Coffee for thought

What I just read on the side of my Starbucks cup is infinitely more interesting than what I am supposed to be reading at the present moment:

"We must insist on listening to the voices of a true, honest, complicated past, unafraid of controversy or tragedy, but equally drawn to those stories and moments that suggest an abiding faith in the human spirit, and particularly the unique role this extraordinary and often dysfunctional Republic seems to have in the positive progress of mankind." - Ken Burns, documentary filmaker best known for The Civil War, Baseball and Jazz.

Profound and thought-provoking, I think, especially regarding the "unique role" and in what capacity that role furthers the "positive progress of mankind."

I love Ken Burns' work.