DC Addendum

Earlier on this trip I went off on what I called the “culture of extravagance or abundance” in the US.  I think I attributed it to living in  a land  with a lot of resources.  I noticed that same theme in some of the exhibits in the American Museum of Art and the Museum of American History and the quotes from de Tocqueville and Muir.  The history museum exhibit that examined the roots and implications of the American Dream – sometimes realized, sometimes not, tied that part of our national character to the abundant resources so apparent in our earlier history.  Generations of immigrants came to this country searching for the dream.  One wonders about the “dream” considering the current state of the economy, the shift to a service rather than manufacturing economy, and living in a time driven more by scarcity than abundance. The darker side of our culture of extravagance was underscored in the “America at War” exhibit.  The exhibit walks you through the war of independence, the wars of expansion (1812, Indian removal, Mexico), Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan.  I found it chilling to realize that downside to abundance is the need to protect it.   And protecting our interests inevitably results in war. Our national character – born in abundance, bathed and protected in blood.  I’ll be more cheerful future posts.