Jul 15 2008
America 2008: Too Smart to Learn?
Perspective is illusive at times. In those very times I believe we need to learn to be still. Americans don’t like being still. They view it as unproductive. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, being still can be the most productive act we can engage in. My cat knows this lesson well. When faced with an unknown, she freezes in “assessment mode’, analyzes the situation, determines if a threat is present; and then, decides her course of action. I wish we the people could learn to do that. I wish we could see how important that skill is to survival.
The people of the Middle East benefit from perspective. It is grounded in thousands of years of history. They do not view history within the framework of an individual human life. They understand that history is a great teacher. We used to know and value that concept, when the republic was “young”. Now that we perceive ourselves to be “old and established” (all 232 years old)—somehow we believe we don’t need history. Or maybe we believe we don’t need to be taught—I don’t know. I do know there are lessons in a look back…
What a great reminder! I can’t believe we elected that cowboy to office TWICE! LOL
I actually met his daddy — even shook his hand and talked with him about how I could get into politics. The memory sends shivers up my spine. And Junior gave the convocation speech at my graduation. Somehow, we all knew that he was going to be President. I just want to forget about these past 8 years, but we can’t — because then we’d be doomed to repeat it — as you pointed out with this post. Thanks again!