Friday, September 21, 2012

For a bright note among the news

I highly recommend reading Sarah Hoyt's blog yesterday. Not because it's an escape from the gigantic mess around us, but because it's an excellent reminder that we are a bright, innovative species, and we'll get through this, too.
When did anyone ever promise you a problem free time to live in? Not only was that always highly unlikely – you have read some history, right? – but you’d probably end up finding it boring if it came about.

We are in an exceedingly tight spot and our foreign policy of speaking softly and carrying an apologetic stick is going to get us in wars. On the other hand we are and have always been the most innovative civilization in the history of mankind and we have some awesome fighting machines. (And those are just our guys. You should see the mechanical ones.)

What I’m trying to say here is that there is no predetermined outcome. Decay and loss of power and civilizational strength is a choice, not an inevitable destiny.

The big difference between 1984 and Friday is that no one dropped a Heinlein character in the middle of 1984. The big difference between The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress and Brave New World is not much greater.
Go Read The Whole Thing!

2 comments:

  1. That's a great, uplifting piece. Thanks for linking to it!

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  2. I kind of liked the paragraph 3 paragraphs down from the ones you quoted. It sums up my facebook wall perfectly. Thank you for showing me Sarah's blog.

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