Seeking ‘a glorious past’ to better face the future

In Lover's Leap State Park, New Milford, Conn.

—Photo by Bob P. B. - https://www.flickr.com/photos/7272600@N06/21939948784/

“A man rising in the world is not concerned with history; he is too busy making it. But a citizen with a fixed place in the community wants to acquire a glorious past just as he acquires antique furniture. By that past he is reassured of his present importance; in it he finds strength to face the dangers that lie in front of him.’’

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“Opinions about the future of society are political opinions.’’

—Malcolm Cowley (1898-1989), writer and editor best known as a literary historian. He lived in New Milford, Conn.