Comments on: Exceptionalism

By: Justthisguy

Justthisguy — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 01:41:24 +0000

I recommend the book “Albion’s Seed” to anyone who wants to understand how the United States got to be the way they are. M’self, I’m kind of a hybrid; Mom’s family is all Scots-Irish (they have all the Marines) and Dad’s is more Anglo (all AF,) with some weird folks.

By: lex

lex — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:22:31 +0000

Not as strange as you might at first think, Michelle – the pilgrims were first and foremost a religious movement, yes. But it was the radically egalitarian Christian doctrine that each person is is equal in God’s sight that led them to reject both the divine right of kings and the state-sponsored religious orthodoxy of the Church of England by moving to the New World.

A surviving strain of this puritanism was found in the anti-slavery agitation prior to our civil war – this was again, a fundamentally religion-based movement.

Once you start down the path of individual freedom there will always be people who extend the notion to libertinism.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:59:24 +0000

I just read the link to “The City on the Hill”.
Interesting but it struck me that it must have taken awhile to get from there [no one allowed to live alone, mandatory church attendance, etc.] to a society whre freedom to do or not do … whatever … is the watchword of the day.

By: lex

lex — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 14:01:27 +0000

All of this nostalgia for an idealized past, fliterman. It sounds so… conservative.

By: fliterman

fliterman — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 06:31:17 +0000

For Chap in #15:

The successful navigator would never consider “optimism” (nor pessimism, for that matter) as one of his essential, or useful navigational tools while in treacherous waters.

Neither will our individual optimism nor pessimism have much real impact on the enormous world changes that we face, and will inevitably occur during this still young millennium. But our actions certainly will have impact, if not our misplaced optimism.

True, we have indeed been in worse situations. And we have mostly, and wonderfully prevailed. But the world of this new century will be far different than the last. And I believe our “greatest generation” is sadly, long behind us – the one of the 1940’s. We are no longer they. We are no longer as “great.”

Is there another, “greater generation” ahead? I hope so! And I am optimistic that there might well be. And if so, I hope they can prevail against the new and much greater threats of the new millennium ?

By: fliterman

fliterman — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 06:31:17 +0000

For Chap in #15:

The successful navigator would never consider “optimism” (nor pessimism, for that matter) as one of his essential, or useful navigational tools while in treacherous waters.

Nevertheless, while optimism is fine, unbridled optimism is usually disastrous. To merely assume we will always prevail, as we have in the past, is foolish. And such provincial thought will surely help to sadly seal an ignoble fate.

Cut your engines, and listen! Listen to your changed environment.

Our glorious and successful battles are long astern. There are new and more dangerous shoals ahead. You cannot see them in the darkness. But if you only briefly remain quiet, and abandon the arrogance for just an instance, you may hear the breakers on the dangerous shoals ahead. Listen, and learn.

Others, here and in other lands, hear it. They try to tell us, to warn us. But our arrogant and nationalistic engine drowns out the warnings.

Cut the engines of your arrogance; so you too may you hear of the dangers. And may we all well avoid them, and prevail in our new world.

Steaming full ahead, unheedingly and arrogantly, with unbridled optimism built upon past glory will make us easy fodder for the many treacherous and titanic “icebergs” looming just ahead in our future.