Motivated by a deep concern for the future of our beloved country, I believe we must renew many of the values and ideals that I remember growing up and that prevailed for much of my adult life. We weren’t perfect in the “old days”, but we did have a solid set of values and an ideological compass that always pointed toward the granite upon which our country was built. Sadly now, a substantial crack seems to have formed in that bedrock. Is it possible that the current chill between us could be manifested in a freeze that could split our foundation right down the middle? That thought brings fear to my heart and tears to my eyes!
With that as a backdrop, please allow me to reminisce:
I Remember…an America when the “pillars” of our great nation and society were something to be celebrated, something to be admired; and something that brought great pride to everyone that called America home. In today’s America there probably would be significant debate about what those pillars should be, but in my America they include liberty, patriotism, honor, opportunity, family, hard work, free enterprise, and lawfulness. I start with these pillars because without them the America I knew is no more. You probably have not yet gained your own personal appreciation for many of these so-called pillars, but it is my hope that at some point you will have your own similar set and you will realize their importance to our continued way of life.
I Remember… an America when we didn’t take freedom for granted and we appreciated the fact that it was not without cost. We saw our country as the great model for freedom and desired the same for all people in the world. Back then, when evil people attempted to deprive us or others of such rights, we were willing to give all to prevent it. No one or no country doubted our commitment to that principle. We treasured our symbols of freedom, most notably Old Glory. We saluted it, we pledged our allegiance and loyalty to it, we stood for it at parades, and we wept when it was desecrated. Lastly, and most importantly of all, we had reverence for the sacrifices that were made to keep America free and to keep that beacon of hope for the free world illuminated.
I Remember…an America where hard work was expected and rewarded. The reward was not just in the form of money, but it also came with a sense of accomplishment and the feeling of a job well done. It was hard at times, but we always came out the other side a little bit better for it. We speak of an America where anything is possible. Thankfully that is still true today, but I think it needs to be prefixed by “With hard work”. Nothing is free and everything worth having requires our best effort. No, it is not always fair! But as was true then as it is now; without honest effort and hard work accomplishments, successes, and rewards are fleeting.
I Remember…an America when family was our refuge, a secure and safe place. We had the semblance of a moral compass and most of the time babies were born into a world with both a mother and a father. Back then we shared a meal with our parents and siblings, we cared about each other’s daily experiences, and we celebrated our successes and mourned our failures together. We had a home base and we knew there was support and a shoulder to lean on if we needed it. Today that type of structure and these customs and traditions may be more difficult to sustain because our lives seem much more complicated. It takes commitment and a concerted effort to find that time to be together, share an experience, or reserve a moment to listen to each other. But it is doable, and it deserves to be one of our highest priorities.
I Remember…an America when we cared about others and we were always there when someone like a friend, neighbor, or maybe even a community, was truly in need. We gave of our time, our sweat, sometimes our money, and always our thoughts and prayers. We didn’t depend as much on the government for help, but more so on each other. Life today can be hectic to say the least, but with a little effort we must still find the time and energy to lend a helping hand when and where it is needed.
I Remember…an America when we lived within our means. We limited the “goes outs” to the “goes ins” and we didn’t spend foolishly. We didn’t buy something until we had the money saved up for it, or borrowing money for it was still within the bounds of our income. Going without was not uncommon and we accepted that as normal. Borrowing money for a home or maybe a car was typical, but the home or car that we bought was dictated by our means to pay. In all likelihood we slept much better then too because we weren’t worrying as much about how we were going to pay the bills.
I Remember…an America where people could feel pride in their accomplishments and others were more than happy to express congratulations for our successes. I would describe that sense of pride as an intense exhilaration rising up inside of us and manifested in the form of initiative, a positive attitude and a strong desire to succeed. There is nothing more satisfying, and good for the soul, then to put forth a best effort and achieve something of value. No better feeling in the world!
I Remember…an America when telling the truth was an innermost instinct and not just some fleeting consideration before we opened our mouths to speak. We were truthful about our successes, our failures, and our life experiences. Telling it the way it is can be difficult at times; but at least then we don’t have to put energy into defending our falsehoods while trying to keep an honest face, or struggling to remember the earlier lie so that it was consistent if and when we had to retell it. Isn’t it somewhat curious that in legal venues in America we have to swear to tell the truth before we supposedly do so? Yes, it’s a legality; but ask yourself, should it really be necessary?
I Remember…an America when we believed in the integrity of our government and the leaders of our country were respected, almost revered. We held the position of President of the United States in the highest regard in spite of political ideology or whether we agreed with their policies. This position (person) was, and still is, considered the most powerful in the world and the leader of the free world. By this virtue, we believed the position was deserving of our utmost respect. Members of Congress too were considered the best of the best. They were our designated representatives; imminently qualified, secure in their competence and, above all, of high integrity. So what’s happened in the last decade or two? A commitment to truth and integrity even at the highest levels of our leadership structure has been breached over and over again. This is not an indictment of all of our top leadership, but objectionable conduct of some have stained the public trust in them and in many of our institutions.
I Remember…an America when someone accused of a wrongdoing, no matter what it might have been, could count on receiving a fair hearing and be deemed “innocent until proven guilty”. Alleged offenders could depend on an unbiased justice system to receive and carefully consider all the evidence before coming to a conclusion. Today because of extreme incivility and major divisions in our society it sometime feels like justice is backwards. That is to say some offenders seem to be deemed guilty until they can prove their innocence. In an age where everyone has a camera, everyone is a participant in social media, and fair reporting by our organized media outlets is sometimes suspect; the court of public opinion has run amuck. Hopefully it’s intrusion into our formal justice system does not have any unintended consequences for fair and just outcomes.
