An old American Friend

It's a good thing this blog is free cause no one is going to want to read this. We must get up off of the couch and get to a city council meeting or a school board meeting or a township board meeting or a whatever. We need to understand who is running our local clique. What are the local issues being discussed and what are the proposed solutions on the table and what type of representation are we getting.



Sound like fun? I didn't think so. It is called civic duty. Did you sneeze? I figured with all the dust flying off of that one you might have. CIVIC DUTY. It even sounds onerous doesn't it? Kind of like Jury Duty, or Community Service. I contend that if we engage in civic duty, we can do away with community service. Unless of course you are a convict, in which case we can re institute community service, but only for you of course. Believe it or not, there was a time in this country when all male members of our society would go to the local church, or town hall and engage in self rule. Imagine that, they all read and knew the contents of the bill of rights, the constitution, parliamentary procedure and oh yes, the contents of their respective bibles.



I am reading a book right now written on or around 1850. Sounds boring I know, but the truth is, it is utterly fascinating. The author is a Frenchman many of you may have heard of and even know a little something about, his name was Alexis De Tocqueville. He spent about ten months here in the U.S. on or around 1830. The reason I mention this is because he went on to write this book I am only now reading, that was tauted in France at the time as the most ground breaking book published in over 30 years.



I myself, believe that is an understatement. I believe Tocqueville was a genius and more than that, he could articulate what he witnessed politically and socially like no other perhaps before or since. Let me get to the point. We have the luxury of hindsight when evaluating his words, which makes what he wrote even more profound then they could have possibly known 150 years ago. Therefore, we had better start to act on what he foretold. He said the genius that is America, and I paraphrase, is her morality. When she is no longer moral, she will no longer remain great. 150 years ago, this comment was seen as nothing more than an affirmation. Today, it is a wake up call.



With all of the moral ambiguity that exists today, and the moral relativism, how many of us, myself included, are comfortable with that phrase? Do you think it sounds apocalyptic? I do. When I first read that comment, my thoughts went immediately to my own behavior. I went through this personal assessment, which I am not proud to announce, was a little light in the seat. This is somewhat funny, because anyone who actually knows me, knows light in the seat is probably an improper metaphor for me.

The bottom line is, I realized that I am sorely wanting in the moral department. I remembered that our nation was actually founded upon freedom of religion so we could all worship unencumbered. Although, now it is more like unrequited, at least for me. To be sure, my compass was not broken, simply avoided. Kind of like the guy who gets lost and refuses to stop and ask for direction.

Isn't it ironic how events can conspire to force us to look into ourselves? I am being general, so if you are not one of us, do not take offense. What I am really trying to say is, we need to reassess our values, our principles, and our faith or lack thereof. I am finding this renaissance of faith reinvigorating. I am looking through the prism of hope, and confidence as I rekindle my relationship with my God, and my religion. I am now of the understanding that unless we come from a position of moral clarity, and moral authority, oh man more dust flying now, then we can not understand what the pursuit of happiness is about in the first place.

We can devise the most comprehensive intricate story ever known, but if we can not read, what is the use. To know the Bill of Rights, or the Constitution, is of less use if we do not see it through the eyes of a clear moral perspective. I am not talking about dogma of one religion or another, I am talking about natural law. The basic tenants of mankind. Things like no murder, no adultery, no usury, no coercion, and so on. These are the things that make the afore mentioned papers relevant.

Without that clear moral imperative, we digress. We fall off of our road. Look about you now. Do you see the drift? Are you prepared to call it by name? Is bribery wrong? Is lying relative? Is truth ambiguous? How can we hold accountable our elected officials, if we are not willing to hold ourselves to a higher level? I know this is difficult to read. None of us are into self flagellation, and we sure as hell don't want to get involved in CIVIC DUTY, but here we are. At the risk of sounding apocryphal, we need to make a decision. Many of us have gone a long way off of the path we would like to be on, and the distance back seems insurmountable. It is not. Break out your compass, blow off the dust and find true north. We will get there together.