That Much has been Set Right

The news this morning is dismal — just like it is most mornings.

● China is not backing down on its demand that all computers sold after July 1 come with internet filtering software.

● The Democrats are scrambling to scale back universal health care.

● The Supreme Court has ruled convicts do not have a right to obtain DNA testing to prove their innocence.

● The Supreme Leader of Iran is signaling there will be a crack-down on the democracy movement in that country.

We live in a very interesting age.  An age when — it seems — a golden future is within our grasp if only we have the wisdom to reach for it.

At the same time, when one hears the news, the prospect of our having the wisdom to reach for a future that is substantially different from all our former ages seems quite remote.  If I had to bet money on a guess about the future of our species, I would guess our future will be as dismal as our past, for the sort of change that would be necessary to save the world is change more radical than any we’ve ever managed.

So what do you tell yourself at five in the morning?  That is, at whatever hour some part of you judges whether the day will be worth living.

Me, sometimes I tell myself, “Well, at least I’ve given up smoking.  That much has been set right. “