Commentary: How the U.S. shifted from an age of aspirations to an era of polarization

I’m of an age to remember when dreaming impossible dreams was a formidable lifestyle choice and a call to action; when hope wasn’t some sentimental indulgence but a foundation for reform and accountability; and when it felt like history had turned a corner and cultural, intellectual, and civic currents were converging toward greater openness and mutuality.

The Second World War had ended in devastation, but also in resolve. Out of that cataclysm came institutions meant to secure peace, bipartisan commitments to reconstruction abroad and prosperity at home, and a widely shared belief that democracy, though battered, had prevailed. The early postwar years carried a sober but unmistakable confidence: humanity had stared into the abyss and stepped back.

Civil rights legislation suggested that long-standing injustices could, in fact, be confronted. The space program pointed skyward. Cultural boundaries were softening. Across philosophy, psychology, science and art, there was a growing sense that consciousness and conscience were expanding.

By the late 1950s and into the 1960s, this optimism coexisted with anxiety and tension. Geopolitical rivalry intensified, generational unrest accelerated, and social change pressed institutions to adapt. The atmosphere was unsettled, yet conducive to artistic innovation, spiritual exploration, and civic experimentation.

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