something real, and discovering truth allows us to understand right from wrong. Second, wrongness needs to be called out and
confronted because it is through acknowledging something is wrong that we can work independently and collectively to learn and grow – much like the individual who seeks
the light and understanding in the allegory of the cave.
Being transparent about how environments influence facts and truth is also critically important. One can believe certain things to be factual or truthful based upon experience or the environment in which they lived or were raised; but, it is often the case those environments and/or experiences are the cause of what one believes to be factual or truthful when in all reality they are but misperceptions, misunderstandings, and falsehoods – just as in the allegory of the cave when a fire creates an environment of shadows to which members remained imprisoned in thought. Only by calling out such falsehoods and misunderstandings through honest and open conversations can true communities arise.
Is There an Alternative?
Of course there is an alternative; there are many alternatives. But alternatives that bring about meaningful change are solutions that can only be actualized over the long term. For now, America must stabilize the elements that wish to divide us. Individuals who wish to destabilize – if not overthrow – the county must
be heard and their positions understood; but, all the same, they must be held accountable as
that, too, is part of leadership and education more generally. Equally, it is foolish to ignore the trends emerging globally – the decline of the nation state, institutional irrelevance, civil and human rights abuses, climate change, mass migrations brought about because of economic hardship, new technologies, new economic models, etc. – that will force change, regardless of whether we wish to admit such in the short term.
America, if it wishes to remain a dominant global power that protects and expands human dignity and living a dignified existence, must lead in this regard. It cannot rest on its laurels. It must embrace and guide change, allowing knowledge and insight to guide what is right for the many as opposed for the few. If America is unwilling to respond in such a way, is unwilling to acknowledge what is inevitable, is unwilling to strategically position itself in terms of opportunities (as defined by the people who make up the nation state), then it will suffer the same fate of all empires: it will cease to exist.
Here, again, there is a lesson to be learned from Fareed Zakaria’s study of revolutions across time. After studying the effects of multiple revolutions, Fareed’s general conclusion is: “Those who enter a new era with size and strength often do not master it. Those who adapt best to that new age thrive.”23 Wise words for America, and the American electorate.
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