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Vox Hunt: Ten Years From Here

Jan 4, 2008
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"Show us your life in ten years."
That question makes me laugh! Yesterday I calculated my "life expectancy" using data provided by my cardiologist for application to the Seattle Heart Failure Model. According to the medical expertise incorporated in its equations, even with the good treatment that I am currently getting, people like me have a mean life expectancy of 6.5 years. (Now I am 65). So it is a little hard to imagine making it to ten years in the future! Possible, but not very likely!
Perhaps a more relevant question is, "what will the world (or the US) be like in ten years?) I certainly think that over my own lifetime a lot of damage has been done--to our social system, our legal system, out political system, our "class system" if you want to call it that, to our system of nurturing and educating children, to our natural environment, to our supply of energy, to our financial systems and to our professions and to our transportation and other infrastructure--to so many aspects of our domestic lives. And our culture has been coarsened. All of us are in some ways worse off, including the new "nobility" that has found ways of borderline legality to rob the rest of us of vast fortunes, to be spent on the own momentary pleasures.

Dakar

And of course to many aspects of our international situation, too. Among the hundreds of examples that might be cited, the one that I noted most recently was the cancellation of the Dakar rally, an auto "race" of sorts from Spain to Senegal, because of threats by terrorists. Such sporting events can no longer be considered safe enough to engage in.
In contrast, the people of the state of Iowa gathered last night in little groups, and tried to sort out who they favored as Democratic and Republican candidate. They met in schools, courthouses, all kinds of meeting places in assemblies that looked at times quite amateurish. Certainly folksy!
And yet, that is how we are going about selecting what is arguably the most powerful leader in the world. Not with bombs, not with bullets, but with discussion and persuasion. Well, I say, "good for us."
But there is such a for all the people and the leaders of the world community to decided what future they want for themselves, their kin and countrymen, their children and their children's children, and for all of the other beings who share this planet with us. We live in dangerous times. Most of us are inert, basically asleep. Too many "leaders" are mostly interested in their own power or wealth, not the commonweal.
And, my fear is that the situation will be a lot worse in ten years.
At the same time, in the interim, I do hope to "see America before its gone," and am glad to have some opportunities to do so through travel, and through communication.