America will rule the world forever."
This was my uncle sloganeering. He, an oncologist in the United States, had come to visit us with his family. Being younger than many present during this imperial diatribe, I stayed silent. I heard one of my other uncles—one who had not abandoned the homeland for exotic places—mutter words crafted to perforate the stoutest ego in an undertone that was clearly audible.
"You left the sticks for the States just the other day, and now you think you're a big shot!" Notwithstanding the popularity of this repartee and the titters it fetched, I disapproved of its logic.
I would have said something like: "Well, Uncle X, it is entirely possible that what you have said may turn out to be true. After all, it is a prediction, and we cannot know whether it will turn out to be true or false. Think, however, of all the empires that have come and gone, and the confidence each had in its own perpetuity, and then perhaps, on the basis of the analogy, you will be less confident of the eternal prospects of your adoptive country. Of course, you could be right…"