Confusion in the Promised Land

Growing up, I celebrated the Fourth of July with flags on my handlebars. The culture -- outlined from stories told at school, at home, on the National Holidays, at my father's knee; examining his Army uniform and building a frame for his medals -- was a culture of great freedom/ balanced with great responsibility. We were free to pursue our happiness -- but we had to finance it on our own, while we discharged our responsibilities. We were free to have fun in our spare time.

People fought for this! Died for this. So take care of everything, family self, health, home, neighborhood, community -- then knock yourself out! Have a ball! Run, Compete, Do a Shakespeare Play, become a politician. this is America! But the underlying cultural structure was not license or entitlement. It was anything you can afford with your allowance or what you can earn selling papers and pizzas. Freedom AND Responsibility.

I got through college -- Mom and I managed that. Her with a secretarial job and me selling shoes. Her duty was to her child and my duty was to keep her trust and become a big success. A Deal! And it worked! It does work. Thirty years later, I can verify that everything I was taught, worked like a charm.

Now I'm pushing sixty. And I don't see the duty, the decorum, the dedication or the sense of community and responsibility that so characterized my growing up time. Perhaps we've lost our commitment to anything we have, do or create together. The individual freedoms that made it possible for me to realize my dreams seem to have allowed our "nation" to evolve into a "rabble" of self absorbed individuals -- all with their hands out. And the political class seems to be pandering to the consideration that the people have the freedom and the government has the responsibility to support jobs, insurance, law enforcement and global democracy for everyone on the planet. It'll never work. The current model has separated the two bookends which together make for a meaningful life, family, community and country. Freedom and responsibility -- the two things have to come in a matched set -- living in the heart of each individual.

I hold these truths to be self-evident:

1. There's not enough money in the world for everyone to have everything they want, not even everything they need. It's a tough world out there, and it is the enterprising, aggressive and untiring few who will win the the biggest prizes.

2. The political class does not create anything! The politicians take through taxes -- from those who created wealth. Politicians are catering to the mistaken beliefs of the electorate. They are not being responsible, because we are not being responsible. You can't have what you did not earn. (Even if you steal it, you won't be able to keep it...) This crazy, irresponsible political class will prove that you can bankrupt the United States.

3. It won't go away until we make it go away. Nobody else is responsible for our lack of community. We have to start right here in our own homes and neighborhoods, to re-create the kinds of communities we desire.

I believe that those of us old enough to remember these realities should perhaps shoulder the burden of teaching what we know to be true to our children and our neighbors... one last time before we lay aside the burden and leave for the far shore.