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This morning, in need of a larger perspective in the wake of Roe v. Wade, I re-read parts of The Fourth Turning by William Straus and Neil Howard. The book was published in 1979 but its predictions were prescient. The authors offer a roadmap of America’s future cultural trajectory based on how societies have evolved (or perished) in the past. That trajectory, they note, begins with a spark (the 2008 recession?) that leads to a climax (Covid?) followed by resolution. That resolution, note the authors, can result in one of two potential endings: America as we know it could disappear and in its place could be submission and barbarism. We see the beginnings of that already. America could reclaim individual freedoms and embed them in a new social order. (History suggests this ending, note the authors.)
Stories, be they cultural or personal, are never just good or bad. They are both/and. They also contain within them the possibilities for either ending. Our task, then, is to live our way into the ending we want. This is both a personal and social act. For me, it involves forgiving and finding compassion with those I would prefer not to. It also demands I share my work, and my voice, in larger arenas. Your mission is unique to you, just as mine is to me. They are also both part of a greater mission and story. And that, regardless of the outcome, makes them worth pursuing. Carolyn
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