Words to live by, most would agree. Sadly, that high impact message began to dilute the minute it left Jack Kennedy's lips, for if we truly had adopted that philosophy, we wouldn't be where we are today.
There’s been an enormous cultural shift in our country, and along with it an absolute abandonment of responsibility and ownership. While we were busy blaming everyone else for our problems…the President, our elected officials, the media, ungrateful immigrants, corporate America...we unknowingly relinquished control.
We just gave it away.
Our founding Fathers embraced challenge, overcame fear, and founded a culture that is responsible for some of mankind’s greatest accomplishments. Today, in that same culture, we text more than we talk, spend more on video games than on books, forswear exercise, demonize gun owners and hunting, and are rapidly succumbing to obesity and diabetes. We choose to blame rather than be accountable. We ignore our neighbors, tolerate the actions of bullies, and worst of all have failed our young people by providing a horrible example, effectively
setting them up for failure.
So much for the pioneering spirit that made us the greatest nation on earth…the one the rest of the world used to view as exceptional.
That said, there are still a lot of good people, doing great things…independently. There’s just not a collaborative effort. We were so busy giving everyone a voice, trying to be all things to all people, that we lost our identity. We are anything but a clearly defined society, as we have diluted ourselves to a blend of democracy, socialism, and communism. If we are to be strong again, we must be united, and we must decide what we are, who we are, and what we stand for.
In our personal lives, we teach people how to treat us, based on our personal standards, our level of tolerance, and how we respond to conflict. Why should it surprise us that the same rules apply for a culture? We’ve exposed our weaknesses to the world, unconditionally opened our borders, unconditionally opened our checkbook, and made it easy for the world to abuse our generosity…so why should it surprise us that they do so? It shouldn’t piss you off that people come into this country and take from us without making a contribution, abuse our citizens, disrespect our property, and then have the audacity to claim entitlement…it should piss you off that we ALLOWED it to happen. And YOU are a part of WE my friend.
It shouldn’t upset you that our country is in economic turmoil, and that the people you trusted to fix it have let you down…it should piss you off that you’ve ALLOWED it to get this bad. At what point do we, as a people, say
“ENOUGH?“ At what point do we take ownership, accept responsibility, and take the necessary steps to fix
it?
How does a nation over 300 million strong, a culture that used to symbolize strength and independence, simply wither away into a nation of fat, lazy, unmotivated victims? The same way a world champion sports franchise deteriorates to the worst performing team in the sport, or an ultra-successful Fortune 500 corporation freefalls into bankruptcy…they forgot what brought them to the dance. Yes, it really is that simple. They got complacent…saw a little bit of success and decided the work was done and it was time to relax, never
giving another thought as to how they would maintain that position. The work is never done, folks. Reaching the pinnacle of anything, becoming the best, the most successful, however you measure it, is not the time to relax. It doesn’t get easier from that point forward, it gets tougher, because everyone wants to dethrone the champion. The problem with our situation is that, contrary to popular belief, it’s not someone else doing the dethroning, …it’s us. We’ve simply thrown in the towel.
The events of September 11, 2001 revealed an unprecedented vulnerability for our nation, a level of weakness that is not limited to terrorist attacks. Although the heroic effort and resilience of the citizens of New York is certainly inspiring, the nation as a whole appears to have retreated into a state of numbness…a nation of victims that appear to have lost the spirit that once made us great. Not unlike the playground full of scared children that succumb to the schoolyard bully, unaware that a simple change of mindset could completely reverse the dynamic, we seem to have lost that fight…and have relinquished the power and control to a handful of greedy, self serving people. It’s time to take action, to remind the world who we are and what we stand for,
and most importantly, that we will not tolerate it any longer. We allowed it to happen, and now we simply disallow
it.
I’m not an anarchist, and I don’t support overthrowing the government. I support change…not the political rhetoric we endure every election year, the kind of change that results in gains for the greater good of our nation, change that advances our cause. I encourage action, involvement, and ownership…people being responsible for their actions.
