As those in power do their level best to stoke the fires of pandemonium while calling for calm through chattering teeth, we have reached yet another opportunity wrapped in viral crisis. Get used to this dynamic, the hallmark of both revolution and this paradigm shifting year.

One of my most brilliant teachers, a rakish afficionado of high school history, taught me two most important life lessons. The first was critical thinking: that it is crucial not to slavishly believe what you have had plopped in front of you. The second was to remember your history because as he proved to us ad infinitum: those who refuse to remember their history are condemned to repeat it.