Now or Never Future

"...the future becomes the present, the present becomes the past, and the past turns into everlasting regret if you don't plan for it!" So said Tennessee Williams in The Glass Menagerie, unintentionally shedding light on the current political predicament in which we find ourselves.

In wrestling with all of the issues with which America must deal, we can boil many of them down to a matter of political will. Take for example economic uncertainty, an ironic focal points for Republicans who are correct in saying that businesses are timid about investing for the future, but who fail to realize that their refusal to cooperate is the cause of this uncertainty. Similarly we can look to public education, a huge problem in many parts of the country, and a field in which much progress is being made, but in which more could be done if we had the political will to act quickly and decisively.

But we don't. We punt, we squabble, we punt again. Doers do, meanwhile, but we're not empowering them. We live happily and comfortably in the present without much regard for the future. But the future will be here soon, and if we don't start preparing for it then it will in fact ultimately become everlasting regret. A blissful present is not synonymous with a prosperous future, but nor are these two things mutually exclusive. We can live well now and be ready for tomorrow, but we must act. Complacency is a by-product of hubris, and we don't need another quote from a Greek playwright to show us where hubris leads.

I wake up each day knowing that I live in the best country in the world, but recognizing that is only true because the people who came before me - both living and dead - looked to the future, did great things, planned ahead, and paved the way for the success we experience today. If we do not do the same will Americans born 25 years from now feel the same way I do?

It's not as though we are searching for the right path forward. We know that when it comes to laying the foundation for economic success we must find a way to increase revenue, curb spending, and invest wisely. We can disagree on specifics of what that looks like, but the general idea is there. Why can't our politicians make it happen? The future is coming, and it's now or never getting ready for it. I'd like to think we'll choose now, but when I read the news it appears as though we are content with never.

Carpe diem, but don't settle for success today. Carpe diem tomorrow too. And the day after that. Carpe every diem as a matter of fact. It's only if we do that, if we accept that success today does not necessarily mean success tomorrow, that we will actually set ourselves up for a prosperous future.