On the other hand, the United States was created by people who preferred the former. The tree root, branch, leaf, metaphor is nice. It could just be that insti

On the other hand, the United States was created by people who preferred the former. The tree root, branch, leaf, metaphor is nice. It could just be that institutions, whether economic or civic, go through a lifecycle, and that notions of 'progress' are just a cell's perception of advancements towards the next step of the cycle. Being a solid root or branch is no bad thing. But neither is being a seed. Not all seeds will sprout. Not all have too. Nature forces an economy of energy. Problems are 'solved' by mutants as they become adaptive in a certain ecology. This also implies a crowding out of the less adaptive. Go, and be a happy root. But do not despair over the happy leaves on the wind, nor the happy seedlings.