Everyone grows and dies; the same is true of countries. The only question is how long one can postpone the inevitable. In the case of some countries, life spans can be very long, so it is worth asking whether the United States is in adolescence, middle age, or old age. Do science and technology accelerate or offset the demise? And finally, how many stars will be in the U.S. flag in fifty years?
There has yet to be a single U.S. president buried under the same flag he was born under, yet we often take continuity for granted.
- Juan Enriquez, p. 282
Monday, July 16, 2007
Thought For The Day 7-16-07
From the book What Is Your Dangerous Idea?
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Great quote! I can see this starting several conversations in my Current Events class next year. Maybe some type of visual presentation also, linking the presidents and the flags...bet some of the kids don't even realize (or have forgotten) that the number of stars on the flag changed when new states were added.
ReplyDeleteRegards to Miss Abby!
Hey, check this out. A really interesting way to watch population growth over time, as well as a number of other stats.
ReplyDeletehttp://tools.google.com/gapminder
I think that technology can go a long way to offsetting the demise of a society by doing things like extending the average life expectancy, defending a nation, and creating sustainable sources of food, clean water, and energy.
ReplyDeleteHowever, like all great tools, technology can accelerate a demise if misused. Nuclear power might be the most obvious example of a technology that could be extremely detrimental if misused.
I think the gains of technology far outweigh the risks, and continued innovation will be critical to adapting to our constantly changing world.