America is young. As of 2022 when I am writing this, we have thought of ourselves as Americans less than 250 years. Before 1776, we thought of ourselves as Englishmen.
America is young and inexperienced. We are a child country.
But America is a child genius who has read every book in the library.
We draw upon virtually the whole of European civilization, as well as a fair amount of Greek, Hebrew, and other civilizations- including a little bit of Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Phillippino, and more. To say nothing of west African civilization.
We have learned from virtually the whole of western Europe, and more.
America is a child genius who has read every book in the library.
We are a very young civilization. 250 years ago (as of 2022) we didn't even think of ourselves as Americans yet.
300 years after Homer and the economic recovery of the Aegean around 800, the Greeks had yet to produce a Thales.
China was 2,000 years old, or close to it, by the time China produced a Confucius or a Lao-tzu.
Be proud, America!
You have done well!
Within the first 250 years of your existence, you revived the world from the World Wars, mastered Democracy, and produced the American Golden Age, the age of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Miles Davis and beatniks, Jimi Hendrix and hippies, Star Trek and Jim Henson, the Beach Boys, the Grateful Dead, the Apollo moon landing and the American inspiration behind The Beatles and British classic rock.
America, you have done well!
Any difficulties are understandable- you are still barely 250 years old- at this point, even the Greeks had yet to produce a Thales or a Plato!
China was well over a thousand years old before they produced a Confucius or a Lao-tzu!
America, you have done well!
No child country less than 300 years old, no matter how genius, no matter how well read, could have done better!
And be glad!
For the Periclean Age was only the first of many great ages yet to come for Greek culture in the Aegean!
More beautiful ages in America are yet to come!
We had our Han Dynasty- our T'ang Dynasty, our Song and Ming and Qing Dynasties are still yet to come!
We had our Periclean Age- our Pax Romana is yet to come!
America, be proud!
And rejoice- for you are a young civilization, and all the future is with you!
If Japan can be young and vigorous again- and she is- after well over 1200 years of high civilization- than America will be young and strong again too, for America is not even 300 years old!
Rejoice, America, for you have done well, and all the future is with you!
God loves you!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson
P.S. If you live in the Islamic world- or any other part of the world where this is relevant- If Japan can be young and vigorous again in the modern era, so can you! So look to the future with hope! For Korea, China, India and east Arabia have risen again! Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Turkey will rise again too! And so will Mexico, and Mali, and Uzbekistan, and Ethiopia, and Somalia! And yes, Mexico, the Aztec Empire and Teotihuacan count as Golden Ages- Mexico has had Golden Ages too! That too will return! Mexico will be young and strong again too! And so will Mali and Nigeria- the Mali Empire and the Benin Kingdom- and much more- count too!