Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20004-3027
T 202/691-4000
What's New
Novelty beckons Americans as never before. As the wreckage of our headlong race for the next new thing recedes in the rearview mirror, will we remember what we’ve lost?
Nothing new was once the norm. think of how
many centuries our ancestors lived out their lives in circumstances that
changed not at all from cradle to grave—that cycled through
the seasons untouched by material advance or technological invention,
following patterns that seemed beyond alteration. If they’d had
clocks, it wouldn’t have mattered whether the hands moved. The
exacting second hand on a modern clock and those ubiquitous digital
displays, with a colon sometimes pulsing the seconds between hours and
minutes, locate us in every moment. We expect time to go not in a circle
but like an arrow; if it lands in unfamiliar terrain, so much the better.
We’re suckers for the new, and “putting things behind
us,” whether the things be lovers, careers, addresses, attitudes,
fashions, gadgets, or disasters, is our norm.
To read the rest of this article, please consider becoming a WQ subscriber, which allows online access to the current WQ issue as well as archive content. Other access options are below.
Research, browse, and discover more than 35 years of articles, essays, and reviews by preeminent scholars and writers. Our searchable archive of back issues is free for WQ subscribers.
 |
 |
 |
Subscribe today
to the WQ Online
and receive immediate access
to the WQ archive for a full year.
Subscribe Now
-
James Morris is an editor at large of The Wilson Quarterly.
more from this author >>
Are Video Games Evil?
Violent video games teach our kids to point and shoot, say their critics. The truth may be every bit as frightening to members of a generation raised to believe they’re thinking outside the box.India's Path to Greatness
After decades of dormancy, India has blossomed into one of Asia’s two emerging powers and an important strategic partner of the United States. How—and whether—it navigates its rise could well determine the future of the whole region.Who's in Charge Here?
The 20th century taught us that repressed desires are the source of human unhappiness. Now, with more possibilities for pleasure and fewer rules and constraints than ever before, the happy few will be those able to exercise self-control.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and in no way represent the views or opinions of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. This section is moderated by Wilson Quarterly staff.