of each is going to be a challenge the United States must face in this coming century. our culture and societal founding myths see us as removed from the rest of the nations via our geographic isolation. this is not an advantageous position. in attempting to remain what has been, we have neglected the needs of our domestic issues and people. we need to balance our domestic needs with our international desires. in this election cycle, this has come to the fore. it is true we have forgotten, and left in dire poverty, those who have suffered from the loss of occupations. we need to bring social change and assist that part of our population via financial support and new occupation training in order to make their lives better.
perhaps by doing so, we will have a more balanced system and be better able to be more comfortable in this very complicated time among nations, and failed states and migrant issues not seen since the end of the Second World War.
i am certainly no different from anyone else but i believe history can teach us lessons which are applicable to the issues facing us today.
i am reminded of Theodore Roosevelt meeting with the heads of the great monoplies (Hearst, J.P. Morgan, etal) and bluntly telling them that their avaricious grasp for wealth and power was endangering democracy in the United States. he stated that you cannot have 30 percent of the population living as a permanent underclass, living in entrenched poverty, and have the nation survive. the great capitalists actually took that message to heart and profound social and economic change ensued.
perhaps, we need to revisit the economic and social system once again, as Roosevelt did. perhaps the society will once again come to believe that the United States not only is great, but has always been so.
apologies for this long winded post, but we need to stop the inferences, the name calling, the blame placing and get on with the job facing us.