Against all odds, we have an American president who is relentlessly optimistic, who passed new legislation this week—that will help rein in drug prices and provide additional health subsidies, that will help reduce carbon emissions and move the country more energetically toward clean energy, that seeks greater equity by requiring large corporations to pay a 15 percent minimum tax, that cuts the deficit—and who insists that “the soul of America is vibrant, the future of America is bright, and the promise of America is real and just beginning.”
There are days when Joe Biden’s optimism and belief in progress can seem disconnected to the scale of the challenges—the toxicity and division, in particular—that America faces. But if we take his words seriously, that “there is nothing beyond our capacity” when “we put our mind to it,” his bold declaration can serve as a catalyst for imagination and action. What can we do that we haven’t yet done? What are we collectively capable of accomplishing if we put our minds to it? How can we change the world?
So it’s in this spirit that I ask this week’s question: How can the future be better? Perhaps it’s something like new personal flying machines or high-speed transportation that can make a 300-mile commute in half an hour. Maybe it’s a system that has addressed economic disparity and is achieving greater equity for all. Maybe it’s a democratic society where we’ve overcome much of the relentless conflict and found a happier, more loving way to live with each other that includes greater understanding for our differences.
I don’t want to limit your imagination. Think small—a new car! my son finally getting married! my neighbor cleaning his dirty yard!—or think big: Why can’t we finally solve the epidemic of gun violence or end hunger?
As always, i look forward to hearing your thoughts and the opportunity for us to learn from each other. Please do be respectful of each other to encourage open communication.
Steven, as always, I am being educated every time I read your prose..This discussion can be lofty imaginative goals as well as small simple steps forward..You pose within this piece "How can the future be better?" the question, how can we change the world? Something struck me as I read those words..There are several phrases that communicate this simple construct that came to mind..on an aircraft "place the mask onto yourself before helping others" in a boat.."If you're drowning and I jump in to save you we'll both drown, if I put on a life jacket first then jump in we have a chance" or the simplest and most known one of all.."Charity begins at home"
If we are going to change the world, if we are going to create a brighter future, we must see that we are in a position of strength and on common ground in order to achieve it. We need to get our house in order first..None of the Ideas brought forward in this discussion have a chance until we rid ourselves of the advancing authoritarian fascistic movement growing exponentially here at home. This is the first order of business..Once this is accomplished I'll take that 1/2 hour 300 mile commute with all of you..
I appreciate you Steven, thank you! It was with some hesitation that I went down that path in my response..as the lighter more hopeful pieces that you put forward are a healthy distraction from the evil we are facing..I suppose it is my own fear of this societal and political cancer taking a stronger hold, and decimating our Democracy that keeps pushing me..See you on the commute..I'll bring the coffee..
Transition to a non-polluting, renewable energy system that would provide inexpensive and equitable energy to all, and transition from internal combustion vehicles to EVs. Cleaner air, better health, stable and low energy prices and quiet, fun and energy efficient EVs. What's not to like?
First, I am and always have been an optimist, and I believe that much of the negativity and subsequent encouragement of the ultra-conservatives have been due to a media that is more concerned with making money than performing their public service that the news media is supposed, and used to, which is to inform us based on facts. Too much attention is paid to Trump, his minions, conspiracy theories and not the truth. That being said, I feel the future is beginning to fill with hope. Look what, based on your article, Biden and Congress has finally achieved. These are landmark bills that will have tremendous impacts on everyone, and comes as a response to the Republicans continuing to shoot themselves in their collective feet by crowing over ending access to abortion, messing with elections, and continuing to support a proven grifter, liar, narcissist psychopath who wouldn't know the truth, ever.
As an optimist I believe, based on election results in Kansas and around the country, that the electorate may be slow, but when it wakes up in America, look out. Changes are a'comin'. Let's look at the lack of quality in Republican candidates in key states, and this is based on Mitch McConnell's evaluation. They are so radical, and voted in by a relatively small percentages of the electorate (Republican primaries - normally less than 30% of the electorate). I believe is was Lincoln's who said, "you can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time," and I believe that a significant majority of Americans are tired of these conspiracy theorists continuing to belittle us based on lies and innuendo. Is it beginning to happen? I believe it is, and November is going to be a huge defeat for Trump and the Republicans, and will be the basis of the creation of a new party which may be called Republican, but it will not be grounded with Trump.
