247 Years

Seems like a lot, doesn’t it?  Heck, most of us consider ourselves “old” at 40 or 50 years of age but, as it relates to the age of a nation, 247 years doesn’t seem old at all.  In fact, when you stop and think about where we stand as a nation today, it seems somewhat incomprehensible that we’ve accomplished so much in so little time yet, when you compare our age to the age of other nations such as England or Spain, we’re still in our infancy.

I say all of this with the hope of providing a “big picture” perspective of all things American.  Our history, our failures, our triumphs, they’re all stitched together as the fabric of an idea that took hold and, through tremendous sacrifice, came to fruition.  That idea, that all of us are created equal, that we are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, has grown into all that we have today and continues to be a beacon of light and hope that spans the entire world.  That same idea, as it was inked into parchment in 1787, gave power of governance to each and every one of us.  We the people, became united.

247 years later, I don’t think there’s an American out there that doesn’t have concerns about where we are headed as a nation, and I am including ALL Americans in this statement.  Politics aside, we are at a critical juncture that requires our undivided attention.  To revisit my comment about America being in its infancy, it’s as if we’re a toddler who’s been separated from its mother in a department store for the first time.  We all remember that feeling of desperation, hopelessness, and worst of all, fear.  It seemed like time stood still as we frantically wondered the aisles, scanning stranger after stranger until, at last, we were reunited.  In an instant, all was right with the world again.

Does any of this strike a tone within you?  Do you feel that we’re lost?  Do you see strangers rather than fellow Americans these days?  Does our situation seem hopeless?  No need to answer, I already know what you’d say.  I do have an idea on how to fix all of this, though.  It’s going to sound a bit crazy, but stay with me… Let’s try working together.  Yes, there was some sarcasm sprinkled in there, but it’s almost as if we have all abandoned this as an option and it perplexes me to no end.  To drive my point home; Next time you get into an argument, let’s say with your spouse, instead of facing each other and talking through it, each of you turn your backs to each other and argue with the walls you face instead.  My guess is that you’ll accomplish absolutely nothing.  Sadly, it’s no different than what we’re doing today.  No one is working together.  We’re all just standing back to back, arguing with the walls.

I say we turn around, face each other not as strangers, but as fellow Americans and work on this together.  Let’s set aside our petty differences and work through the real issues that stand to further divide us. I can say from experience that you will be surprised at how much you have in common with those that, at first, seem to be polar opposites.  None of us want this idea to fail.  We all seek prosperity and we all want our voices to be heard.  Well, news flash, you have a voice.  We all do.  However, these voices only carry great power when they are united as a collective voice.  The argument that our voices carry no power within our government only holds merit when we stand divided.  Proof of this can be seen in most city, state, and federal governing bodies day after day.  Chaos amongst the people produces chaos in government.  Yet when we unite our voices, the chaos is replaced with order and action.  If not, we vote the chaos out.  Remember, and I’ll say this as loud as possible for those who may not be listening… We the People hold the power and must work together, Freedom is our right and not a privilege, and these are the UNITED States of America.

So as we approach our 247th birthday, let’s keep the big picture in mind as we celebrate this great nation, together.