Thursday, July 5, 2007

Are we still Americans? Are we still Free?

In all but where Fatherhood is concerned, my life is meaningless and without direction. This sounds like a sad story, but I do not intend for it to. I am not feeling down on my luck or depressed, but merely stating a fact about my life. I believe that this is the state many Americans are in; the worst part is, and I include myself in this, is that we teach our children to live the same meaningless lives that serve no greater purpose.

Who are we as a people? The things that made us a Great nation, a nation to live and die for, a nation of free peoples, these things are in jeopardy. Or are they already gone? Do we delude ourselves so much that we are completely unaware that we no longer exist as the nation our forefathers intended.

As a child, my family was not very politically minded. I did not often hear talk or news about the state of our country or the state of the world. During the Gulf War I got a slight glimpse into the World around me and I pushed it aside. My singular life too important for me to worry about the affairs of others. But something I have come to realize, through my selfish eyes I did not see that it is not the 'affairs of others' but the 'affairs of all'.

I am 26 years old; I will be 27 in two weeks. Officially today is the 5th of July, but when I awoke it was the 4th of July. Independence Day. I see nothing to celebrate now; July 4th should be a day of mourning. Instead of the Great Nation we founded so many years ago, we have given up our freedoms for the perception of happiness. We have given up our freedoms and we have stopped being Great. Now, yes, we are the richest and most powerful nation in the world; at what cost? A man my age signed the Declaration of Independence; I am 26, and I, like all Americans, have signed my freedom away for the perception of safety and the perception of happiness.

Americans are not rich, Americans are not powerful; our Government is, and our people are no longer represented, our people are no longer the government. It has become a separate body, a corporate entity that controls us. We have become merely a source of wealth and power. We are hated around the globe, our Government understands why, but our people, those who I would call our Nation, have never understood this.

I am rambling. Who am I to speak of freedom, who am I to speak of government. I am no one. The voice I was given by our forefathers, the voice we were all given, is gone. Or we believe it is. Perhaps, deep down inside of us, we will find that voice again, hopefully before it is too late.

I doubt you're wondering where all of this is coming from. If I had posted a story like this 8 or 9 years ago people would think I was just being crazy. Specifically though, I have read 3 articles recently that have put this to the forefront of my mind to the point that I felt I needed to at least say my piece.

The first article I am going to point out is a short one. It is not very political, but it shows you an interesting perspective on the state of our union.

The second article is actually an excerpt from a book titled "One is a Crowd" written by Frank Chodorov. The book was published in 1952, the excerpt rings more true today than in any other time period thus far.

The last article I want to bring up is from an MSNBC Anchor named Keith Olbermann. This is the longest and most powerful of the three articles. This is an article about how Bush has failed as our President and what he or we should do about it.

Please read these articles, post your own thoughts. I do not know what I can do except go on living my life. The best I can do now is investigate how I am raising my children and focus on showing them the true meaning of what being an American is. In that case, I truly hope I understand what that means to me.

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