I attempt to minimize political commentary in this blog because I believe first it's not my place given my responsibilities, and second it distracts from objectively thinking about how our world works. However, I think our recent election is worth pausing for a moment to think about what the election means. Although Thucydides was an Athenian, he claims to have examined the Peloponnesian war objectively, with an aim to cut through the aitia, the rhetorical causes of war, in order to expose the prophasis, the true causes. One need not look further than their own Facebook pages to see a lot of presumptions as to the aitia of the nature of both American political parties. I think many of those presumptions are not only wrong, they are irrationally misguided by distracting, thoughtless, often vitriolic criticism- to the extent of intense hatred. That hatred clouds thinking and is not a constructive discourse useful for guiding us into the future.
Given that, Thomas Friedman's opinion piece yesterday in the NYT is worth a second look because I think he, correctly, slices deeper than the aitia and may be more constructively exposing the potential prophasis of American political interests. What will be interesting to learn, as we look forward through the next administration and to the next election, is who among us will in fact, look forward. For in this leveling international community, those that do not look far enough forward, soon find they have been left behind.
