“The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”
- British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Gray, on the outset of World War I
History tells us that democracies are rare and fragile and that periods of enlightenment are sparks, not torches, for showing us a way forward. In the long span of human development, we chase moments of light toward education, science and reason.
Our species is not by its nature tolerant, welcoming or kind. These are learned behaviors. By nature we are tribal, suspicious and violent. In times of uncertainty, we resort to the primitive behaviors of our nature.
Although flawed, our nation for 250 years progressed toward a Jeffersonian ideal of “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” based on the premise that “all men are created equal.” During this period, rights were extended to more and more people.
It appears that era is coming to a close. In the last half century, we eliminated programs like Affirmative Action that levered our society toward racial equality and failed to approve legislation such as the Equal Rights Amendment toward ending sexism.
The Supreme Court has rescinded reproductive rights that existed for 50 years. Talk among the Christian Nationalists and others would repeal the 19th amendment, a woman’s right to vote, established in 1920.
Increasingly, we are superstitious. We put stock more in religion and less in education.
Most ominously, what is happening in the United States is parallel to events around the world. Democracies in Europe and elsewhere are being challenged by parties espousing more primitive and tribal urges. Collectively, our species seems to be entering an era of simple solutions to complex problems.
In history, such periods of impatience and misunderstanding give rise to tragedy, including strife, war, disease and horrors bred by superstitious intolerance. When enough nations get drunk on the sweet nectar of simple solutions, many people die.
While we must always resist the forces of willful ignorance and greed, we should perhaps stop for a moment to celebrate what – at least some of us – enjoyed during our lifetimes: A nation that once espoused ideals that lifted people up, notions like equality, justice and peace, a nation that largely embraced the ethics of hard work, merit, study and critical thinking.
In the popular parlance of romance and death, perhaps we should not mourn the loss of what we once had but instead celebrate the fact that we had it.
The enlightened parts of the American story will not be forgotten. Like the glories of Rome and Greece, a history will remain of our great nation. Compared to the length of great civilizations, ours is a small blip, only 250 years.
But it will live in history and will stand as an era we can remember and celebrate.