My generally dour outlook has been softened somewhat as of late. Could 2008, after all, be not such a bad year? Are we not heading into the future that reasonable people really want?
Witness: some significant moves towards reasonableness in high technology. DRM, the despicable accusatory scheme of the music labels, is no more. The idiotic format war in the next generation of movie distribution is coming to a close. A majority of Americans now play video games, belying the idea that they are somehow murder-simulators or pastimes for the demented.
Witness: the popularity of presidential candidates with truly fresh ideas. Barrack Obama and Ron Paul could not be more different from major-party candidates of the past 20 years. And yet, the new generation has fervently supported them. Obama won the Iowa Caucus on the basis of new members to that organization. Paul raised more money on a single day than any candidate ever. In my neighborhood I see signs, stickers, graffiti, all meant to get the message out about a man who wants to abolish the IRS and end the war on drugs. At no time in my life (or ever, that I know of) has this happened to such a degree.
Witness: the pendulum finally swinging back towards letting science do its thing. One way or another, stem cell research will now finally get the full backing of the governmental funding agencies. Whether through embryonic lines or modified skin cells, we will begin to develop technology which will immeasurably improve our lives. Moreover, the government now acknowledges that human-caused global warming is not only a reality, but a reality that we need to combat. The government is switching to CFL bulbs, working on building nuclear and solar power plants, funding research into converting CO2 into burnable fuel, and generally acknowledging the importance of what climate scientists have been screaming for over a decade.
Finally, witness: three best sellers from last year proclaiming the true evil of religion. Not a benign fairy tale, which it is not, not an innocent inane lifestyle choice, but a freedom-hating, death-worshiping, delusional belief. While major candidates absurdly claim that this is a nation formed by Christian founding fathers, at least we now have a sizable counterpoint. A majority believe in evolution, according to one survey, a truly obvious THEORY backed up by tens of thousands of well-researched FACTS.
Yes, we may be heading somewhere good. I remain reserved, but slightly optimistic.