According to the calendar, we are already two and a half days into our next 584 million mile trip around the sun, zipping along with the rest of our solar system neighbors. It’s a brand-new year, and just like most years, it promises to be another 12 months full of astonishing advancements, creations, discoveries and revelations. Honestly, we must be among the luckiest people in the history of this planet. So, if that’s true, how is it that this lucky group of 7.6 billion inhabitants of Earth is always beset with trial and tribulation? We are the only ones on the block who have water and food and oxygen and gravity here. That should be enough to take care of the basics needed to sustain life and advance growth, yet somehow, we can’t be happy? Chaos, strife and decimation seem to be swirling all around the globe and moving closer and closer all the time.
The problem is as old as civilization itself. You can factor in all the societal influences, political trends, and sideline determinants you like, but the basic truth of the matter is that this world is simply not the same all over. There are unequal measures of advantage, ability, and resources present in all different parts of this planet. It may not be fair, it’s certainly not perfect, but it is, as they say, the way of the world. Generally speaking, the older countries continue to endure because of an established order of life that is supported by a “mostly” educated, responsible and loyal populace living and working there. By comparison, fledgling, unstable countries are often vulnerable to volatility, corruption, unqualified irresponsible leadership, and indifference to the plight of the people struggling to survive there. It may be a drastic simplification, but the situation described here is the classic case of the “haves and the have-nots”, and it is at the base of much of the discontent and unrest we see worldwide today. It’s manifested in major conflicts going on right now. In Gaza, the corrupt Palestinian governments, and later Hamas, created a population of deprived underclass with 40% unemployment. That criminal neglect created a powder keg that brought on a humanitarian crisis. In Ukraine, the success of free enterprise and representative government threatened Vladimir Putin’s dictatorial oligarchy and dreams of a reunited communist empire and prompted his invasion of a small independent republic. The single-minded greed and thirst for power by one man has devastated Ukraine, destroyed families, and killed over 400,000 people. The United States is watching similar situations in Africa and South America where the People’s Republic of China is establishing military liaisons and economic and political ties with illegitimate, propped-up governments not only there, but all around the world.
In other times and situations, the United States has faced down many challenges. In the 1980s and 90s dealing with the Soviet Union and China, U.S. Presidents knew that a strong defensive posture was essential to a constructive approach to international relations. They also understood that the seeds of democracy and free enterprise were often more feared by dictators abroad than the threat of war. Our country is truly exceptional, even though some actually worry that we might appear boastful or arrogant to the rest of the world. Now is not the time to be timid and apologetic. It is certainly reasonable to think that the time may be coming when the world will have no other place to turn except to the United States. Let’s hope in this new year, with all its new challenges, we remain exceptional, and the people who enjoy this exceptional freedom we have will not be afraid to stand up and proudly declare it.
