Have the headlines managed to grab your attention yet?
Any chance the price of eggs, gas, or diapers have you wondering if they will ever stabilize?
Meanwhile, crime and lawlessness on our borders, along with wars and rumors of wars seem to be a potent additive to our national anxiety.
And let’s not forget about the $36 trillion pound elephant in the room, our government.
Massive overreach, spending, taxation, dysfunction, and failed foreign/domestic policies.
It seems as if the leviathan has a near-perfect record of failure.
Our national and economic security are on the same trendline as our liberties and Constitution.
All those arrows point in one direction — down.
It’s in the air.
For the reasons above and so many more, most Americans feel a great unease, especially about our future.
A storm is upon us all, and with it, the inevitable tempest it brings.
Warning signs of careening off a cliff have been mounting for decades.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, and the hysteria accompanying it, we seem to be accelerating toward previously unimaginable outcomes.
Is this cyclical, indicative of history and/or trends? What lessons can we learn from events?
Are we experiencing a series of unfortunate events, where we will cycle back to better days just as we have seen in our history?
Or . . . Are we witness to a seismic shift in society globally?
Are we in a unique time where erosion of freedoms, endless money printing, questionable elections, corruption, health scares, drugs, crime, and endless wars have us in a shift to a new place where there's no going back to what life was once like?
We the People have a decision to make. We must make this choice now.
Sage wisdom says, if you stare at the rear-view mirror long enough, you are going to hit something. You aren't driving forward, you're wallowing, having taken your eyes off a frequently treacherous road.
We could succumb to our national depression and anxiety, accepting today’s conditions.
Just how "un-American" is that?
We would do well to remember Sir Winston Churchill's words from 1941:
" . . . never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large . . . "
Now is the time for grit and resolve, following the example set by our Founders and greatest generations. We must resolve to renew our nation and overcome our problems.
No one is coming to save us, which is why it falls on each and everyone one of us.
Recently, this writer had the opportunity to speak at a startup conference in Victoria, Texas.
This historic jewel dating back to the 17th-century expedition (1685) of French explorer (and fur trader) René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, would have a front row seat to America’s westward expansion, including a central role in Texians (early settlers') war for independence against General Santa Ana and the Mexicans.
Like so many American communities, Victoria’s citizens have endured adversity as boom/bust cycles in industry and a globalizing world emerged as "adapt or die" propositions.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and all the job crushing trade deals that followed did not spare Victoria.
Like so many "forgotten man" cities, this farm, energy and factory town was weakened.
A glaring symptom found at the high school where graduates departed, in search of opportunity, never to return.
Eighteen months ago, Victoria slammed the brakes on the malaise, refusing to accept a terminal prognosis.
In partnership with an inspiring group of entrepreneurs with deep venture capital connective tissue, a new course was charted.
Where some see decline, others see renewal.
Founder Nick Smoot and partners at startup incubator, The Innovation Collective (IC) and Venture Capital firm, ReAlign Ventures, agreed with the case Victoria was making; that its best days were ahead.
The IC joined the community as they are doing in other cities, here, and overseas.
The strategy to get the stakeholders together to leverage community strengths, attract outside interest, and plant businesses that make sense from legacy to new technologies has been in play for less than two years and is already showing signs of significant progress.
This shows main street can make a comeback!
Last weekend’s event, Think Big Festival focused on key themes in Victoria’s renaissance— space, energy and agriculture.
The celebratory vibe was in the ether citywide.
Citizens, politicians, educators, entrepreneurs and future entrepreneurs (from high schools) enjoyed a moment to take stock of a roaring comeback well underway.
On display for the whole city was a technology fair highlighting the new focus on new ways to look at old problems.
Robots rolled, software demoed, new aviation ideas, space opportunity, agriculture breakthroughs and more were all on display.
Business speakers and influencers in high demand nationally descended on Victoria, inspiring attendees with their visions of how Victoria would fit into the new economy, while being inspired by these determined Texans proudly representing their history, tradition and dreams of an unlimited future.
Perhaps the most inspiring stories centered on a new and welcome phenomenon in Victoria. Victorians who went out into the world and made their way, are starting to return with their families.
These stories were told with tears of joy and high confidence that this new intersection of community, industry, and technology represents a new day and many more to come.
Victoria is an example; it's most certainly not a "one-off."
This rebirth can and will happen across the country. This is the American spirit.
Cynics would say, you can’t achieve success in this economic environment.
Cycle or shift? Who cares?
We the People will always have found a way, and always will.
Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt (retired) is a co-founder of Restore Liberty, a former deputy representative to NATO, a lifetime member on the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Newsmax contributor. The views presented are those of the author and do not represent the views of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, or its components. Read Gen. Holt's reports — More Here.
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