On the menu today: I can understand why Americans might look at all the daunting challenges before us and the calamities that have befallen us in recent years and feel fear or despair. We have endured defeats and disappointments, and we have reason to doubt whether our leadership is up to the task. Certainly, our leaders tend to walk around with an excessive self-regard and confidence that betray the records they have accumulated. The line between war and peace, stability and chaos, and another American century or a national decline can feel as delicate and fragile as an Achilles tendon.
But we must not lose faith in our ability as Americans, or our fellow countrymen. Paraphrasing the argument from yesterday’s column about teachers, if your perception of your fellow Americans comes from whatever the social-media algorithms push to the top, you’ll only see the worst in everyone and learn to hate your country. But you’ve probably noticed that the Americans you know in ...
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
