Tag Archives: end of an era

From Dawn to Decadence – The End of the Modern Era?

From Dawn to DecadenceAs much as I’m a student of history, I’d like to see us turn our gaze forward, and not obsess on that history and not accept its conventional wisdom. That said, I think it is still important to understand the historic currents that are the basis of those conventions before one sets out to consider challenging elements of that wisdom.

I’ve just finished slogging my way through a dense 800+ page book, From Dawn to Decadence, by Jacques Barzun. It is a cultural history of the Western World during the past 500 years. Between working, writing, and family, it has taken me some eight or nine months to get through it. Continue reading →

End of an Era? What to do? Back to the ABCs?

The ABCs I’m talking about are agency, balance and context

I think these are three important concepts as our society moves forward in uncharted waters. Important for everybody, but particularly for our youth, who as the years pass will more and more have to steer the ship of our culture. But first that ever-needed context…

I think our American culture has lost its bearings… and for good reason too. We humans are dynamic and powerful consciousnesses (more so than many of us may know) with a great ability to adjust quickly and profoundly to new circumstances, at least in a timeframe of centuries, but even in the course of a lifetime. I think this is a blessing, but the roller coaster ride it puts humans and our culture through can involved a mind-boggling and nerve-wracking amount of change and adjustment. Continue reading →