Don’t waste your time scouring the internet for all my degrees, certifications, and credentials…you won’t find them. I’m not a career politician, aspiring or otherwise. I’m not a Rhode’s scholar, in fact, I didn’t even graduate college. So why should you listen to me? Why should you support the effort?
I am one of you. An old school, hard working middle-aged American who still believes in the good this country can be. I’m someone who understands that although we face many challenges, the solutions are not as complex as our so-called leaders would have us believe. A complete reversal of momentum is not only possible, it’s likely, if the majority of Americans will just plug back in. Like you, I’m also someone who has the ability, as well as the responsibility, to do something about what’s going on in this country. Many Americans have abandoned the concept of participation, opting to blame others rather than own the problems and their solutions. I want to do my part to raise awareness and reverse that trend.
This movement is about stimulating thought, and triggering a response. Not another self-serving political party…we certainly don’t need any more of those. What we need is for people to take a position of ownership in this country, and relinquish the“victim” attitude. One person cannot be expected to turn this around, but 300 million sure can. We have the power, and we need to leverage it.
My motivation lies in effecting a wakeup call…that’s it. To awaken what has been asleep and breathe life back into it…to be a starting point by which our country begins to return to greatness. That’s all. A low odds gamble? I
think it’s a slam dunk… After all, I’m not betting on politicians, or corporate executives, or over-educated think tanks locked in an office somewhere…I’m betting on the American people. I can’t lose.
Don't just post a link on your Facebook page and forget about this. This can no longer be a spectator sport, as everyone needs to get in the game. No step is too small, and no action too trivial, for it is through small steps that we gain the big ground.
The kind of intestinal fortitude we witnessed from the passengers of flight 93, who in face of adversity took matters into their own hands…who didn’t accept the role of the victim, but instead, seized the moment and did what needed to be done. That kind of spirit is what we used to be all about…it‘s what defined us. I believe it is still there, somewhere in our core…like a tool that’s been buried in the toolbox. We just need to retrieve it and start using it again.
God bless America.
There’s been an enormous cultural shift in our country, and along with it an absolute abandonment of responsibility and ownership. While we were busy blaming everyone else for our problems…the President, our elected officials, the media, ungrateful immigrants, corporate America...we unknowingly relinquished control.
We just gave it away.
Our founding Fathers embraced challenge, overcame fear, and founded a culture that is responsible for some of mankind’s greatest accomplishments. Today, in that same culture, we text more than we talk, spend more on video games than on books, forswear exercise, demonize gun owners and hunting, and are rapidly succumbing to obesity and diabetes. We choose to blame rather than be accountable. We ignore our neighbors, tolerate the actions of bullies, and worst of all have failed our young people by providing a horrible example, effectively
setting them up for failure.
So much for the pioneering spirit that made us the greatest nation on earth…the one the rest of the world used to view as exceptional.
That said, there are still a lot of good people, doing great things…independently. There’s just not a collaborative effort. We were so busy giving everyone a voice, trying to be all things to all people, that we lost our identity. We are anything but a clearly defined society, as we have diluted ourselves to a blend of democracy, socialism, and communism. If we are to be strong again, we must be united, and we must decide what we are, who we are, and what we stand for.
In our personal lives, we teach people how to treat us, based on our personal standards, our level of tolerance, and how we respond to conflict. Why should it surprise us that the same rules apply for a culture? We’ve exposed our weaknesses to the world, unconditionally opened our borders, unconditionally opened our checkbook, and made it easy for the world to abuse our generosity…so why should it surprise us that they do so? It shouldn’t piss you off that people come into this country and take from us without making a contribution, abuse our citizens, disrespect our property, and then have the audacity to claim entitlement…it should piss you off that we ALLOWED it to happen. And YOU are a part of WE my friend.