I agree. The only election so far that looks anything like a general was the Kansas abortion referendum and we all know hoew that turned out. Polls predicted a tossup but those were off by 20 points. Primaries mean nothing in this environment and the damn press is giving those results way more attention than is warranted. The establishment has not yet reckoned with the effect of Dobbs on the general.
I have been asking children if they are happy that school is starting. Here and there, one will say yes, but for the most part, they crinkle their noses and shake their heads. My belief is that America would be stronger, its citizens more capable, if our public school system had more depth, more subjects that teach how to interact with real life, parenting classes, insisted on manners, kindness, cooperation, and teachers who are well versed in their subjects and make school not only interesting, but produce a citizenry that can make informed , logical decisions so the world might be a better place in the future.
Why does a boy cashier going to college have to check his phone calculator when the price of something is 2 for $ ? Why can a student not be able to find states on a map? Why do people say I shoulda went there? Why do I say 1864 was bad year, and nobody knows? Why in an interview in a classroom, did the teacher have a wrinkled shirt not tucked into a pair of blue jeans with the threadbare holes in them? Why are states allowing those with no degree (I think FL-veterans) teach? Why are books being banned, slavery not taught, calls for religious classes, gay people and others who have been with us since time began, made fun of? Why are worthy teachers who hold the future of mankind in their classrooms, not paid a livable salary and out of it, buy school supplies when a super sonic military jet can cost over a billion dollars?
The saying is if we work hard, we will be successful and able to care for our families. Not true. There are people who "work like dogs," but also live like dogs, counting pennies. To say there is nothing beyond our capacity when we put our mind to it- I don't know. We need to get our priorities straight.
Rita, Thank you for these thoughtful observations. I think you’re posing a better future is one where there’s more successful schooling, available to all, and where economic inequality includes caring for teachers and providing greater opportunity to live a decent life. What else?
Each event/person in our past was once the future.Think of all we have been through and survived. Valley Forge where freezing men had to be persuaded by Washington, to stay on; subjugation of human beings to slavery;Antietam, the deadliest one day in military history; American troops in Korea set upon by thousands of Chinese; epidemics like the Spanish influenza in the early 20th century that left 548K dead, or the scourge of polio(my mother had it before it was known what it was. Left one leg, foot smaller than other, and she would never in her life wear shorts or a bathing suit),Viet Nam and the mistaken belief in the domino theory; two world wars; the 1929 depression with its soup lines and jumps from high buildings. Think of leaders who were disasters -General McClelan,General MacArthur, 6 month just graduated from West Point officers in Viet Nam whose inexperience led to deaths, John Foster Dulles, the wrong advisor for Ike, McCarthy and his informant, J. Edgar Hoover, Richard "I am not a crook" Nixon, Reagan, a one man economic disaster, Hitler, Stalin, Putin, Xi and now trump with a brain wired for criminality.And you know what? We survive. We continue to flourish. We lead the world, the superpower, the go to nation for problems of the others. Two thirds of Americans cannot stand trump. If they vote in the upcoming elections, the future will be secure, that is until the next disaster brought on because man is human and makes mistakes. But I truly think that trump will become a "flash in the pan." It will take awhile, but those like him have not survived. I believe we will one day in the future be rid of Mr. 2 .14 and he will disappear in that great circle of infinity.
I love this uplifting post. Thank you. Believing in the possibility of change and accomplishment is as important as the desire to make our lives better.
Optimism is a healthy support of our sense of positive potential. At the same time we must be vigilant and acknowledge all that is needed to take on the immediate tasks ahead. We cannot look the other way and hope for the best when the likes of an authoritarian dictator like Viktor Orban comes here to speak to a crowd of CPAC fascists in Texas seeking to tear down our Democracy..Efforts to silence voices by way of voting, elect election denying SOSs, changing election rules and oversight are being implemented at the state and local level all across the country. Books are being banned in schools, removed from libraries and children are being forced to carry pregnancies to term in the GOPs draconian insanity..I force myself to take an optimistic view about the legislative advances made by Democrats, which have a dark underbelly unto themselves, these other evils are on the march and they are relentless..
