The electricity of their ideas still guides and motivates us. Our national genius has been to take these founding principles, apply the lessons of history to them and adapt them to new circumstances. We need to do that once again. We now find ourselves in a new era of history, replacing that of the Cold War an era which was incredibly intense and deeply pervasive in all aspects of our national life. Relieved from the tension and pressure of that era, I fear we are becoming complacent.
Serious scholars proclaim the end of history.
The seeds of any number of major problems are germinating, even as we speak. I will mention only a few. It would be worse than folly to believe that our current happy condition is somehow permanent. History has not and will not end as our own turbulent past should help to remind us. Mankind has done wonders in conquering the material environment very little in conquering itself.