On the eve of this presidential election, the United States faces daunting problems. But that has been true on the eve of every election. As they say, the best explanation for the good old days is a bad memory. When we take an objective look at how the country is doing and which way it has been going, we see that American life is not a hellscape of carnage and decline. What stands out is a resilient democracy that tends to recover from setbacks and make halting progress.

None of this progress happened by itself. In the natural course of events, things get worse, not better, as benevolent conditions give way to disorder, disease and the worst of human nature. Progress is the dividend of human beings recognizing problems and mustering their ingenuity and will to solve them.

Among the most important of these people are political leaders. We should choose the ones who assess the nation’s problems realistically, distinguishing genuine afflictions from anecdotes and rumors and who vow to learn from its successes and not repeat its mistakes.

This post was excerpted from a New York Times guest essay by Steven Pinker. Read the full essay for free using this gift link (expires on December 1st, 2024)