Fourth of July

To celebrate my homeland, here is a picture from brothers latest adventure in Louse Canyon in Eastern Oregon.         Photo by Tim Neville

To celebrate Independence Day I BBQ’ed chicken with the other American living in this quiet Dutch town. I spent the whole day acting as if I were in America. I walked tall pretending I was no longer a standout foreigner.  I did things as and as I pleased and it was very liberating.  It felt good to be home. However, as I could not find a single American beer or Chinese firecracker and I did not drive a car, by the end of the day I realized I was very far from home. So when I returned to my present home for the evening I decided to check in on news in the US. 

After checking out the headlines I discovered we are confronting two huge issues that will decide the path that our nation. The Farm Bill and Debt Ceiling are the major issues that I speak of. They reflect greater issues of national debt, food security, government responsibility and corporate interests that I find important and hope that you do too.  There issues have become more serious over the past 80 years stemming from a mix of firmly held yet paradoxically nebulous American qualities.  

Now the reason I write this post is because I have really had to confront those last two words, “American qualities.” Just about every day I am confronted with questions that start with: “Is it true that in America,” “Do Americans really,” “Why do Americans,” and so on. I am forced to consider, defend, and sometimes criticize what “American qualities” are. What is American? This experience has been especially enlightening. I have learned that it is a mix of a lot of good and a lot of bad. 

Because I am here I often face the outside perception of America which most often highlights the bad. I had an idea about our collective weaknesses before but looking from such a different vantage point, it has become very evident. Ignorance, arrogance, irresponsibility are the root characteristics that I cannot defend. I speculate that there is also another related cause. Our relative isolation and short history on such bountiful land have provided for us the false perception of entitlement to unlimited everything. 

As an effect, we have now become a more shortsighted, instant-gratification seeking, throw-away society than ever. Consumerism only serves to numb our senses to the problems we face. Never in history have people been capable of exploiting their own, land, people, resources, freedoms, and health at such a rate.  Yet the paradox is that what makes America great is our own downfall: We have the freedom to do these things. 

I have and will adamantly defend the rationale for the things that I believe make America truly great. We are truly blessed at birth with the inalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness and we are a very small portion of the world that can take these things for granted. But this is part of the problem. In taking these things for granted we have diluted their meanings, especially the meaning of liberty. The sands of time have faded our conception of liberty into only the idea that we can do whatever whenever. Herein lies the greatest problem we face. Yes, liberty is the freedom to do as we will without the influence of outside forces but it does not mean that we have the freedom to do as we will without the influence of forces that we in effect created. Liberty entails two inseparable components: the freedom to act counterbalanced by the equally great responsibility for the choices we make and the actions we take. If you build your house, you earned the benefit of living in it, but if you burn it down you earn an equally real consequence.

If we do not secure the responsibility for our choices, our actions, or inactions, other forces will! Gigantic consolidated businesses arising from a free-market unchecked by the people are eager to consume our freedom, our right to choose. The cold shackles of individual and national debts will smoothly seize our wrist if we continue to sit in our plush surroundings. If we do not wield our responsibility we will either ultimately submit to these forces or our government will take responsibility and decide our fate. But is the later alternative any more agreeable? In any event your very own volition is caged.

The only way we can defy these forces is to become as big, as strong, and as hungry as they are. Our size and strength is determined by our collective knowledge. Become aware and support education. Spread your vision of a strong, independent America. Challenge doubt, inaction and insubstantial comfort. Learn and be free. Set others free.

Our hunger is determined by our will for responsibility. We must take responsibility for the strengths and weaknesses of ourselves and of others. We must take responsibility of our perception in the world and in time. Accept the gift of responsibility for ourselves as we have accepted the gift of freedom. Save, conserve and consider.  Be aware of your freedoms and ask, is my use of freedom strengthening it or relinquishing it? Do what is good for the citizen and the state. 

The strength of America has always been the strength of its people. Endowed with freedom, the hardworking, enduring and dedicated people are capable of failure but more often great unity, innovation, and progress. We are Americans. We are America. We must honor the lives of those genuinely great people who created, fought for, and preserved our country and our rights. Honor them with awareness and respect them with responsibility.

If you made it to the end, thank you for reading this. As you may be able to tell, this means a great deal to me. Please be active. Whether you agree or disagree, don’t know or don’t understand, I sincerely hope you consider this, explore more, and if you are bold make this your conversations. If it made you think, I would love to hear your thoughts. Please leave a comment on this page or on my facebook page. I think this discussion needs to begin.