Our last night in Asia this trip, we’re staying in Jinmao Tower. I hope to get some colorful pictures later on when the buildings light up. Tomorrow we fly to Toronto. In the spirit of a day of new experiences – and that describes each of our days in China – we rode the Maglev train from the airport. It reached a speed of 431 kph, or 267.82 mph.
Looking out at Shanghai and considering the 19 or so million people living here, it seems that western civilization is moving forward without the west. The Islamic fundamentalists are really out of step in their hatred of America and Great Britain because our countries are no longer at the forefront of western civ. Shanghai has the youth, the population influx, workers willing to do anything 24/7, the money to pay them, the desire to grow, etc. and etc.. American cities seem a little on the quaint side by comparison, and I don’t say that as a criticism, just that we should know where we stand. We will always be the modern cradle of western civilization, and we may remain its theoretical foundation, but as to who is at the forefront, we should not kid ourselves that it’s us. And since it’s not us, and since those who are taking it to the next level have very different views about the roles of individual and state, western civilization may well become something quite different than it was when we directed its growth.
Our country does not have the comparative advantage they have over here (China) of huge population influx, and with the population influx we do have, we’re not integrating them into any kind of growth vision. Right or wrong, having everyone working toward common goals is very unifying. Americans are probably too independent to get on board with a state-sponsored vision, but there’s nothing about our approach that precludes us from voluntarily building a better world for our children. So, how the U.S. gets there must be resolved, but I think I’ve reached a conclusion that we must get somewhere better, more modern, more effective, and more integrated, than where we are today. If we continue to stagnate we will become impoverished, our culture will disappear, and we will become shabby. Our ideals deserve a much better future. And speaking locally (Elbert County), the no-growth country-in-county stagnant vision of the future is a perfect example of a prescription for decline.