I may be off-base regarding this topic, but I think we need to focus more on facts. Some of the "facts" being tossed around are so far from reality that it's hard not to laugh, but people take them as gospel. Could we do non-political public service announcements? Some of the series about COVID (don't feel bad if you got bad info) seems on-target. Any ideas from others about how to accomplish this?
Mark, I think it's more than reasonable to suggest we need a world agains where facts matter and there is a shared reality. This is key to overcoming much of the dangerous division that has poisoned the body politic and made public discourse so mad. PSAs is an interesting idea, but I think it will take the reestablishment of the rule of law and holding the guilty accountable to remind many people that there are consequences and there is a reality under which everyone must approach if they wish to be part of society. Civic education sure wouldn't hurt either.
As media consumers we have to put our money where it can do the most good. I like substacks, others prefer podcasts or local news. It’s a problem, I love my NYT crossword puzzles but that puts $39.95 a year into the NYT behemoth which I despise. I suppose it’s not possible to completely disentangle from the tentacles of Republican supporting media. And let’s name the problem, it’s 100% Republicans, not some generic “Congress”.
I actually look forward to a completely global system which ends nationalism and xenophobia while supporting local and cultural diversity. An Earthly society who helps to caretake our vast riches and who loves and cares for our artists. A long far way I know, but that's my brightest hope for humanity.
I think on the macro level climate change is the biggest challenge because that has implications all down the line. Refugees will overwhelm systems, food and the water to grow it becomes more precious, clean water is diminished, clean air, clean soil, insect populations, everything is affected. So I’d like to see that become a priority for everyone. On a micro level I would like to see the same effort we threw at the moon landing applied to the homeless people living under all the overpasses. I am an unbridled optimist, I really believe for most people things are better now than they have ever been, in spite of religious fanatics constantly trying to turn back the clock.
I think a better future would begin with the convictions of Trump and all his cohorts/co-conspirators in all the many crimes that have been committed, not just the events leading up to and including January 6 but all the other crimes and obstructions of justice. Once that has been accomplished and the cult have had their eyes opened, maybe then the US could move forward.
Thought question was how can we make future better-think big or small. Seems accepted answers were just reiterations of trump and his fascist flubs,energy/climate change& what hasn't really be done, with fooled public. Not much in way of new suggestions for changed,better future.And I am not one to praise what is logical to an informed person in order to get back a compliment.
The future better? Only a deeply naive, unserious person listens to Biden - and the cheerleaders of the post-journalism 4th estate - and feels reassured that we are headed in the right direction. As ever Biden and the Dem friendly media only tell half the story. The so-called “unprecedented” & “historic” investment in renewables and clean energy can only be described as such because we are starting at an extremely low point for comparison. So technically it is unprecedented, but unprecedented doesn’t mean good, or even adequate. Ask any climate scientist or the organisations concerned with Climate Change and they uniformly say that in order to meet the already too meagre targets for carbon reduction, set at the World Climate Conferences, the it is imperative that there can be no more carbon extraction or no new projects for doing so. What Biden doesn’t tell us is that the CEO of Shell and other Fossil Fuel industry figures are celebrating, very happy with the Inflation Reduction Bill (which by the was does nothing of the sort), because of the massive giveaways to Fossil Fuel included in a supposed Climate Investment. In fact the green investment can ONLY happen on condition that new leases are sold to Fossil Fuel industry for new extraction, which is exactly what the scientists are screaming must stop. As a final cherry on top, Joe Manchin managed to include new ways for expediting projects such as gas & oil pipelines, making it quicker and easier for those - fiercely contested - projects to go ahead.
I won’t go on, but suffice to say this is only one example of the American people being sold one thing when underneath it’s something else entirely. There are dozens & dozens more. Yet people ask “Why are the public losing faith in electoralism?”.
Anyone who’s paying attention to the climate crisis knows what passed is not enough. Plenty of the consequences of rising CO2 are baked in, “irrevocable” as the IPCC report notes. But would you prefer nothing passed rather than this? And are you so sure that optimistic thinking can’t trigger positive change?
