I have many acquaintances and friends on both sides of the divide. Based on observation, hewing to one belief or the other does not necessarily translate into being more or less likely to sacrifice their blood or treasure to that belief. Yes, some of my liberal friends contribute to various causes, as do my conservative friends. But, tellingly, their passions rise to the level of checkbook advocacy, not a great deal further.
While not necessarily in my orbit, I know some exceptions who put real skin in the game and practice what they preach, but not many. Some tend to be young people who fancy some kind of utopian ideal. Then there are the true dyed-in-the-wool Marxists of various flavors that secretly work to end Capitalism, whether through indoctrination of the young, funding causes that have that intent, or plotting and carrying out violence; relatively few of those thankfully.
We seem to have reached a kind of bizarre equilibrium, marked by occasional skirmishes at meetings, sit-ins in people’s offices, confrontations at ICE Detention Centers, and suspiciously well-choreographed demonstrations that aim to stir passions, pretend relevance, and highlight widespread dissatisfaction, all while priming the money pump for donations.
Neither side is winning the day when viewed over the decades or generationally. What has happened is a trampling of our belief that America is still the America of yore, and what each of us is willing to risk emotionally, financially, and how and even whether we are willing to defend our country’s institutions, thereby protecting our own interests.
This is no small point. America exists as much as an idea as a physical reality. Suppose everything we do or believe in is thought to be transactional, transient, tribal, tautegorical, or trope-laden. In that case, we have effectively detached ourselves from the bedrock beliefs our country was founded on. All of us today, in a sense, have become a new kind of migrant, wandering a country we are no longer familiar with. Without the requisite grounding, we became adrift. That’s not accidental either.
In our daily lives, why does this matter?
If you closely examine what typified our first 200 years or so, the one constant was sacrifice. Parents sacrificed for their children. Millions of our young fought wars that allowed our society to continue and flourish. Young people sacrificed carefree lives in pursuit of education and a chance at economic prosperity. Men and Women started businesses with the foreknowledge that most would fail in the first three years, yet they did it anyway. Our society took risks for big ideas like going to the moon, building an Interstate Highway System, or the Panama Canal, Hoover Dam, and hundreds of other projects that risked life, treasure, and individual prestige. Heck, we even used to have politicians who would put country over politics from time to time, doing the right things, not necessarily what was politically expedient.
Now there in a decidedly nuanced manner (predicictably grey) we look at potential conflicts and rivalries that enables bad people like Putin, Xi, Rocket Man and the many dilettantes all over the world to believe that there’s no one going to stop them because we (and let’s include Europe) are weak and unwilling to sacrifice all in support of principles and the commitments we’ve made. We see the next generation spinning its wheels, not committing to much of anything, drifting with the tide.
Americans of all kinds used to take risks, sacrifice themselves by taking the hard path over the easy one, and defer reward to a later date. Not so today!
What happened?
Slowly, incrementally, and yet continually, our society acts as if it’s in the midst of a societal mental breakdown, one that avoids holding a central collective truth, revealing who the good guys are, as well as the bad actors, and what must be done for the good of society.
If sacrifice is central to our success, what parts of our society shirk that requirement?
- Our County, State, and Federal governments have become self-serving and the last ones to sacrifice anything of value, even as the percentage of our economy they steal rises ever higher. Today, that figure is 38-40%of GDP. Fifty years ago, that number was 31%
- The education system in our country has completely failed us.Total education spending in the United States has increased more than 17-fold in nominal dollars, and roughly tripled as a share of GDP. Administrative positions have doubled since 2000, while student numbers have increased by only 5%.
- Our citizens have sacrificed the patience needed to save for retirement or major purchases, instead adopting the “buy now, pay later” mentality. Individual consumer debt has increased from $2,000 in 1975 to $62,500 today. We need to rethink debt in our country. We are slaves to that debt that sacrifices considerable opportunity cost.
- Most of all, we have sacrificed our potential for greatness, accomplishment, and legacy, and our next generation will not enjoy the traditional American promise we’ve squandered through sloth, laziness, and failures of critical thinking and adherence to common sense.
For those who ostensibly serve our country by working in government, most do so not out of duty, but for an easy job, a better pension than they could otherwise receive, anonymity, or to avoid competition and accountability. Yes, there are exceptions.
Our world was not built on today’s values, that’s for sure. Many of us are likely to discover the natural extension of our corrupt system, and it won’t be pretty.
Last Word:-
There are still many patriots, especially in the Armed Services. Yet, even there, some people are there for the benefits, not the sacrifice. For those who serve with honor and without selfishness, I commend you.
Life is like many things; you get out of it what you put in. I hope and believe that there are still those who understand this and will fill the gaps left by those without the requisite devotion to duty.
God Bless America!
Allan J. Feifer—Patriot
Author, Businessman, Thinker, and Strategist. Read more about Allan, his background, and his ideas to create a better tomorrow at www.1plus1equals2.com. Read additional great writers here.
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