I offer the inimitable words of my old buddy Steve.

[byronius]

Draw a line of human social development starting thirty thousand years ago -- it goes up. Whole lives, whole generations spent going down, going up, living through the bounce. But it goes up over time, steadily.

And it goes up from the smallest of things. Human hope, usually put into words but not always. People that were treated cruelly that raise kind children. Bits and pieces and lost moments of the Better Humans, swept away by the rending darkness of the Ancestor -- but those stories live to inspire future generations to overdo the Better Human thing.

I saw the first black president happen, twice, and the first female president though they could not stand it and took her from us. I saw rights for many seriously disenfranchised minorities enter the conversation if not yet into permanent law. I see the younger people skewing politically way left, and in a solemn and informed manner that shames my lost generation.

We are living better lives than 99.99 percent of all human beings that have ever lived. Democratic freedom is under attack, and the disproportionate response of time will be that this story rescues the future. The villains are clear, the momentum of history is true (even if we feel it as darkness), and I love that I get to be here and serve as one of the truly faithful Americans that WILL NOT GO GENTLY INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT.

We'll save ourselves, and our children, and their children, and the world, and all the creatures of this world and we'll emerge to be Better Humans after all -- I do believe this.

And you help. Just by being here.

Thanks for that.

[Raven]

1. Amen! You've made my day with this. Thank you for posting it. n/t

[cyclonefence]

2. I'm sorry

I'm an English major.

"Do not go gentle into that good night."

Dylan Thomas

[llmart]

3. Thank you for this optimistic post.

Way too many doomsayers on DU lately - everything from "all of us need to stop having children" to "democracies around the world are all dying".

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

" ...a time for peace, I swear it's not too late." The Byrds - 1965.

[bigbrother05]

8. Pete Seeger wrote the song in late '50s, most of the lyrics are from Ecclesiastes

The Byrds are the ones that made it ones that made it iconic.

[llmart]

13. Yes, I knew all that.

The song by the Byrds is what resonates with this boomer who came of age in the 60's.

[kooth]

20. I knew that too ...

... and I too came of age in the '60s.

[PatrickforO]

17. I remember the song.

We sure are going through an apocalyptic time, aren't we? But soon it will be a time to heal, to build up, dance, love and have peace.

[llmart]

19. Yes.

I'm ready for the love, dancing and peace. It's going to have to start with us.

[Phoenix61]

4. Thank you so much for posting this.

One can get caught up negativism. It’s nice to be reminded we will persevere.

[Kitchari]

5. Love this

Thank you for posting

[malaise]

6. A truly beautiful and hopeful OP

[FakeNoose]

7. Beautifully written, and your timing couldn't have been better

People are starved for your hopeful words.
Thank you Byronius!

[planetc]

9. Amen, amen ...

It is very difficult for us to take the long view of ourselves. We speculate on the fates of other things, like the sun, and systems, like the effect of greenhouse gases on the surface temperature. But to place ourselves in one of those systems, and take a long enough view to see this pattern, not enough of us do that. In the short range of an individual life, we're all doomed. But in the long view of how the species is doing, there's been a lot of improvement. Let us contribute to it, and not sweat the small stuff, like our individual lives.

[Kurt V.]

10. K&R thanks for this

[BarbD]

11. Yes! The sun WILL come out tomorrow

and hope is our salvation.

[Toorich]

12. Very Good Words....

..... but who is Steve? Poet, philosopher, teamster, soldier, sailor, teacher or musician.....???

[byronius]

15. An old friend.

He helped design the 486 chip, retired at 41, became a forest docent. A good American.

[volstork]

14. Thank you.

I needed to hear that.

[PatrickforO]

16. It's true. All of us may well be warriors of light.

I know the good side has kindness, mercy, justice, freedom, democracy, opportunity, a level playing field. I like to think all of us are on the good side, and the synergy we create keeps the world from sinking into a Trumpian darkness. Although the Donald is working really hard at turning off the lights...

[pandr32]

18. The villains are clear" is right!

You have to cover your eyes not to see them, plug your ears not to hear them, and pretend all is well as some pretend CIC suggests not to feel them and what they are doing all around us.

Thank you for this wonderful post!

[McKim]

21. We Must Stand Up Against Perpetual War

We must stand up against perpetual war and force our government to give our people the benefit of our tax dollars. We must change our country from being a destroyer to being a builder. I am lighting a candle in the darkness tonight by going to an anti war demonstration for what feels like the the millionth time.

[yonder]

22. Great words and thanks for reposting this as an OP.

The next day after you first posted, I did go up and buy a frame for it. Now we just have to figure out where to hang it.

If you see your friend Steve, please let him know he's made an impact.

[Hekate]

23. Thanks