It as the best of times, it was the worst of times....
(independent.co.uk)
In 1859, Charles Dickens wrote The Tale of Two Cities. The setting was the French Revolution. He presents the conditions for the French peasants who, for centuries, had been demoralized by the upper class. He draws many parallels between the political conditions and social issues present in Paris and London, leading up to the French revolution. Dickens begins with:
" It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."
Remember, this was written in 1859, only a few years before the American Revolution. Without much imagination, his words speak the truth for 2017. How it will end...We shall see. We shall see.
Constant vigilance.
Until next time,
Michael