My temple recently published a message lamenting that we are living in fearful times. My temple is hardly alone in giving voice to a doom and gloom mentality. Many religious and other institutions, particularly those with a liberal bent, echo this sentiment. But how valid is such? Are things as bad as we are led to believe?
Granted we in America are experiencing numerous problems today. We have increased inequality and high inflation in our economy, growing homelessness, high murder rates, ongoing international crises and a dysfunctional political system among other concerns confronting us.
At the center of it all we have a president who, even if one does not succumb to Trump Derangement Syndrome, is by all accounts highly polarizing.
Yet, is the current moment any more fearful than previous eras?
Surely we are better off than my parents’ generation who, in successive decades, in the flower of their youth, experienced World War I, the Great Depression and World War II.
Arguably, we are also better off than the life experiences of my own baby boomer generation, which in the 1960s witnessed multiple political assassinations, race riots, burning of American cities, violence on university campuses and the forced resignation of an American president.
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At a time when today’s youth complain about job prospects and their mental health (e.g. 40% of freshmen at Stanford University claim “disability”), is it possible they doth protest too much?
It is true that our high hopes after the Cold War ended in 1989 have been dashed. Instead of celebrating the “end of history” — the final triumph of liberal democracy over authoritarianism that Francis Fukuyama had predicted with the defeat of Soviet communism — we have experienced 9/11 along with continuous conflict with authoritarian rivals.
Neither have the fruits of globalization materialized that columnist Thomas L. Friedman and others forecast would occur as a function of the internet and other technological marvels.
Still, even with these disappointments, we would seem to have less cause to whine and despair today than previous generations, no? The world has always had its problems, and our current situation, as troublesome as it is, is no worse than before and maybe better.
Some may contend that what makes today different rather than deja vu is the presence of a uniquely volatile president who is especially worrisome. I am not going to defend Donald Trump. I have acknowledged his constant lying and called him odious and reckless. However, I note that Trump is not without some successes.
Although some have criticized his immigration policies, he has effectively closed the border to illegal aliens and deported thousands of illegals that Joe Biden had allowed into the country.
He has reduced race-based, gender-based and other biased, discriminatory decision-making at universities and in the workplace.
Trump captured the Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and put the country on a path toward possible democratization, a feat that may perhaps be repeated soon in Cuba.
Under his administration, the U.S. military has performed brilliantly. Despite some frictions, he has persuaded NATO allies to increase their military spending.
The Iran War remains an unresolved issue. The U.S. has successfully degraded Iran’s navy, air force and missile systems and reduced their economy to rubble. The ability of Tehran and its terrorist proxies to harm Israel and other neighbors has been severely limited.
Two loose ends remain: first, the future of Iran’s uranium stockpile; and second, the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz. It is a commentary on the bias of the liberal media that I believe 90% of them want the U.S. — that is, Trump — to lose the war.
Regardless of what happens in Iran or elsewhere, Trump will be gone from the White House in three years.
If the Democrats are willing to change their issue positions on immigration, trans sports and some other cultural issues, they can win back the presidency and Congress. If they do not and the GOP continues in power with Marco Rubio or someone else, it will not resemble Trumpism because Trump is sui generis.
You can be assured the Republic will survive and we will continue to muddle along, for better or worse. In any case, we need not be excessively “fearful” any more than in the past.
