on America and impotence

there was an interesting piece by doug saunders in yesterday's globe about the potential that american power is more imaginary than real and that, if push comes to shove, a protracted war in iraq could very well expose the significantly waning military and economic power of the us. interesting.

what was more interesting was saunders' emphasis on how both the right and left have locked themselves into a position whereby they are either for or against american dominance- a position which will become increasingly difficult once america's power has shifted. this is something that in social policy we call "path dependence".

i have experienced significant "path dependence" in the past two days. we have out orientation weekend here at rhodes house, meeting the new and old classes of rhodents (yes, they actually call them that) still in oxford. it's an interesting, revealing and inspiring experience. however, here again, we face the traditional responses to americans.

the americans are the largest rhodes grouping. they are significant and make an imposing impression. however, too much is made of their role here. too many of us made dramatic conclusions (myself included) about their group and how they act, fulfilling a traditional response which dates back decades. this "path dependence" unfairly skews our picture of both the university and the rhodes.

and this got me thinking. what else do i have pre-formed opinions about that hinder my ability to shape reality? what world-changing issues could i be tackling if i didn't have a worldview which was more illusory than real? and so i sat in a presentation this morning learning about some of the recent initiatives for child-led families of the hiv pandemic in south africa and imagined the complete adjustment this kind of world takes. a worldview which does not see undeniable death but hope...

i certainly hope that i can chart my own course in these coming years and not be dependent on a path, a world view or an opinion which is not of my own making nor corresponds with the world around me.

"stare in the morning shroud ... and then the day began ... i tilted your cloud ... you tilted my hand ... rain falls in real time ... and rain fell through the night ... no dress rehearsal, this is our life"