Time is either a journey along a continuous line, or a circle that revolves over and over again. Mankind is at the crossroads to determine which one is true.

As the old saying goes, if we forget the past, are we destined to repeat it? Or are we doomed to consistently repeat old formulas and ideas that have been proven time and again to fail? Each morning when I pick up my newspaper and read the headlines, is it me, or do you also, after a while, start to feel that you’ve seen this movie before? Have we as a society forgotten what works, and what doesn’t?

Can mankind overcome its defects, to the point of not repeating them? I want so much to believe in the perfect world, where everything can be negotiated and compromised…where nations can sit down around the table, discuss their differences, and find peace. A world where thieves and crooks don’t have their way in our financial markets. Is it naive to want a better world for our children? Eerily, more and more I start to see the mistakes and demons of the past begin to show their faces with new masks. The name Neville Chamberlain has been going over and over in my mind this past week. He was the Prime Minister of Great Britain who tried to reach a peace treaty with Adolf Hitler. Chamberlain was convinced that he could sit down and negotiate an agreement with Hitler, that intelligent men could meet and find a compromise. He watched as Adolf Hitler signed the agreement not to invade Poland, brought that agreement back to the British people and, as he was getting off the plane, held out the agreement and said “Peace in our time.” Before the ink was dry on that agreement, Hitler invaded Poland. We all know where that ended up.

We will find out in the next couple of years if Time is a straight line, or a repeating circle. The past few months President Obama has opened his hands to compromise and peace, over and over. He wants so much to reach common ground with those who consider America their enemy. President Obama will either succeed, or become Neville Chamberlain. What we as a society are going to have to see firsthand is, are there people who want peace, or are there people that will do anything to avoid it?

Time is the great commoditizer. Products that were once extremely expensive eventually drop in price so that just about everyone can afford them. Computers, televisions, flat screens, and yes, eventually, robots. Unfortunately, so too has nuclear material become commoditized. Where once nations shuddered at the thought of a nuclear war, other groups now see no problem with purchasing and using such weapons. Is the time line flat, or a circle? Can one rationally have a conversation with a madman?

I love my country, I love the world. I want all God’s children to get along. Time hangs in the balance.

May true hearts prevail,

Jennifer Avalon

© 2009 Jennifer Avalon