The Roaring Twenties, the decade of 1920-1929, was an amazing period in American and world history. Is there any reason to think that 2020-2029 will be much different? Better? Worse?

It is hard to imagine, based on the rate of change in the last century, just how much the world, and the Fifty States, will change in just ten short years. Looking back to 2010, the changes are difficult to comprehend. And accept.

But lovers of liberty can definitely work towards changes that are good for ourselves, our loved ones, our communities, and even the entire world. We can advocate more liberty together with the responsibility that is essential for true liberty. We can work to defend ourselves (and others) from threats to our liberty. Both current and future threats. And not just defend against them, but work to eliminate those threats. Whether they come from governments (at whatever level), or from businesses, or from do-gooder “neighbors” and individuals and conspiracies.

Above all, we can reach out and teach more and more people to be self-governors, to love and encourage liberty, and to recognize and take actions in self-defense against tyranny. However much the tyrants claim it is for our own good.

And not just the new generations, but older generations, can be taught. They can be shown how they (and we) have failed to do a good job of teaching and practicing the principles of liberty that are so essential to peace and prosperity.

We can learn many lessons from that last decade of the Roaring Twenties. Here are a few:

• Liberty is NOT license: we cannot do anything we want without accepting responsibility for our actions, as so many did in the 1920s.
• Government builds its power upon past threats and promises to do better – but it never does.
• Technology changes our daily lives – but human nature does not really change.
• Wealth is usually fleeting and can be lost very easily, especially if we take it for granted.
• Peace is usually also fleeting and even imaginary. The end of the Great War just set the stage for more wars.
• We cannot shut out the world outside the Fifty States, but that does not mean that we have to rule or police that world.
• Enemies of liberty constantly arise anew – we must always pay the Price of Liberty, Eternal Vigilance.