I have heard the phrase a million times and I have said it about that many times, a few times seriously, and many times in jest. But I wonder if as the generations pass we are losing what really made America great. (For those of you rebels out there, yes, I am making the assumption that America is great. I believe it is. Not perfect, but great)
The United States has only been around for two centuries and change.
Change.
That is what made America great. A straining for the future, for something different, something better, even if, especially if, it seemed, it involved some risk. Even if things had never been done this way before.
It is hard to imagine a more radical change in a form of government than from the monarch of Great Britain to the Constitutional Democracy hammered out by those bold representatives of the States that became United as a result of their meeting in Philadelphia.
Freedom of speech, ideas and religion, even speech in opposition to the government. Expansion of the right to vote to all citizens over a long, sometimes difficult path. Exploration of new frontiers, first westward to the Pacific, and ultimately to the moon and beyond. Creation of an economic system that provided the capital for explosive growth and economic opportunity, as well as mind-boggling technological advancement. Education for all. Security for the elderly. Medical insurance for the poor. Protections for the ones who labor. Equality under the law.
And so much more.
All were advancements, meaning that none of the changes came from returning to the way things were in a past time, or even staying the way they were in the present moment. The status quo represented failure. If you stood still you were left behind.
Because it was believed that while things may be better than they were, they were surely not as good as they could be. So things were changed.
Is the United States as good as it can get?
No. Of course not. But it seems to me we act that way. We have lost something.
We have lost our path.
Or perhaps we haven't lost it. We have just sat down on it, looking backward at the familiar path behind us. A path cleared with risk, creativity and sweat. A path that wasn't a path at all until we tramped across it. But looking back it looks easy, it looks clear and straight. It becomes broader as more were allowed to join in the journey. The obstacles that once blocked it are gone. It would be so easy to backtrack. It would be easy to sit down. It would be easy to rest and look at the view, to be satisfied in how far we have come.
So, is this as good as we get? Is this where we sit down? Is this where the path stops?
A path is not a destination.
Until we quit moving. Until we sit down. Until it becomes our final resting place.
Forward.
.
We have lost our path.
Or perhaps we haven't lost it. We have just sat down on it, looking backward at the familiar path behind us. A path cleared with risk, creativity and sweat. A path that wasn't a path at all until we tramped across it. But looking back it looks easy, it looks clear and straight. It becomes broader as more were allowed to join in the journey. The obstacles that once blocked it are gone. It would be so easy to backtrack. It would be easy to sit down. It would be easy to rest and look at the view, to be satisfied in how far we have come.
So, is this as good as we get? Is this where we sit down? Is this where the path stops?
A path is not a destination.
Until we quit moving. Until we sit down. Until it becomes our final resting place.
Forward.
.
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