Great post, as usual. A joy to read. Thanks for your inputs.

I agree: the future is not always just an extension of the past.

Yet, we have a tendency to make assumptions not rooted in reality.

We can fall short of perceiving and responding to facts. Even if the writing is on the wall, our conditioning sometimes can prevent us from seizing new opportunities: alas, tunnel vision!

There was a time, for example, when many nations were considered economic basket-cases. Now, analysts have started to wax eloquent about the rise of the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China). There are also new opportunities in Mexico and other places. Till recently, such countries were not even on our radar screens. Now, so many well-paying jobs that demand higher-order skills are being outsourced to formerly obscure, remote places.

Who could have predicted this based on our history? History is important, of course, and we need to strive to read and understand it, but we need not let history dictate our momentum.
We can create a glorious future despite an ordinary history of achievement. Progress is possible even for the faint of heart and even for those who may not have had success in their past. Thanks.