Coming to a Fork in the Road

THE CENTURION CHRONICLE
Vol. III – Issue #40 – Dec 2008

COMING TO A FORK IN THE ROAD
(after a wild-ass-ride of a year)

No one can ever say this hasn’t been one wild-ass-ride of a year. Of course, in the greater historical scheme of things, some pundits might not think so. Mule muffins! Those of us who’ve had to be in the saddle and ride through it all…know better.

Between the wild stampedes of presidential candidates mounting their tumultuous campaigns to a photo finish election; and, watching our economic world turn itself inside out and upside down at the same time, it’s been as wild a ride as it can get. And the likelihood is it may get even wilder yet in the coming year ahead. All of which has brought us to a fork in the road. The question is: Which fork will we turn on to travel forward from here? Much of that will depend upon the quality and smarts of this new younger generation of political leadership now taking up the reins of power. We can but hope it will be astute enough to pick the right fork to follow.

To do so it must accept and understand our status as the ultimate Alpha power in the world is no longer what it was. Perhaps that is a good thing, because it will force that leadership to seriously rethink what America’s role in this world should be. Force it to redirect our national energies, not to save or fix the rest of the world and its problems, but to concentrate on our own problems first, namely how to make our economic, political, and social matrix better than it is today. And to that end, focus on ways and means to re-charge America, thus restoring its pre-eminence and influence among nations by its example, not just by its economic and military muscle.

So, whatever any of us celebrate at this season of the year, let it be with an abiding faith that there will be a better future for us, and also, with trust in our American capacity to overcome any adversity by re-inventing ourselves into something better than before. And from that, again become a shining example for the rest of the world of what a free, open, and polyglot society can be. An example that will ensure and maintain our pre-eminence and prestige in the times to come.

Well, we can but hope this new generation of leadership will make it so. Perhaps then the need for old soldiers like us, will really fade away. Until then, we leave you with this parting thought written by an anonymous Centurion of long, long ago: “Night after night, watch on watch, we’ve manned our posts, waiting for the dread barbarians to come. But the barbarians have never come. Now, some people from the borderlands have come, singing, dancing, and shouting….Hurrah! There are no more barbarians. Hurrah! There are no more barbarians…..What the hell kind of solution is that….for us?”

Vale,

CENTURION