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There's a saying that comes to mind these days. May you live in interesting times. It's understood to be a curse, even though it sounds like a blessing. The golden age of America begins right now. From New York Times Opinion, I'm Ross Douthat. Donald Trump's return to power is a clear sign that we've experienced a real turning point in history. A shift from one era to the next.
That shift wasn't always so obvious. Trump's victory in 2016 was seen as an accident, an aberration. The election of Joe Biden was interpreted as a restoration of normality. But that's not how it went. Somewhere between the emergence of COVID and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the normality that Trump's opponents aspire to restore has slipped into the past.
If you look around, it's clear the post-Cold War era has ended. I'm not aligned with Putin. I'm not aligned with anybody. I'm aligned with the United States of America. American power is still with us, but its preeminence is under threat. Beijing declaring it's prepared to go to war with America. Technological innovation is suddenly accelerating. A lot of people have said that this is the craziest technology they've ever seen.
At the same time, the spiritual landscape is shifting. The old-time religions still win converts, but there's a yearning for other gods as well. Pagan, psychedelic, extraterrestrial, the machine god of AI. The smartphone and virtual reality are forcing deep changes to basic human relationships. You're dating your computer? No, she's not just a computer. She's her own person.
And some of the most advanced societies on Earth are facing demographic collapse. The reactionary and radical and simply weird are here to stay. Are we entering a dark valley of authoritarianism and conflict? Or are we on the brink of a technological golden age? No one really knows, but I'm trying to find out.
My new show is called Interesting Times. It's about a future that's much more open and uncertain than at any point in my own adult lifetime.
Every week, I'll be exploring some aspect of the New World Order through interviews and conversations. So join me, listen and subscribe to Interesting Times wherever you get your podcasts. All right, I think we've seen enough. What do you think? This is going to be great television, I will say that. See?
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