Endurance

Lost causes are fascinating human endeavors focused on addressing problems that were perhaps surmountable in the past, but certainly not in the future. Climate change and genetically-modified organisms are perfect examples of social obsession, oriented toward getting the horses back in the barn, after they've galloped over the horizon. We can conceivably preserve a slim chance at slowing the pace of these life-altering changes through new public policies, but that's about it.

While these dramas capture vast attention, the problems we should address in the present, because we have a realistic chance of success, remain off the table. Which leads me to ask if the human species itself is a lost cause.

Identity in America is similar to diet; pick one from each of the food groups. The result, however, is not a healthy one. Combining ideas from liberalism, conservatism, fascism, and fundamentalism is, instead, insane.