If only. I wish it were that simple, but all the while the Democratic leadership won’t do what’s required and choose, from a binary choice, between halting all new fossil fuel projects as well as phase out old ones in a transition to renewables, and pleasing their donors who want the opposite, i’m afraid all the optimism in the world won’t help. Plus, the Republicans are even worse!
Steven, as always, I am being educated every time I read your prose..This discussion can be lofty imaginative goals as well as small simple steps forward..You pose within this piece "How can the future be better?" the question, how can we change the world? Something struck me as I read those words..There are several phrases that communicate this simple construct that came to mind..on an aircraft "place the mask onto yourself before helping others" in a boat.."If you're drowning and I jump in to save you we'll both drown, if I put on a life jacket first then jump in we have a chance" or the simplest and most known one of all.."Charity begins at home"
If we are going to change the world, if we are going to create a brighter future, we must see that we are in a position of strength and on common ground in order to achieve it. We need to get our house in order first..None of the Ideas brought forward in this discussion have a chance until we rid ourselves of the advancing authoritarian fascistic movement growing exponentially here at home. This is the first order of business..Once this is accomplished I'll take that 1/2 hour 300 mile commute with all of you..
Thank you, Sam. Excellent thoughts. Agree on the need to address the fascistic danger within our midst to unleash other positive possibilities.
I appreciate you Steven, thank you! It was with some hesitation that I went down that path in my response..as the lighter more hopeful pieces that you put forward are a healthy distraction from the evil we are facing..I suppose it is my own fear of this societal and political cancer taking a stronger hold, and decimating our Democracy that keeps pushing me..See you on the commute..I'll bring the coffee..
I am not so for lack of a better word worried. I think we can move ahead in spite of the authoritarian lunatic fringe.
I appreciate your optimism of which I struggle to share, from my observation it is more main stream and much less fringe than one might think..
Tough to optimistic in the face of the facts:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/17/2117216/-Right-wing-media-spent-years-grooming-the-Republican-Party-for-Donald-Trump
I know but hope springs eternal…
My thoughts exactly. We need to cultivate kindness before greed and power.
Transition to a non-polluting, renewable energy system that would provide inexpensive and equitable energy to all, and transition from internal combustion vehicles to EVs. Cleaner air, better health, stable and low energy prices and quiet, fun and energy efficient EVs. What's not to like?
Absolutely.
We seem to be on that path.
First, I am and always have been an optimist, and I believe that much of the negativity and subsequent encouragement of the ultra-conservatives have been due to a media that is more concerned with making money than performing their public service that the news media is supposed, and used to, which is to inform us based on facts. Too much attention is paid to Trump, his minions, conspiracy theories and not the truth. That being said, I feel the future is beginning to fill with hope. Look what, based on your article, Biden and Congress has finally achieved. These are landmark bills that will have tremendous impacts on everyone, and comes as a response to the Republicans continuing to shoot themselves in their collective feet by crowing over ending access to abortion, messing with elections, and continuing to support a proven grifter, liar, narcissist psychopath who wouldn't know the truth, ever.
As an optimist I believe, based on election results in Kansas and around the country, that the electorate may be slow, but when it wakes up in America, look out. Changes are a'comin'. Let's look at the lack of quality in Republican candidates in key states, and this is based on Mitch McConnell's evaluation. They are so radical, and voted in by a relatively small percentages of the electorate (Republican primaries - normally less than 30% of the electorate). I believe is was Lincoln's who said, "you can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time," and I believe that a significant majority of Americans are tired of these conspiracy theorists continuing to belittle us based on lies and innuendo. Is it beginning to happen? I believe it is, and November is going to be a huge defeat for Trump and the Republicans, and will be the basis of the creation of a new party which may be called Republican, but it will not be grounded with Trump.
I agree. The only election so far that looks anything like a general was the Kansas abortion referendum and we all know hoew that turned out. Polls predicted a tossup but those were off by 20 points. Primaries mean nothing in this environment and the damn press is giving those results way more attention than is warranted. The establishment has not yet reckoned with the effect of Dobbs on the general.
And polls are not as reliable as they used to be..
