The US has good people, hard working people (recently rated the most productive in the world) and very inventive people.
What we also have, unfortunately, are bad bankers, some unscruplous self-serving individuals in large corporations, and short sighted politicians, imho. These issues aren't unique to us, and are part of the human condition, but by denying the problems, we haven't made them go away. On the contrary, denial has just allowed problems to grow unchecked until we are forced to confront their existence during a crisis. (As a recent example, many denied there were any problems with the types of loans being given to struggling borrwers, and attacked any who criticized the practice as 'negative' and 'defeatists'. Now we are forced to deal with that problem's long predicted outcome in the midst of an evolving national crisis, a problem which could have been mitigated if we had recognized the issue for what it was several years earlier. We need to develop foresight about other problems we face, if don't wish to be always trying to shut the barn door after the horses have excaped.)
Please forgive me for posting some articles about some issues which are looming, imho. I draw attention to a few issues right now in the United States not as a permanent judgment, but because I think it's important to recognize the flaws and weaknesses that are causing us very real problems, problems which eventually reveal themselves in our economy and our standard of living.
Some say it is unpatriotic to point out issues or weaknesses, but to me that's like saying it's not loving or respectful to point out that your husband or wife, son or daughter has a gambling problem or a drug addiction. How is it helpful to let people you love and care about continue doing things that are self destructive and counter-productive, especially when you know they are capable of so much more?
Arrogantly pretending we don't have problems is not a solution, imho. Nor is holier than thou judgment and blame for what is already done and can't be changed. I think that people get very defensive when we venture to the topic of identifying and accepting national flaws, perhaps because humility is often equated with weakness. That may be where I have a philosophical difference from some, as I believe that humility is a sign of the presence of God and actually takes tremendous ego strength. There is deep grace and power in being honest about one's own flaws, and it is positively disarming when a powerful person or nation is frank about their strengths and weaknesses.
I also think it is high time to have a frank discussion about whether or not we are enjoying the life we have collectively created for our citizens here. However, I doubt such a discussion can take place in the current highly charged environment, as this must be a respectful dialogue without the recriminations, the anger and the blame, the polarized stubborness of opinions.. Is that possible? I am pessimistic in the short run, but optimistic in the longer term, basically because I think people will eventually become emotionally and mentally exhausted from the high level of adrenaline generated by almost daily confrontations. That cannot continue. If we are so unhappy that we have to fight with each other constantly, then it's time to make some changes.
It's hardly a secret that if someone isn't enjoying the results they're getting in their life, they need to honestly appraise themselves, faults and all, and change some behaviors. Similarly, if the majority of people in the United States aren't enjoying the lifestyle they have, I believe they have to make an honest and self-critical assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, and decide to make the necessary changes.
One thing I know is that you can't fool your subconscious. People know when something's wrong, and it's no use trying to pretend they don't. Many people now feel less than optimistic, and that's reflected in the low approval ratings that they're given to their leaders, in the results of polls taken in recent months, in impromptu conversations I hear when I'm out on the streets.
I'm sorry that this gloominess has been your main experience in the United States recently. I have the perspective of history, and I can remember times when people were very optimistic, and other times when there was deep sense of unease as there is today. Ameircans managed to get past difficult times before, harder times than this such as the Great Depression, and they emerged stronger.
Your generation may very well be the one to turn things around.
So, let's try and count on that innate resourcefulness of Americans to rise above the circumstances and create a new reality. There's only so long we can continue bickering with each other and getting angry or depressed. Sooner or later, as that line goes 'you gotta get busy living, or get busy dyin'
I'm betting that they'll finally get busy living. Of course, being americans, it will probably be only after they've tried everything else first..lol.
Winston Churchill even noticed that about the US national character, and once observed:
“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else.”
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