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 The Story We Find Ourselves In
by Tom Campbell
October 30, 2008
History is the ongoing story of humankind and events through the ages. It is fascinating to imagine what it must have been like to have been a witness in various periods of history. No doubt most of us have heard grandparents or parents tell us their experiences as young people, young adults or even in older age.
Each of us is a participant in today’s history, the story we find ourselves in. Wars, violence, poverty, and financial turbulence have left the world troubled today. There is a general sense that we have lost our way and don’t have a clear course charted for the future. At the heart of what Jimmy Carter once called a “malaise” is a crisis in confidence. Call it skepticism, cynicism, pessimism…any of the “isms” you choose point to a loss of faith in the institutions of this culture. No less than Alan Greenspan, the former icon of America’s financial sector and former Federal Reserve Chairman, admitted that he was surprised that the financial community would not work to preserve the best interests of shareholders, depositors, and the institutions itself. Essentially, those we have trusted to do the right thing in business, in government, and most every sector of our society have broken that trust and left us jaded, not knowing who to trust.
This crisis of confidence is playing heavily into our current elections. Our story features broken systems such as transportation, mental health, and, to some extent, public education on a growing list. The worsening recession is impacting us in lost investments, reduced real estate values, lost jobs, and declining revenues to state and local governments. The coming year is already shaping up to be one of the more important in modern history.
Often our ancestors had little choice but to respond to events often beyond their control. Famines, storms, wars, epidemics and other such events often left them with few options, but such is not our story. We have the opportunity to affect how our future unfolds by voting. Arguably, Tuesday’s elections may be the most important held in North Carolina since the Great Depression and perhaps the indecision being shown in many recent polls indicates the struggles we have in knowing which way to go or in whom to place our confidence. But it is the vote itself that is important.
A vote on Tuesday is a statement of faith and confidence in our process and our government. Regardless of your choices your vote is a statement that while you may not be content with the current story we find ourselves in, you still believe in our right to determine that future and are determined to make it better for ourselves and our children. Go vote.
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