The Fate of America: An Inquiry into National Character

 Discusses America's crisis of heroism and the threat it poses to democracy
 Shows how our national character is linked to an increasingly archaic heroic ideal or notion of greatness
 Explores what would be involved in redefining this heroic ideal-particularly in a spiritual context-as we enter a new era of history

In THE FATE OF AMERICA, the United States is examined against the backdrop of the great civilizations of history. From the Founding Fathers and the legendary frontiersmen and cowboys, to astronauts and athletes, and other contemporary heroes, Michael Gellert profiles the development of the American "heroic ideal." He reveals how this concept expresses the nation's aspiration toward greatness and its sense of identity and purpose. He describes how our national character informs this ideal, pinpointing what has caused it to go awry. Although America's original heroic ideal as expounded by the nation's founders had a powerful redeeming and guiding vision, the nation is at a loss as to what this vision means in a twenty-first century context. Through an examination of education, politics, the media, and many other aspects of American life, the author concludes that the nation's heroic ideal is too simplistic and "young" for modern times. THE FATE OF AMERICA suggests what the nation must focus on in its public discourse and in the education of its citizens in order to successfully meet the challenges of history.

Michael Gellert is the director of training at the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles and a Jungian analyst in private practice. He was formerly a humanities professor at Vanier College, Montreal, and he taught religious studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York. His previous book is Modern Mysticism: Jung, Zen, and the Still Good Hand of God. He lives in Santa Monica, California.