"Make America Great Again"

The slogan "Make America Great Again" reveals a fundamental contradiction in American and global metaphysics, rooted in the tension between a desire for progress and a longing for a lost golden age. The idea of returning to a past era of greatness assumes that such a time ever truly existed and that it is possible to recapture that ideal state by reverting to older values, policies, or cultural norms.

This paradoxical impulse is often driven by a sense of nostalgia or yearning for a utopian future reminiscent of a perceived past that has yet to arrive. The French philosopher Jean Baudrillard referred to this phenomenon as "nostalgia for the future." It is the idea of imagining a perfect, harmonious world that we have yet to create, but we believe once existed or will exist again someday. Thus, the concept of "making America great again" can be seen as a manifestation of this nostalgia for a future that has not yet arrived.

However, this longing for a lost Eden also has a Christian dimension. The Christian mythos portrays the Garden of Eden as a state of innocence and harmony lost due to humanity's disobedience and fall from grace. Returning to this idealized state of being is a central theme in many Christian traditions, where the ultimate goal is to achieve a state of spiritual perfection and reunion with God.

This Christian framework can also be seen in the American context, where the idea of a golden age or a lost paradise often takes on religious overtones. For many Americans, the desire to return to a mythical past is driven by a sense of moral decline and a longing for a more righteous and virtuous society. This yearning for a return to a state of innocence and purity can be seen as an echo of the Christian narrative of the fall and the desire for redemption and salvation.

Both cases of longing for a return to a lost utopia reflect a deeper metaphysical impulse to seek transcendence and meaning in a world that can often seem chaotic and meaningless. However, it is important to recognize the potential pitfalls of such a nostalgic worldview. In reality, there was never a time when everything in America (or the world) was genuinely "great," and time passes, memories fade, and people often put a rosy lens over the past. This can be seen In people born in the 70s in their romanticization of the cold war (see south park's "back to the cold war" episode lol). Even I often find myself unwillingly dwelling on memories that should be traumatic from my past when and replaying them in my head like a Donnie Darko-esque movie. We all need to grow up, honor God, and not fixate on the rosy, not-so-rosy past.

ps: this is my first longish blog post I think I'll do more, I really enjoy writing them!

Discussion would be appreciated in the comments if you think I got anything wrong or would just like to discuss. Also recommendations on what to write about are welcome.