There was a time when every man and woman believed OUR country to be the greatest in the world. This belief didn’t necessarily rest on our military might, our national wealth, or our healthcare system. The belief that The United States of America is the greatest country in the world primarily rested on the idea that our country was, in fact, OURS.
America rejoiced in their new found freedom from the tyranny of colonial governance by a maniacal monarch seeking only power and wealth by the sweat and labors of the common man. At that moment America was not the land, resources, or wealth but it was the people. Our fight for our own liberty, our freedom from tyranny, our collective right to choose who governs over our country, was won by the blood, sweat, and tears of people who believed in these rights.
In the two and a half centuries that followed our revolt against tyranny, America climbed to the very top of all categories that a country be measured by. We became the standard by which nearly every country measured itself against. We fought wars to protect ourselves, to protect our allies. We stood for all that was good and just in the world. We fought for freedom from tyrants who subjugated their people and divided their nations by wealth, race, or religion. Somewhere along the way, America lost it’s way. At some point, America fell from grace by becoming infatuated with itself and looking at diplomacy and politics as a means to take power, pilfer resources, and assert its own ideologies on the rest of the world, by force if necessary.
To many Americans the future seems bleak and fruitless. Too many don’t feel they have ownership in our country anymore. The politicians in Washington have nearly 100 times the Net Worth of the average middle class family. The only people that truly have the ears of those making decisions for us and our country are lobbyists who are paid obscene amounts of money to ensure that their corporate agendas are fulfilled by politicians and funded by the average tax payer.
There is a sickness in America. The symptoms of which can be clearly seen in the reality TV star real estate mogul president, the conservative Christian drum pounding of the right wing silver spoon ruling class, the bleeding heart born wealthy so I should feel guilty and redistribute everyone else’s wealth ruling class, the corporate 1% who make 100’s or 1000’s times more money than their employees class, the middle working class whose labors keep America cobbled together just enough to function, and the lowly impoverished people who by their own choices or by no one’s fault have found themselves broken to the point they can no longer contribute to society. These are all symptoms of a great sickness that has befallen America. A sickness that can only be treated by erasing the division among our people. When a boy or girl regardless of their race, family net worth, or religious beliefs, can say “some day I want to be president” and have it not be met with half hearted statements like “well honey you can be what ever you want to be…” and deep down know it will never happen, is no longer the way it is. When becoming a politician isn’t about pandering to your core base or religious zealots, but about doing right by the American people as a whole. When it’s less about whose wallet is thicker or penis is longer, or school is more prestigious, and more about humanity and how many people you have helped or fed or cared for then this sickness will have been cured.
America has seen this sickness come and go. Often the treatment could only be found in revolution. From 1776 to the civil war to the civil rights movement, we have found our way back to good health. We had leaders that united us and held themselves accountable. They sacrificed of themselves to make America well again. I don’t see these qualities in any of our leaders today. I see selfishness, greed, and bullying in our ruling class. Maybe the American people need to revolt so that we can find leaders who are there because they want to make us better as a nation of people not a nation of corporations and money. Maybe…
Inside a Broken Brain 