The Next Revolution

Last weekend I drove to Virginia to pick up my mom who had been staying with my aunt for the week following my uncle's death.  I had been looking forward to crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel but did not realize that my GPS chose a different route which took me passed Washington DC rather than via the Delaware/Maryland shore area.

Still, it made me think about the wondrous engineering feats that were built in the past 100 years.  The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, the Hoover Dam, the Empire State Building, and the Panama Canal, among others, demonstrate the incredible achievements that can be accomplished when man combines his intellect with a vision for a better world.

As my trip to Virginia was solo, I let my mind wander.  I imagine it was the next logical step after the industrial revolution that specific man-made wonders would be conceived and created.  One might say, it was indicative of man conquering the limits of his physical world, a process that had begun with his mastering of fire. 

And, perhaps it is a stretch, but I began thinking that once human kind triumphed over the physical restraints of life, it might also follow that a social revolution might occur.  It seems to me that the social changes of the recent past that have resulted in more equal treatment of women, African Americans, and the gay-lesbian community are the direct result of a social revolution that has inspired man to actually apply those awesome words ''all men are created equal".  I imagine that in another fifty years, race relations will have improved even further, and the gay citizens of America will be able to marry the person they love. 

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I think the physical revolution that has enabled man to cross large bodies of water in their car, plant flags and bring home rocks from the moon, and communicate instantly with anyone, anywhere, has necessarily run its course, or is over.  I would hope that further technological triumphs will continue to free humans from certain physical dangers while opening up the world to grander discoveries.  Nor do I believe in the least that the social revolution that has opened our eyes and hearts to truly treating everyone as they would want to be treated is complete.  But I do think the cycle for each of these revolutions is closer to the end than the beginning.

Which leads me to wonder what the next revolution will entail.  In a previous blog, I published a story about the next greatest generation.  This generation perceived the threat to America, and tackled  it head on, despite the fact that the threat was defined as concepts that had previously helped create the myth and greatness of America. 

In that story, I briefly mention that the generation in question was posthumously known as a very spiritual generation.   Not religious with its connotation of dogma, rules, use of the fear of death to promote goodness, and assignment of "evil" to those with differing beliefs.  True spirituality that transcends the biases and prejudices (and fears) that promote tribalism, whether it be in the form of nationalism, race, gender, or sexual orientation. 

A spiritual revolution is coming, in fact, in my opinion, has begun.  Its signs are hard to discern, but they are there.  I see the signs in disparate places, revealed by a variety of events, and displayed in the actions and words of a multitude of people.

I hope to provide some specific details about this revolution in the near future.

In the meantime, just a reminder that if you have a Kindle, my initial attempt at publishing is available to download.  From the Kindle search menu, you can find it by searching by author, Joe Pugnetti, or title, Short Stories and Wurdsfromtheburbs.