On our way to the market the other day, we came upon a sign that said "Road Work Ahead". I didn't think much about it at the time, but the message that sign communicates has been on my mind ever since. It is a warning sign. It is a sign that let's us know that there may be some rough spots ahead, but they will be repaired soon.
Nation Building
I am very thankful for my heritage. I am especially grateful to recognize my citizenship in the United States of America. Tomorrow we will celebrate our independence and the founding of our country. This wonderful event occurred 233 years ago. As a country, we have experienced great growth and great wealth. The freedoms we enjoy are amazing. I have rarely felt so free in other countries. It is so prominent here that I can feel it as soon as I come home from my travels. I love my country and my flag. I am proud to be an American.
As a country, we have always aspired to be the best. We have pursued after happiness. We have treasured our liberty. Generation after generation has reached to make America better than it was when they found it. Those that have come here from other countries have done their best to live the American Dream and to make America a better place.
All of this reaching though now seems to be part of our past and not so much a part of our present. Over the course of the past thirty years or so, we have somehow become complacent. Whereas our nation was once known for its independent thinkers, too many of us now listen to sound bites of the news without ever thinking for ourselves.
The signs are indicating that there is "Road Work Ahead". It is needed. We can't put it off any longer. In some instances it will be inconvenient and even painful for us to do this work, but it must be done. We have focused so many of our resources over the course of the past three decades building other nations. While that great work was needed and appreciated, we have paid a price and it is beginning to take its toll on us. It has distracted us from the work of building our own nation. We must now turn our focus inward. The inner vessel must be cleansed before it is too late. Too many of our freedoms are being taken away by a government that no longer represent the people it represents.
The System Works
This is not a criticism of the democratic or the republican party. This is a criticism of the leaders from both of those parties. Many of them seem to either be asleep at the wheel or they are intentionally moving agendas forward that the rest of us do not support.
Change needs to happen, and some of the changes that need to happen will be painful. I am not afraid of the pain. Many of us are already feeling a lot of pain from the unwise decisions of the past. I accept the fact that pain will be a part of our collective experience for the next several years. The problem I see, is that change has become a buzzword. Many of our elected officials are doing things in the name of change that do not create change. Their schemes are stealing the hope of our future generations. They continue to invest our resources with no accountability. That needs to stop now.
We, those of us that live in the USA, need to return to our roots of independent thinking, so that we can understand what the heck is going on around here. Here is just one example: every President we have had since 1970 has promised that they are going to decrease our dependence on foreign oil, yet today we are more dependent on it than ever before. In order to make a change, there will be some pain. The new technology needed will cost money and we will need to pay for it. Many talking heads are saying that the current administration's plan will not work because it will be too painful for us to implement, but they are not telling us what it will actually accomplish. It is difficult to find out what they are talking about, but my sense is that the current plan is not the answer, but neither is "drill, baby drill". We must do something different than we have done if we expect to obtain a different result.
We Are All In This Together
This is just one example of what is plaguing our country. Health care, banking, and taxation are other topics and there are many more. Our ancestors were up to the challenge of creating the way. They were involved in these types of discussions. They did not rely on the government to solve these types of problems for them. Private industry often led the way and they were the means by which many discoveries were made. They did not expect that somebody else would do it for them. They went to work and made our country great.
We need to remember that this is our country. We need to study out the issues at hand. We can no longer rely on CNN or Fox News to analyze the world for us. There are too many of us that are going through life in a stupor of thought, waiting for somebody to tell us that it will all be better soon. We are not sheep. We do not need Rush Limbaugh or Keith Olbermann to tell us what we need to do. We may need to listen to both of them to get the whole story, but then we must begin to think for ourselves. We must be independent thinkers. We live in an independent Union and we need to start acting like it again.
It Will Not Be Easy - But It Will Be Worth It
I wish I could tell you how it will happen. I suppose, in a way I can. It will take the efforts of each and every one of us. We each need to discover how we can contribute and do our part to "form a more perfect union". To those that feel disenfranchised, I say get involved.
One of our great talents, who recently passed away, sang about the way we can make the world a better place. I am willing to do what MJ suggested. "I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways. And no message could have been any clearer. If you wanna make the world a better then take a look at yourself, and then make a change." I ask each of you to do the same.
Here are some questions to ask yourself. What does patriotism mean to you? What can you do to become more informed about what is going on in our country? What role are you willing to play in your local community? What can you do to wake up your sense of ownership in this country? Are you willing to pay the price of citizenship?
Celebrate Our Freedom
Tomorrow many of us will either set off fireworks or watch a local firework show. I hope that you will remember that there is more to the 4th of July than having a family party. We are celebrating our freedom and our independence. Think about that tomorrow and then ask yourself; Is the freedom still ringing in our great country? I think it is, but I think its sound is beginning to fade. It is time for each of us to make it ring loudly again.
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