I've been thinking lately about how as a populace we seem to have a sense of entitlement. I'm talking about everything we seem to think we deserve just for existing. I've started with a broad brush, but this simple issue encompasses many problems both large and small. For example it can be linked to racism, sexism, immigration and nepotism just for starters.
A couple of weeks ago I was having a conversation with a co-worker. We were discussing some of the immigration issues we are having and different feelings about them. He said that some hold the belief that we are actually all immigrants, to which I chuckled and replied, "Not me, I was born here, I have the birth certificate to prove it!"
Then he got a little ranty, stating that so was he and his great grandfather, grandfather and father had all bled for this country so he deserved his citizenship. I let him dig himself in a little deeper before blurting out. "Cool, they should be honored for their sacrifice, but, what have you done?" After stammering for a moment, he was ashamed to answer that he had done nothing.
My point is that to begin with, for natural-born citizens, US citizenship is nothing more than a lucky circumstance of birth as are a lot of other things people assume they deserve.
I believe that it's important to know and be proud of your heritage, but also know that it doesn't make you any more deserving or any better of a person. You have to do that on your own.
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I agree. I believe America is hampered by the fact that other genreations gave all they have or at the very least something. We all thing America is great because they did something and yet America won't be great unless we continue to do something.
ReplyDeleteFighting useless wars or coming up with simple sacrifices won't do. We need to do something worthwile, something that actually makes' America great to make us great.
I don't think we will and instead will ride the sacrifices of our forefathers for all it's worth till we wake one day and discover we are not a great nation any longer.
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True enough, but just breaking it down to particular generations may be a mistake. Generations aren't monolithic in terms of philosophy or politics or generosity. We don't know until decades after the fact which contributions made in good faith will turn out to be the significant ones, and which will be just silly nonsense.
ReplyDeleteAs far as what I've done lately, I'd have to say not much. Most of my civic contribution lies some decades in the past, with my present activity being little more than adding to the din of political discourse. I do owe our land a debt, but how to best discharge it is my dilemma.
the Grey Lensman