We humans are independent-minded and contentious.  We often find ourselves in conflict with one another.  We know this, and we also know that a comfortable life requires cooperation.  We are not helpless.  We are capable of modifying our behavior and stepping away from resentments.

In recent decades, however, Americans have started to recognize that we are not responding well to this challenge.  Something is very wrong.

Resentment, distrust, and suspicion have come to dominate civil society and social order.  Conflict and anxiety dominate our lives.  Distrust colors our view of institutions we have long depended on.

It is easy at such a time to look for someone to blame.  Certainly, mistakes have been made.  However, the human world is in transition.  Society is undergoing immense structural change—change that can be hard to see and understand.

It is easy to make mistakes when change is happening rapidly.  Sometimes it is no one’s fault.  Understanding a multitude of simultaneous crises is difficult.

Fundamental change is upending our assumptions and altering our lives.  It is bringing immense pressure to bear on both our society and our personal lives. 

Conflict and contention are in the air.  Mental health is breaking down.  Mass murder and suicide are widespread.  The equilibrium of life is upset and self-assurance disturbed.

A deepening sense of alienation and distrust has overtaken America, threatening a coherent future and the road to prosperity.

But all is not lost.  Americans continue to share much in common—more than some imagine.   We share the same material concerns, our hopes for a stable future, and our readiness to meet our neighbors with generosity of spirit.

The practical need for safety and security in our communities, and the necessity for a functional economy are paramount concerns.  Even the very wealthy will soon learn they are not immune to the consequences of isolation and selfishness.

What is to be done?  The problems are not simple. We find ourselves facing a multiplicity of interacting crises, some of which are unprecedented.  However, the path to safety is not unknown to history.

Security will always depend on trust, on dependable neighbors and genuine friendships.  Human beings have always been capable of creating safe communities.  We have been doing it for thousands of years.

When disruptive conditions or traumatic events leave us disoriented or confused, we can look to the lessons of the past.  We must not be fooled by the bluster and pretense of arrogant people who appear self-assured, but whose claims are false and whose ignorance is monumental.

While the past is pock-marked with the foolishness of the human imagination, wisdom always shines from the heart.  If we are unable to recognize the difference, we will remain in danger.

Where stubbornness and insistence prevail, no truth will be found. 

This has influenced American politics from the beginning.  But it has been overcome when finding solutions becomes the priority.

We are capable of finding constructive solutions which are satisfactory to everyone.

When authentic community finally emerges from the ashes of the past, satisfactory solutions will be found in the pooling of knowledge, experience, and learned skills—the matrix of creative diversity.

If this seems hard to believe, I dare you to investigate! 

Tom

My book, “Liberty and the American Idea: Rebuilding the Foundations,” is available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other book sellers.  My new website, with a list of resources, should be ready by the end of April.

You may watch for the next post on or about May 1.