On January 20, 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy gave his Inaugural Address from the East Front of the United States Capitol. One of the most often quoted passages from an often quoted speech is: “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” Forty-eight years later, that call to the spirit of all that is noble in Man has been stood upon its head. Today, too many ask only what their country is going to give to them. They wonder also why they should even consider giving anything to their country.
This is a mindset that must be changed if the nation created by the Founding Fathers is to continue in any recognizable form. Indeed, this is a mindset that must be changed if a free and unfettered humanity is to survive both within these borders and beyond.
It has become widely accepted that “The Government” should do for the populace everything necessary to grant a comfortable and secure living. Food, clothing, shelter. High Definition digital television. Internet access. After all, socialism worked so well for that great Peoples Paradise, the Soviet Union. Why shouldn’t we, too, derive the benefits bestowed upon that grand tribute to Humanity? Okay, so maybe the USSR isn’t the best example of the vast benefits of living in the Worker’s Paradise – but that’s only because the evil Ronald Reagan endlessly talked about freedom, and individual responsibility, and the chance to carve out one’s own success in the world until finally a crushing blow was delivered to the will of the People. How else could a fat drunkard climb a tank and topple the Grand Soviet Empire?
Right.
Somewhat more frightening than the headlong rush to “what yours is mine and what’s mine is mine” is the growing number of people who don’t even comprehend how their government is funded. A recent report on an Opinion Dynamic Corp. poll conducted for FOX News stated, “While 65 percent understand the government's money is their taxpayer dollars at work, some 24 percent think the federal government has "plenty of its own money without using taxpayer dollars." The first concern is that only 65 percent of Americans understand that if the government doesn’t tax there are no government dollars to spend. Truly a matter of concern – for at least 65 percent of us – should be the fact that nearly one quarter of our neighbors apparently believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy. These same people are allowed to vote, to drive on the same streets you drive on, and date your daughter.
If that last doesn’t scare you, then nothing will.
Working on the premise that it is never too late to start trying, it is time for the people of the United States of America to wake up, pay attention to what is really going on around them, and take an active hand in ensuring that the country they want to believe they were born and raised in and now inhabit actually continues to exist. This nation did not just happen. It was created through hard work and sacrifice, and through a confidence that there could be no greater achievement than those made through the human spirit unleashed. It takes passion, sweat, and commitment to retain that which was bequeathed to us. For the past half century we have become complacent, and unwittingly abetted the forging of the chains that now threaten to shackle us.
The effort required is great, and in many cases the cost dear. Without that effort though the dream that was America will be lost. Though the challenge is difficult to meet, the road to travel is surprisingly simple and straightforward. There are five waypoints along that road that must be kept in mind and maintained in their proper priority. Those points are Faith, Family, Community, Country, and World.
Simply keep to the path, and help your neighbor find their way and together we will reclaim the essence of what was once a United States of America able to lead the globe to victory in two world wars and stand tall and proud as an example of all that could be right with Humanity.
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