TODAY marks exactly 20 days until the US presidential election, which is shaping up to be the most consequential election anywhere in the world, ever. The anticipated result of the voting is by now fairly certain, despite news reporting that is striving to portray the contest as still undecided. What happens after the votes are cast, however, is definitely uncertain, and more than a bit worrisome.

No matter how the US election turns out, the contest itself has cast an unflattering spotlight on a number of wrong assumptions we have made about the state of the world in the 21st century. When I say 'we,' I mean people in general, although the wrong assumptions are probably held by more liberal-minded folks than those with conservative views. Even so, despite impressions to the contrary, there are still a few conservatives who have a moral rudder and are capable of critical thinking who can be counted. To be clear, the warning signs and alarming trends have been there for years, maybe this entire century so far; it has just taken the horrifying comic opera of the US election to bring them into focus.