A Post-Thanksgiving Review of Everything That's Right With the World

LET’S GET POSITIVE--Well, maybe the world isn't completely falling apart...or so Hollywood tells us. There's ISIS and environmental and economic strife aplenty, but perhaps there's true hope and change that's out there for us to at least dream about.  Not because of this president, or because of any given political candidate, but because those courageous enough to still have confidence in the human race despite our current cynicism still exist. 

In the middle of the last holiday weekend, I had the opportunity to spend some family time and see two movies--"The Martian" and "Mockingjay, Part 2"--as well as rewatch the series finale of "Star Trek:  The Next Generation".  Yes, that's what I like to watch ... although I'm still trying to find time and watch "The Peanuts Movie". 

Count me in, perhaps, as a hopelessly naive optimist, or as a sci-fi nerd.  Count me also in as someone who tries to view the impact of literature and culture on the defining description of a society's values and aspirations. 

The movies and TV series described above all showed futures with both challenges and successes.  In some cases, as with "Mockingjay", it showed violence and innocents being killed at a level almost incomprehensible to most of us in the civilized world. 

(And for those who've ever read any of Suzanne Collins' work, you'd know that her anti-war messages are two-fold:  war is at times inevitable and necessary so long as human behavior persists, and that when it happens no one gets away from the killing and maiming and psychological devastation that consumes everybody.) 

"The Martian" also shows a world (well, maybe two worlds) where the best of human behavior trumps human imperfection.  I've always believed that space exploration is the best way to enhance human knowledge outside of the military/war venue, and that those in either political party were hurting our future by sticking to the "let's fix Earth's problems before going into space". 

Not because I think space travel is easy or even possible any time soon...but because it pushes human capabilities to the extreme without having to resort to violence.   

The futures described in either Star Trek, "The Martian" and "Mockingjay" all have one thing in common, though. They all describe a humanity where greater gender, ethnic, and geographical diversity are taken for granted...including the ability for heroes and villains to show up of any personal background.  

Which can only be a good thing. 

It's hoped that our current domestic and foreign challenges that threaten to divide us forever can be overcome with an understanding that a person is defined by who he/she is, and what he/she does. 

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Precious few, and increasingly fewer, human beings are presuming that a person's skin color, gender, sexual identity, or even political background is as important as what he/she is and does.  Certainly there are the extremists (and by "extremists" I refer to both the Left as well as the Right, because they both are lousy with rage and divisive talk and behavior), but they're all being called out as such. 

Let's not presume that life will ever be as easy as a Hollywood happy ending...but let's not presume that we're all going straight to perdition, either. 

I hope you all had a peaceful, happy, and reflective Thanksgiving.  Moving forward, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukkah, and Happy Holidays to you all.

 

(Ken Alpern is a Westside Village Zone Director and Board member of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), previously co-chaired its Planning and Outreach Committees, and currently is Co-Chair of its MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee.  He is co-chair of the CD11Transportation Advisory Committee and chairs the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at  [email protected].   He also does regular commentary on the Mark Isler Radio Show on AM 870, and co-chairs the grassroots Friends of the Green Line at www.fogl.us. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Mr. Alpern.)

-cw

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 13 Issue 97

Pub: Dec 1, 2015