I Remember…an America when our politicians actually strived to do what was best for the country rather than solely for themselves or their Party. In those days there were very few polls and the concept of focus groups was still generally unheard of. Legislators did not cast votes or institute policies solely based upon opinions from a clueless public. This is not meant to belittle the public; but one must grant that the average person doesn’t have a comprehensive understanding of macroeconomics, foreign policy, military tactics, or even environmental impacts. Almost by definition, legislators have more relevant information upon which to base decisions (their votes in Congress), then does the general public. Back then elected officials dared to think independently and when there was debate on the floors of Congress it was honest; it wasn’t devious; and it wasn’t a deluge of disgraceful attacks on someone’s character, integrity, or honor. Their behavior was worthy of adults and not like some childish tantrum. Congress actually legislated and laws were the product of honest compromise. There was true bipartisanship and problems got resolved in a manner to benefit all of us. Finally, when real disagreements arose, truly independent judges did their best to interpret the existing laws; rather than making new law with their decisions, or acting as political partisans.
I Remember…an America when the right to vote was thought to be sacred. The integrity of our right to choose whom we wanted to represent us in the government was not in question. We believed our vote mattered, and we also accepted the will of the people when all the legal ballots were counted. Used to be, albeit I acknowledge archaic and outdated in today’s world, votes were cast on paper ballots and the many boxes of ballots were processed manually. Tedious yes, but there was confidence in the accuracy of the count. Further, if a question arose there was a straightforward way to reconcile it; go back through the boxes. Why can’t we develop systems today using current technology that are equally secure? Systems that are transparent and highly resistant to manipulation. Sure, things are much more complicated now, and a lot more people are casting ballots, but we cannot allow a most fundamental pillar of our republic to be tainted or corrupted in any way.
I Remember…an America when one could turn on the radio or television; or read a newspaper, and expect to receive a factual accounting of the news. There were choices as to where we obtained our news; albeit much fewer then, but you could usually count on unbiased reporting and not feel as though you had been lied to or tarnished with someone’s slanted view. We were able to filter the information through our own belief systems and decide for ourselves what it meant. I remember when communism was rising in the world, we considered information coming from those countries or their governments to be propaganda. Are we now being served up a huge portion of propaganda by our own “freedom of the press” purveyors? Life was simpler then, but our understanding of that simplified world was much clearer and more credible than today. In our present more complicated world the need for truth and accuracy of facts is more important than ever before. We deserve at least that!
I Remember…an America when our history was clear, unambiguous, and not subject to transparent attempts to rewrite it to what someone or somebodies wanted it to be. Is not history a reflection of actual events that are based on facts, and in the absence of new information, ageless? Is not history a resume of the people; past and present, which in turn defines their culture, values, virtues and beliefs? Is not history an honest assessment of our past, good and bad? Many of the happenings in our past should be a source of intense pride, overwhelming support, and undying patriotism. Yes, there are also events and injustices from the past that we are not proud of, but rather than running from them we must learn from them. No country has a perfect record, but acknowledging our mistakes and endeavoring to address them is one of the things that makes us great.
I Remember…an America when not only subjects such as English, math, science, history, and geography were taught in school; but also life skills. Learning life skills meant being able to make an omelet or bake a cake; being able to sharpen a knife or adjust a screen door; or being able to sew on a button or assemble a child’s toy. By the time one graduated from high school we had a well-rounded understanding of what makes up this world of ours, how we got to where we are today, and how our world works. Just as importantly though, we had the tools to go out into the world and be a productive citizen. This broad base of knowledge helped guide our life decisions and gave us the ability and confidence we needed as we progressed through the next phases of our life.
I Remember…an America when competition was a good thing. We all have things that we are good at and others not so much; and of course, reality dictates that we can’t be the best at everything. Being in a competition meant following pre-established rules and requirements, putting forth a best effort, and not giving up. Further, group competitions fostered teamwork and trust in other team members. Competition taught us how to be good winners or how to cope with loss. Life is a continuum of successes and failures and we must learn from both. Coping with failure is sometimes difficult, but also critical to a happy and prosperous life. The sooner we confront the sting of failure and rise up better for it, the more fulfilling our lives can be.
I Remember…an America where good old common sense had a place. An America where our lawmaking, our judicial system, and our politics included a good dose of common sense in determining the actions that we took or the conclusions that were reached. You’ve heard it expressed by way of cliches such as; “it doesn’t pass the smell test”, or “my gut feel” is such and such. You could also call it intuition or maybe even wisdom. Whatever you choose to call it I believe we have a massive shortage right now. Why would that be? Maybe it’s because life has gotten too complicated; or maybe we lack confidence in our sense of good and bad, or right and wrong; or maybe it’s just because we have become intellectually lazy. Whatever the cause, I believe we have become a nation plagued by an excess of illogical thinking. We desperately need a renewal of good old common sense to help us make sensible choices and decisions.
I Remember…an America when it was okay to laugh. Where we could laugh at ourselves and laugh at others without being concerned about offending someone or some group. Laughter is like therapy for unhappiness, discouragement, or antipathy. It’s a medication for our psyche, for our emotions, for our spirit. It’s healing for hurt feelings, lost friendships, or bruised egos. I believe from a scientific standpoint it may even be a positive contributor to curing physical ailments and diseases. In today’s America it seems we’ve lost much of what laughter brings to a civil society. We must plant those seeds anew, water and nourish them, and allow them to flourish once again.