Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Our Most Urgent Task
Empires never go down easy. Some, however, do so with less grace than others.
While Washington doesn't face hairy, ax-wielding giants with painted faces like Rome once did, or carpet-bombing B-17s like Berlin in more recent times, it--like empires that came before--will eventually have to suffer in ruin.
This might, admittedly, require additional spectacular humiliations like 9/11, which--in the words of Richard Pryor in the movie Silverstreak--"whupped your ass," but the end result for the USA will be the same: disgrace, remorse, regret, impoverishment of body and soul.
The final act may take a while to play out, with almost unimaginable conflagrations abroad, turmoil and misery at home, but it will come--is coming--to a close. Preparing ourselves psychologically for the impact of living with less, in all respects, is perhaps--with the exception of preventing nuclear holocaust--our most urgent task.
While Washington doesn't face hairy, ax-wielding giants with painted faces like Rome once did, or carpet-bombing B-17s like Berlin in more recent times, it--like empires that came before--will eventually have to suffer in ruin.
This might, admittedly, require additional spectacular humiliations like 9/11, which--in the words of Richard Pryor in the movie Silverstreak--"whupped your ass," but the end result for the USA will be the same: disgrace, remorse, regret, impoverishment of body and soul.
The final act may take a while to play out, with almost unimaginable conflagrations abroad, turmoil and misery at home, but it will come--is coming--to a close. Preparing ourselves psychologically for the impact of living with less, in all respects, is perhaps--with the exception of preventing nuclear holocaust--our most urgent task.