I have been asking children if they are happy that school is starting. Here and there, one will say yes, but for the most part, they crinkle their noses and shake their heads. My belief is that America would be stronger, its citizens more capable, if our public school system had more depth, more subjects that teach how to interact with real life, parenting classes, insisted on manners, kindness, cooperation, and teachers who are well versed in their subjects and make school not only interesting, but produce a citizenry that can make informed , logical decisions so the world might be a better place in the future.
Why does a boy cashier going to college have to check his phone calculator when the price of something is 2 for $ ? Why can a student not be able to find states on a map? Why do people say I shoulda went there? Why do I say 1864 was bad year, and nobody knows? Why in an interview in a classroom, did the teacher have a wrinkled shirt not tucked into a pair of blue jeans with the threadbare holes in them? Why are states allowing those with no degree (I think FL-veterans) teach? Why are books being banned, slavery not taught, calls for religious classes, gay people and others who have been with us since time began, made fun of? Why are worthy teachers who hold the future of mankind in their classrooms, not paid a livable salary and out of it, buy school supplies when a super sonic military jet can cost over a billion dollars?
The saying is if we work hard, we will be successful and able to care for our families. Not true. There are people who "work like dogs," but also live like dogs, counting pennies. To say there is nothing beyond our capacity when we put our mind to it- I don't know. We need to get our priorities straight.
Rita, Thank you for these thoughtful observations. I think you’re posing a better future is one where there’s more successful schooling, available to all, and where economic inequality includes caring for teachers and providing greater opportunity to live a decent life. What else?
Each event/person in our past was once the future.Think of all we have been through and survived. Valley Forge where freezing men had to be persuaded by Washington, to stay on; subjugation of human beings to slavery;Antietam, the deadliest one day in military history; American troops in Korea set upon by thousands of Chinese; epidemics like the Spanish influenza in the early 20th century that left 548K dead, or the scourge of polio(my mother had it before it was known what it was. Left one leg, foot smaller than other, and she would never in her life wear shorts or a bathing suit),Viet Nam and the mistaken belief in the domino theory; two world wars; the 1929 depression with its soup lines and jumps from high buildings. Think of leaders who were disasters -General McClelan,General MacArthur, 6 month just graduated from West Point officers in Viet Nam whose inexperience led to deaths, John Foster Dulles, the wrong advisor for Ike, McCarthy and his informant, J. Edgar Hoover, Richard "I am not a crook" Nixon, Reagan, a one man economic disaster, Hitler, Stalin, Putin, Xi and now trump with a brain wired for criminality.And you know what? We survive. We continue to flourish. We lead the world, the superpower, the go to nation for problems of the others. Two thirds of Americans cannot stand trump. If they vote in the upcoming elections, the future will be secure, that is until the next disaster brought on because man is human and makes mistakes. But I truly think that trump will become a "flash in the pan." It will take awhile, but those like him have not survived. I believe we will one day in the future be rid of Mr. 2 .14 and he will disappear in that great circle of infinity.
I love this uplifting post. Thank you. Believing in the possibility of change and accomplishment is as important as the desire to make our lives better.
Thanks for your optimism, Raphaella.
On the topic of optimism..
Optimism is a healthy support of our sense of positive potential. At the same time we must be vigilant and acknowledge all that is needed to take on the immediate tasks ahead. We cannot look the other way and hope for the best when the likes of an authoritarian dictator like Viktor Orban comes here to speak to a crowd of CPAC fascists in Texas seeking to tear down our Democracy..Efforts to silence voices by way of voting, elect election denying SOSs, changing election rules and oversight are being implemented at the state and local level all across the country. Books are being banned in schools, removed from libraries and children are being forced to carry pregnancies to term in the GOPs draconian insanity..I force myself to take an optimistic view about the legislative advances made by Democrats, which have a dark underbelly unto themselves, these other evils are on the march and they are relentless..
I may be off-base regarding this topic, but I think we need to focus more on facts. Some of the "facts" being tossed around are so far from reality that it's hard not to laugh, but people take them as gospel. Could we do non-political public service announcements? Some of the series about COVID (don't feel bad if you got bad info) seems on-target. Any ideas from others about how to accomplish this?
