(A rerun from January)

The philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson gave an interesting talk in the midst of what was called the "Panic of 1837." At that time, about half of all banks had failed, credit had all pretty much dried up, and the American economy had nearly ground to a halt.

But Emerson did not fear the challenges of the day. He embraced them when he said:

 "If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the new stand side by side and admit of being compared; when the energies of all men are searched by fear and by hope; when the historic glories of the old can be compensated by the rich possibilities of the new era? This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."

Isn't it amazing how on point this paragraph is, still today, with all we seem to be facing?