The above is from the Los Angeles Times article about this "trending" act of generosity. There wouldn't be much else to say about it except with regards to a recent viewing of "The Best Years of Our Lives." This 1947 Best Picture Oscar winner looked at the lives of vets returning from World War II, and did so just a year or so after the end of the war. The opening minutes shows one man who is back in the States and simply trying to return to his hometown. Asking about commercial flights, he is told that there is one available - in about two weeks. The flight attendant eventually points the vet to the ATC (Army Transport Command) area at the airport, evidently so he can get a (free) Space Available flight. As his transaction is completed, a businessman arrives for his flight and is quickly set up. Told that his baggage is overweight, the businessman willingly accepts the additional fee. Meanwhile, at the ATC terminal, the waiting military men are told that their next flight ... Is cancelled.
The businessman in this scene is not treated as some villain, sneering at the warrior returning from battle. He doesn't even expect special treatment. He is simply doing what he needs to do, getting on a flight and paying as he is asked. The contrast is pointed enough, though, that the intent is clear: patriotism is grand, but money is the real law of the land.
The Fourth Turning is supposed to be about the country resolving important outstanding problems. Whatever gets resolved, there will still be additional problems left over. People who thought the U.S. was going to do something substantive about class imbalances were disappointed - as were any who wanted those commie Soviets consigned to the same ash heap of History as the Third Reich. It will be important to accept and be happy at whatever progress is made, since expecting all problems to be fixed will only lead to endless dismay.
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