Mark, I think it's more than reasonable to suggest we need a world agains where facts matter and there is a shared reality. This is key to overcoming much of the dangerous division that has poisoned the body politic and made public discourse so mad. PSAs is an interesting idea, but I think it will take the reestablishment of the rule of law and holding the guilty accountable to remind many people that there are consequences and there is a reality under which everyone must approach if they wish to be part of society. Civic education sure wouldn't hurt either.
As media consumers we have to put our money where it can do the most good. I like substacks, others prefer podcasts or local news. It’s a problem, I love my NYT crossword puzzles but that puts $39.95 a year into the NYT behemoth which I despise. I suppose it’s not possible to completely disentangle from the tentacles of Republican supporting media. And let’s name the problem, it’s 100% Republicans, not some generic “Congress”.
I actually look forward to a completely global system which ends nationalism and xenophobia while supporting local and cultural diversity. An Earthly society who helps to caretake our vast riches and who loves and cares for our artists. A long far way I know, but that's my brightest hope for humanity.
A hope worth having and working toward. Thanks.
I think on the macro level climate change is the biggest challenge because that has implications all down the line. Refugees will overwhelm systems, food and the water to grow it becomes more precious, clean water is diminished, clean air, clean soil, insect populations, everything is affected. So I’d like to see that become a priority for everyone. On a micro level I would like to see the same effort we threw at the moon landing applied to the homeless people living under all the overpasses. I am an unbridled optimist, I really believe for most people things are better now than they have ever been, in spite of religious fanatics constantly trying to turn back the clock.
I think a better future would begin with the convictions of Trump and all his cohorts/co-conspirators in all the many crimes that have been committed, not just the events leading up to and including January 6 but all the other crimes and obstructions of justice. Once that has been accomplished and the cult have had their eyes opened, maybe then the US could move forward.
Thought question was how can we make future better-think big or small. Seems accepted answers were just reiterations of trump and his fascist flubs,energy/climate change& what hasn't really be done, with fooled public. Not much in way of new suggestions for changed,better future.And I am not one to praise what is logical to an informed person in order to get back a compliment.
I think our current predicaments have limited our imagination to think big and with optimism. We can’t lose this.
The future better? Only a deeply naive, unserious person listens to Biden - and the cheerleaders of the post-journalism 4th estate - and feels reassured that we are headed in the right direction. As ever Biden and the Dem friendly media only tell half the story. The so-called “unprecedented” & “historic” investment in renewables and clean energy can only be described as such because we are starting at an extremely low point for comparison. So technically it is unprecedented, but unprecedented doesn’t mean good, or even adequate. Ask any climate scientist or the organisations concerned with Climate Change and they uniformly say that in order to meet the already too meagre targets for carbon reduction, set at the World Climate Conferences, the it is imperative that there can be no more carbon extraction or no new projects for doing so. What Biden doesn’t tell us is that the CEO of Shell and other Fossil Fuel industry figures are celebrating, very happy with the Inflation Reduction Bill (which by the was does nothing of the sort), because of the massive giveaways to Fossil Fuel included in a supposed Climate Investment. In fact the green investment can ONLY happen on condition that new leases are sold to Fossil Fuel industry for new extraction, which is exactly what the scientists are screaming must stop. As a final cherry on top, Joe Manchin managed to include new ways for expediting projects such as gas & oil pipelines, making it quicker and easier for those - fiercely contested - projects to go ahead.
I won’t go on, but suffice to say this is only one example of the American people being sold one thing when underneath it’s something else entirely. There are dozens & dozens more. Yet people ask “Why are the public losing faith in electoralism?”.
Anyone who’s paying attention to the climate crisis knows what passed is not enough. Plenty of the consequences of rising CO2 are baked in, “irrevocable” as the IPCC report notes. But would you prefer nothing passed rather than this? And are you so sure that optimistic thinking can’t trigger positive change?
If only. I wish it were that simple, but all the while the Democratic leadership won’t do what’s required and choose, from a binary choice, between halting all new fossil fuel projects as well as phase out old ones in a transition to renewables, and pleasing their donors who want the opposite, i’m afraid all the optimism in the world won’t help. Plus, the Republicans are even worse!