The land of the free and the home of the brave, or so they say. Some may not agree with this time honored statement but if you compare our freedom and democracy with other countries, we actually have it pretty good my fellow Americans.
Let's face it, the world in general needs some work. Let us start by ending hatred, hunger, violence, abuse and financial devastation. These are all fixable and there are solutions to end these problems worldwide. However, we just need to do one thing...Compromise! It begins with listening to one another and actually communicating in a effective and positive manner. One can wave the flag and becry the injustices we think we suffer from but my opinion is, people seem to listen harder when you speak softly and without judgment and condemnation. Let us all spend more wisely, judge others less harshly and work more effectively as a nation to end poverty, hunger, healthcare reform and violence.
It seems, we Americans tend to love the drama of negativity. Perhaps less reality tv and deal with reality off screen, cause we all know reality tv is a bit, shall I say, enhanced. Quit texting for 5 seconds and actually speak to someone in person for a change. Disconnect from our cell phones long enough for a personal exchange with a human within close proximity of you. Am I saying this technology is necessarily a bad thing? No, because I use all of the above but try to stay connected on a personal level with people whom I care about and do business with. If you ask me to lunch and spend most of your time texting or on your cell, I am going to haul my butt out the door because you have been beyond rude and don't deserve my time and attention.
Please stop blaming the plight of lost manners and poor behavior on our youth. Where do we think they learn this from? I have seen more moronic behavior and bad attitudes from adults than I have ever seen from children. I do not play into the "back in my day" BS either. Adults keep blaming the generation before and we need to just shut up and set a good example. The good old days are gone so quit reliving them and worry about the here and now. I am no longer in high school and don't want to go back. I have no misconceptions of how wonderful life "used" to be. We need to focus on the life we are currently living and deal with our problems in the present because, the "good old days" weren't always so great. We still had wars, domestic violence (keeping the little lady in line) child abuse (erroniously called discipline) racial unrest, murders, rapes, incest and the list goes on. The only reason we are more aware of these issues today is due to the media reporting everything and anything.
Want America to be better? Be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. The government isn't perfect and neither are we. Love your country? Prove it! Volunteer to help worthy organizations, support our neighbors instead of tearing them down, be a positive instead of a negative voice in the community, stop whining and start doing something. There are amazing citizens who make a difference every day in their communities and we should applaud them. Start putting positive posts on your facebook page instead of hateful and negative ones because frankly, I am getting sick of them.
Let us all love this country the way it deserves. Set aside our differences, political and religious views and combine energies to make this a country we can be proud to call our home. It is our responsibility to make it the best that it can be. As this Fourth of July celebration approaches, let us all take pause to remember why we honor this day in the first place. "Liberty and Justice for ALL"
