By Peter Clough
America has an actual problem
here.
It is clear that whatever cultural coherence we may have had in the past
is rapidly dissolving in the face of widespread existential hysteria.
Our heritage is deeply informed by
our historical antecedents — from religious intolerance, treasure hunters,
marginalized ethnic groups, and classicist theories (slavery).
Our devotion to the settlement of
disputes among these diverse groups by the use of force continuously interrupts
our revolutionary ideals of a nation built around rule of law, settlement of
differences through negotiation and compromise, and power balancing.
These latter philosophical
principles, so recently arrived in modern human history, seem utterly
counter-intuitive to an impatient and poorly educated people — a people who
have come to find a grudging unity only under circumstances of external threat.
Domestic discord is our de facto national obsession.
To deal with this dilemma is the
task of liberal people everywhere. Because these important ideals are so
obscure and airy to so many people, the work is singularly difficult,
frustrating, ridiculed, and visionary.
This is not simple. But the option
is not very pleasant.
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