Comment on: Re: What is your outlook?

Bigthink — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:12:21 +0100

The US perspective usually seems to be optimistic, that it's pretty good and it's going to get better. The usually unstated corollary is "Otherwise why try to move forward at all?"

The result is that a dominant culture in the world is paradoxically optimistic, but without hope. In search of guaranteed, or at least very highly probable, outcomes, the US displays less and less vison, makes fewer and fewer attempts to make real change in the world.

I believe there is very little reason for optimism anymore at the national/cultural level. Assumptions about use of resources seem faulty, and not likely to change. Economic and social collapse seem probable and not too distant.

And so hope must be a personal value. Change is initiated at the personal and local level.

That said, I remain hopeful. I make changes in how I live my life, and sometimes I see positive results. If the results are not positive, then I must change again, in hope of a different, more desirable outcome.

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Comment on: Re: What is your outlook?