"A longing to recapture the
past, in fact, has itself been such a basic ingredient of the
recent American past that no history of political thinking is complete which does not attempt to explain it. In American
politics the development of a retrospective and nostalgic cast of mind has gone hand in hand with the slow decline of a
traditional faith. When competition and enterprise were
rising, men thought of the future; when they were flourishing, of the present. Now—in an age of concentration, bigness,
and corporate monopoly—when competition and opportunity have gone into decline, men look wistfully back
toward a golden age." Richard Hofstadter
I agree that people do long to recapture the past. It is natural that when one is in a tough situation, to think of a time where life was simpler. It may leave some with a sense of longing while leaving others with a feeling that things could begin to get better. That things may once again be like that time that occur a time ago. It is also natural that when a situation is getting better, to think what positives may become available to such a person in the future and of what decisions one can make in the present to lead one towards a good future. Looking towards the future for hope, looking towards the past for comfort and looking at the present to make decisions are all rather important to everyone. They keep people moving on in the present towards their futures. While this faith may not be the "traditional faith" I do not think we are suffering as we loose touch with it.
No comments:
Post a Comment