Recently, I read a columnist's account of his life when he was 14 growing up here in Missouri. He spoke of the freedom to explore the country side on his bicycle. He concluded by saying, he doesn't think that technology has anything to do with the difference between who we were then, and who we are now. He wrote that he wasn't sure what it was, but something was changing in our country. I am not sure either, but I have given it some thought.
For a long time, we thought of ourselves as invincible. We were hard workers, scientists who excelled, farmers who grew the healthiest crops,and we produced quality products. We built the most modern buildings, affordable homes and the trains ran on time. Two great oceans protected us East and West. Our neighbors North and South of us, for the most part, were friendly. Unions grew stronger to overcome corporate greed and newspapers flourished. Even so, throughout our history, people were abused by some of our systems.
Suddenly we were confronted with other "kids" who wanted our "toys." In some cases we had the "new kids" build them. Just as many countries throughout the world, gave up a policy of colonization, we began to look for colonies of our own, even though it cost us human and material treasure. Our farms became factories, and we suddenly found ourselves angry. Angry at the new kids. Angry at the loss of jobs and homes. Angry at being taken in by our leaders. Angry with ourselves and others.
We have abandoned trust in ourselves, in others, in our ability to reason, and we are angry. It's time to recall our trust in ourselves, trust in others, to reason and drop our fear of the future and the other "kids on the block
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