An important commentary of our times…

I have long internally debated writing an article about “Them”.  History is replete with lamentations about “Them”, “Those people”, “Their kind” or anyone who is otherwise the antithesis of “Us”.  I have even debated on occasions myself about this faceless group of people who are responsible for no less than the End of the World (End of Democracy, End of Western Civilization, End of Life-As-We-Know-It, etc.).  But I catch myself sometimes; I have never met, “Them”.  I do not know anyone who is “Them”, and this is important.  “They” have to remain without identity, otherwise a lot of our case dissolves with familiarity or knowledge of intent.  In other words, a lot of what “They” do becomes more easily excusable the closer “They” get to “Us”.

The tipping point for me today to write this was this commentary by Victor Davis Hansen.  Reading it, I realized the truth that was staring me in the face this whole time:  There is no “Them”, there is only “Us”.  You might read the article, as I did, and say to yourself “but I believe we should take all those proactive measures!!  “THEY” are the one’s that don’t!”.  And yet, that is exactly the sentiment that got us here in the first place; blaming someone else for the problems we all face.  Until “We” are prepared to take concrete action to remedy the situations that “We” all have created, “We” can expect more of the same problems without end.

My favorite quote from the commentary

Perhaps the greatest trademark of the 1960s cohort was self-congratulation. Baby boomers alone claimed to have brought about changes in civil rights, women’s liberation and environmental awareness — as if these were not prior concerns of earlier generations.

The Founding if this country was framed in the context of this same debate; indeed this issue is timeless.  There were strident calls from some groups of Colonials for redress against British actions and there were equally passionate calls for continued reconciliation.  Need I remind “Us” that if “We” continued to allow “Them” to lock us in debate, “We” would all be spelling the word as “colour” today and mostly likely paying 40% tax rates across the board for a typically crappy Universal Health Care system.

“We” are softened to hard labor, inoculated against pain and suffering, intolerant of hardship, and apathetic to anything that might cost us more than is convenient.  “We” are very much the model of the great civilizations that have come before us that devolved into ruin while “They” debated about the causes and solutions.

I have lived privileged and sheltered life and yet my passion for history, especially “Our” history has led me to the conclusion that “good-enough” isn’t any longer.  It started for me many years ago when I registered to vote because I realized that it might the single most important Right that my Founding Fathers fought for and bestowed upon me, and the first step to taking Action.  I encourage all of you who may have become disenfranchised by the process to reconsider.  Read about “Our” history and watch any of the amazing movies that now exist about our Founding.  I highly recommend the recently aired and soon to be on DVD “John Adams” which is based on the book written by the also highly recommended David McCullough.  Let it ignite your passion for action, entrepreneurship, discovery, and gratitude.  Let it inspire you to take seriously the role “We” all play in this Social Contract, and play a bigger part.

And let it light “Our” path back to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.

Thomas Paine

And the biggest problem facing us today is … apathy?

It’s long been my opinion that we have a problem in this country. No, it’s not a decay of morals, though there probably is. No, it’s not a desensitizing to violence and other people’s tragedies as a result of the TV news or YouTube. No it’s not the sheer amount of money being thrown around in the name of votes and it’s not even the near complete corruption of our elected governmental representatives, though those are doozies.

The biggest problem facing our country is that we don’t care. Or I should say don’t care enough to use the Checks-and-Balances built into the system.

We tune in to the TV News or entertainment programs because the problems of celebrities are more interesting than those in our own lives (and the solutions seem much easier to obtain; if only we had THOSE problems instead of ours!). We complain about the people on the other side of the Political spectrum because they are destroying the fabric of our Country. We complain about the cost of gas, the paychecks of CEOs, the lawns of our neighbors. We complain about the state of our Government and elected Representatives, and sometimes even our own Party.

But come Election Day, we keep voting the same people back into office. Why? Largely because the parties keep supporting the incumbents, so what choice do we have, right?

We always have a choice, depending on what degree we want to get involved. There are people we can write; grassroots organizations we can form. It’s the Internet age (thanks Al!), organizing and assembling like-minded people has never been easier. GET INVOLVED. GET MAD. USE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE.

Look, with a Congressional Approval Rating of between 26 and 30%, we have no business retaining any of them. Time to enforce the “Term Limits” built into the system and remember that these PUBLIC SERVANTS SERVE AT OUR PLEASURE AND AT OUR DISGRESSION.

Because complaining about a problem without action fits in the popular definition of insanity.

This post goes well with this post.