image by dno1967

Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to visit Walt Disney World. I hadn’t been there since I was a kid, and it was a seriously good time. One thing that I’d completely forgotten about was Disney’s focus on the idea of “progress”—Epcot Center, the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland, and especially the Carousel of Progress ride all put forward the vision of a shining future into which our civilization confidently, inevitably proceeds.

Though Disney’s idea of progress is marked mainly by technology rather than development of culture or consciousness, it’s pretty remarkable for an amusement park to embody any kind of worldview, and the park’s vision of the future is stylish, fun, and beautiful.

What I love most about it is that it underscores the fact that progress is real. Human beings have changed and grown and evolved through the centuries, from undifferentiated groups acting mainly on instinct to the multitude of societies we have today, acting on different motives and with different goals in mind. Some cynical folks think we humans are just animals wearing clothes, and that is true to a certain extent, but there is also another component—the part of us that wants to learn and grow and change. This impulse has created the beauty, the knowledge, and the problems that make up culture.

Like the global context in which it exists, America has also developed enormously over the last 232 years, moving from an agricultural society that treated black people as less than full human beings to an information-based culture on the brink of electing its first black president. In the grand scheme of things, America has only been around for the blink of an eye. It’s breathtaking to stand back and look at how far we have come.

Of course, we still have loads more to do, and I believe that a Barack Obama presidency represents the next step forward for our nation and indeed for our world. For too long we have allowed ourselves to be divided and conquered by interests that value monetary gain over human liberty. For too long we have spun our wheels in debates over social issues that mean less and less as our economic and ecological problems grow. For too long we have hidden in our homes, each year growing more frightened, more easily manipulated, and more confused about what we are missing.

What we’re missing is our connection to each other. What we have in common is so much more than what we think divides us. Realizing this and coming together to do the work of finding a new, harmonious way to live are our next tasks as human beings. I believe that if anyone can lead us in taking up this task, it’s Barack Obama, and for this reason I am proud to cast my vote for him on this beautiful November day.

Did you vote? How did it go? Let us know in the comments.