A Quick Observation - The New American Ethos

WARNING - I RELY ON A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF GENERALIZATION IN THIS POST. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

As Americans, we like to think we are tough. "Mess with us and we will kick your butt." We like to think this both internationally and on our streets.

The truth of the matter, though, is that as a nation, we are simply weaklings.

Have we paid attention whenever we go to work, the restaurant, the stadium, to church, on an airplane? We are FAT. We are out-of-shape and fat. Why? There is no excuse for letting our bodies go like we, as a nation, have.

Our "education" system is simply a joke. We teach our male youth how to wear rubbers, but can they do math? Do they know history? Can they name their state senator? Can the name the Vice President? No. Why not? Over the years, we've thrown more and more money into the education kitty, and we receive less and less benefit. We produce lots of kids who can burn our flag, use birth control, and say nasty things about the President. Fewer kids who can write a sentence correctly and think for themselves. Even fewer kids who can be an assset to their employer.

These are two nasty strikes against us as a nation. Not to sound like Dean Wormer in Animal House, but "Fat and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

We are trained by the police to simply give a thug whatever he asks for - your wallet, your wedding ring, etc. "Your property is not worth your life," is the standard reasoning. So what, let thugs run around demanding - and getting - what they want?

When we hear the window shattering in the night, we are told to gather up the kids, take them into a safe room, and call 9-1-1. Let the professionals deal with this problem. The citizen is not trained to handle this potentially nasty situation.

Why? Because we have lost the foundation of personal responsibility. Darn it, why is the "average citizen" not trained to handle situations when the bad guy comes at night? Because we have traded in personal responsibility for false comfort that a simple phone call will bring in superman with a badge. We have exchanged the truth for a lie.

Don't get me wrong - I am not cop-bashing. I thank God for the women and men who serve and protect our communities. But the simple fact is they cannot be everywhere to stop every bad guy at once. We must take the initiative in making our homes a place criminals wouldn't want to visit.

We must take the initiative to educate ourselves, to ensure that our children are educated properly - and to remove them from situations where they are not educated properly.

It is our job, not the government's, to make sure our retirement is funded. Who cares more about your money - you or the government. Wait, bad example.

But sticking with money issues, who cares more about your money, you or a professional stock broker or financial planner? You'd better care more. Not to say we should seek professional advice, but we are responsible for investment knowledge, we are responsible for our money. If we don't have any, we are responsible put ourselves in the position where we do have money. The professional financial crowd responsible, nor the government, responsible.

I could go on and on, but it wouldn't help.

America, we've become lazy. We've traded in our health, our brains, our work ethic, our finances, our personal responsibility. We've traded them in for slothfulness, lethargy, lack of honor and dignity, false security, and loss of integrity.

There is a way out - but only if we as a nation will take the personal responsibility to dig ourselves out of this hole. It is not too late, but time is rapidly running out.

Tags: Responsibility , Education