The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

40 THE FREEMAN JanuaryThe Need for LuresBefore concluding these commentsnotice should also be takenof the importance of the carrot infront as well as the stick behindas a stimulant. Opportunity, encouragement,inducement, as wellas hardship and difficulty, can prodmen to action and increased effort.Thus it can be argued thatthe opportunity presented to earlyAmerican settlers by a relativelyopen continent, blessed withabundant natural resources, ratherthan the obstacles and difficultiesas such, is the factor that explainsthe great forward surge intechnology and productivity. Opportunitybeckons, without doubt,and a hopeless outlook, with nosign of a silver lining in view, isnot conducive to great endeavor.This is very evident in the areasof capital formation and investment;without the lure of earningsthe incentive to save and invest issurely impared if not largely destroyed.In climbing the hill, to considerthe possible effect of opportunitya bit further, every step successfullytaken may provide encouragementfor attempting anotherstride, and as the momentum ofprogress increases the glimpses ofthe possibilities lying ahead maybecome even more potent than thesight of the obstacles yet in theway. It is hardly practicable, andnot necessary, to pass judgmenton the relative weights of the impactsof lure and pressure, but wecan all agree that the presence ofopenings, prospects, of doors atleast ajar, may well be of crucialsignificance in any society, at anystage of its development.Will the Upward Climb Be Resumed?Are there chinks in the cloudsthat have been gathering over ourheads in America, and have beenbecoming blacker and blacker forsome time? Do our currenttroubles constitute the earlystages of a long decline into somekind of "dark ages"? As I've alreadyindicated, grounds for optimismare rather hard to find.But a turnabout - perhaps in ageneration or two - shouldn't beruled out. It is conceivable thatpresent destructive trends will bechecked, by some juncture of circumstances,and even reversed indue course. Many Americans stillhave a lot of latent spunk left, thatcomes to light occasionally in theheroic efforts - for example - torescue trapped miners, children inperil, or even the cat or dog lostin a sewer. In the field of sport,too, we see the survival of astrong competitive spirit and devotionto the ideal of top performance.And there are other and stillmore impressive evidences of courage,sacrifice, and dedication.