Doctor's In: Look to a brighter future

Perhaps, I’ll give the blog a rest.  Certainly, some out there will be pleased.  During this hiatus I will take a more global look at the issues that concern me and decide whether I should expend the time to espouse my point of view.  After all, most of us are pretty set in our ways and who cares about the thoughts from an old retired physician.  A relic who spent his working career somewhere left of center and a government employee at that.

As I continue my isolation from the mainstream, I do admit to my astonishment that somehow in spite of extreme diversity of thought and action, this country thrives.  The stock market has never been higher, the dollar remains stronger against other currencies, political chaos goes unchecked, and our ingrained arrogance that we are the best country in the world may well have some merit.  No other government would allow such fiery expression of thought or behavior.

The sense that things were better in the 50s, a so called happier time, is a myth.  It was the decade where a very white America had to address ultimately by law the bigotry that characterized the nation – and not just in the South.  Let the buyer beware, was a byword with little accountability or protection for consumers.  

We still have a long way to go.  Jobs, the economy, and divisiveness characterize this current decade; yet, there is much to be said of progress on difficult issues.  Positions remain entrenched on topics like “Right to Choose,” gay marriage, or gun policy but I would suggest that there is a better understanding of the opposing point of view.  I foresee less craziness as many of our polarizing issues are addressed in the future.  America is evolving and evolution is necessary and critical for our survival as a nation.  Nations that do not adjust do not survive.  The USSR is a prime example.

So, I expect I’ll sit on the sidelines for awhile.  Even I can’t stop a train moving down the track.  Yet, I believe we are destined to a better place.