Two years ago, I finished my latest book, Tracking the Storm. There, I tried to explain what my last 15 years of teaching history and studying culture had shown me, how the past 400 years of Anglo-American history illustrates the various clues of a coming great crisis. One reviewer said the book was “gripping” and “a scary yet necessary read,” as I told our story of political instability, economic distress, rapid technological changes and a growing philosophical divide that challenged previous generations.
In just the past 2-3 months, the drift towards our own Great Crisis has continued, enough for me to repost one small excerpt from what I believe to be the key chapter of the entire book on “The Philosophical Divide.” I may post more soon about the Democrats decision to go to what is called “the nuclear option” relative to how the US Senate does its business, but for now, just realize that their decision to do so, based on their increasing frustration with what they perceive to be the obstruction of the Republicans is merely just more evidence about how deeply the philosophical divide is now.
With that in mind, take a read from my book:
With each journey towards crisis, the ominous aspect that emerges is the fact that as the Fourth Turning comes closer, the two sides that emerge in contest over the country become philosophically divided. The story is the same whether we are looking at the 1760s or the 2010 period. Pundits and citizens search for unity, wish for a leader to unite the country, yet the various supporters of “the issue” grow so determined, so passionate about their view, that compromise is impossible. Older people will longingly remember the years of the previous High, when everyone “pulled together,” but those years and that spirit is gone.
I believe we are not yet in our Great Crisis, though we are “on the road.” I don’t know that anyone, certainly not I, could articulate what the “issue” will be. Is it more Democracy? Is it a question of economic equity? The rights of others, whether the rights of the unborn or of the gay community? The environmental toll of so many humans on the planet? As a participant in the current history, it is nigh impossible to tell. Regardless there is a growing philosophical divide between Americans, loosely drawn between “conservative” and “liberal” citizens.
In other posts, I point out that we while we are very close, having matched almost all of the key signs from the pattern, we aren’t there yet. Eighteen months later, we are much closer.
If you’d like a copy of the book, you can find it here. Or, you can purchase an ebook version instead.