Progression

“I am progressive,” proudly proclaimed Obama in a rally. What does he mean? I ask. All the good things that involve progression, I suppose.

Progression signifies an onward movement from the past to the future, from imperfection to perfection. The basic assumption is the past is bad and the future is good. But I see a problem here. The things of the past are a mixture of good and bad, imperfection and perfection, and what will take place in the future will likely be a mixed bag, just like the past; therefore, progression may also be digression. Besides, as a pragmatist and opportunist who adheres to the philosophy of relativism, it’s absurd to assume that there is a definite perfect destination toward which he is advancing. His primary goal of making such a claim, like most politicians, is to gain power so that he can advance his personal agenda of progression, which, I am afraid, is a misnomer at best. There is no progression without absolutes.