It shouldn’t upset you that our country is in economic turmoil, and that the people you trusted to fix it have let you down…it should piss you off that you’ve ALLOWED it to get this bad. At what point do we, as a people, say
“ENOUGH?“ At what point do we take ownership, accept responsibility, and take the necessary steps to fix
it?
How does a nation over 300 million strong, a culture that used to symbolize strength and independence, simply wither away into a nation of fat, lazy, unmotivated victims? The same way a world champion sports franchise deteriorates to the worst performing team in the sport, or an ultra-successful Fortune 500 corporation freefalls into bankruptcy…they forgot what brought them to the dance. Yes, it really is that simple. They got complacent…saw a little bit of success and decided the work was done and it was time to relax, never
giving another thought as to how they would maintain that position. The work is never done, folks. Reaching the pinnacle of anything, becoming the best, the most successful, however you measure it, is not the time to relax. It doesn’t get easier from that point forward, it gets tougher, because everyone wants to dethrone the champion. The problem with our situation is that, contrary to popular belief, it’s not someone else doing the dethroning, …it’s us. We’ve simply thrown in the towel.
The events of September 11, 2001 revealed an unprecedented vulnerability for our nation, a level of weakness that is not limited to terrorist attacks. Although the heroic effort and resilience of the citizens of New York is certainly inspiring, the nation as a whole appears to have retreated into a state of numbness…a nation of victims that appear to have lost the spirit that once made us great. Not unlike the playground full of scared children that succumb to the schoolyard bully, unaware that a simple change of mindset could completely reverse the dynamic, we seem to have lost that fight…and have relinquished the power and control to a handful of greedy, self serving people. It’s time to take action, to remind the world who we are and what we stand for,
and most importantly, that we will not tolerate it any longer. We allowed it to happen, and now we simply disallow
it.
I’m not an anarchist, and I don’t support overthrowing the government. I support change…not the political rhetoric we endure every election year, the kind of change that results in gains for the greater good of our nation, change that advances our cause. I encourage action, involvement, and ownership…people being responsible for their actions.
Don’t waste your time scouring the internet for all my degrees, certifications, and credentials…you won’t find them. I’m not a career politician, aspiring or otherwise. I’m not a Rhode’s scholar, in fact, I didn’t even graduate college. So why should you listen to me? Why should you support the effort?
I am one of you. An old school, hard working middle-aged American who still believes in the good this country can be. I’m someone who understands that although we face many challenges, the solutions are not as complex as our so-called leaders would have us believe. A complete reversal of momentum is not only possible, it’s likely, if the majority of Americans will just plug back in. Like you, I’m also someone who has the ability, as well as the responsibility, to do something about what’s going on in this country. Many Americans have abandoned the concept of participation, opting to blame others rather than own the problems and their solutions. I want to do my part to raise awareness and reverse that trend.
This movement is about stimulating thought, and triggering a response. Not another self-serving political party…we certainly don’t need any more of those. What we need is for people to take a position of ownership in this country, and relinquish the“victim” attitude. One person cannot be expected to turn this around, but 300 million sure can. We have the power, and we need to leverage it.
My motivation lies in effecting a wakeup call…that’s it. To awaken what has been asleep and breathe life back into it…to be a starting point by which our country begins to return to greatness. That’s all. A low odds gamble? I
think it’s a slam dunk… After all, I’m not betting on politicians, or corporate executives, or over-educated think tanks locked in an office somewhere…I’m betting on the American people. I can’t lose.
Don't just post a link on your Facebook page and forget about this. This can no longer be a spectator sport, as everyone needs to get in the game. No step is too small, and no action too trivial, for it is through small steps that we gain the big ground.
The kind of intestinal fortitude we witnessed from the passengers of flight 93, who in face of adversity took matters into their own hands…who didn’t accept the role of the victim, but instead, seized the moment and did what needed to be done. That kind of spirit is what we used to be all about…it‘s what defined us. I believe it is still there, somewhere in our core…like a tool that’s been buried in the toolbox. We just need to retrieve it and start using it again.
God bless America.
