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Recognizing, "All achievement begins with thought." We Americans are left to ask ourselves: "What were we thinking?" We have set ourselves on the fast track to ruin and the best we can muster, politically and personally, is to shuffle deck chairs. By our refusal to confront the brutal facts we continue to reinforce the gravest of errors - trusting our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor to "powers that be". It is time to choose again.
We have driven ourselves here: millions unemployed, trillions of dollars in debt, political gridlock and moral paralysis. We chose the route, we finely tuned the vehicle, and we aggressively turned the wheel bringing America and the world to the brink. We chose poorly. All so that we can rid ourselves of a nagging sense of responsibility.
People, by nature, seek absolute control over their lives. Power is, in fact, a birthright of every human being. Each person controls the direction, the speed and the experiences of their journey - for better or for worse. Each gets to choose. However, as people mature and come to understand the truth they realize, along with ultimate power comes ultimate responsibility. For far too many "responsibility" is a burden too cumbersome to bear. In haste to shed the yoke of responsibility people unwittingly forfeit power.
Because the adventure intimidates and overwhelms, instead of claiming responsibility and charting a course we prefer that the few flourish at the expense of the many. This process of abandoning responsibility and abdicating power has slowly but surely concentrated power in the hands of the few. The powerful are the people, capable or not, honorable or not, who are willing to wield power. These are the ones we entrust our lives to.
In relinquishing power we submit a feeble petition: "take care of us". We surrender the promise and potential of a grand adventure for a groundless guarantee of a measure of comfort and an illusion of security. For we "... are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right..." ourselves with effort, ingenuity and purity of thought.
We console ourselves believing, the men of great wealth and industry possess wisdom. They know best and will provide adequately for our needs. Trust is absolute, not in the divine, but in the empty promises of empowered elites. We expect the captains of industry and the titans of finance to benevolently create ever greater wealth while we glow in the light of their brilliance. We expect faceless bureaucracy to care for the aged, the poor and the destitute, to take care of our health, to command the economy, to create jobs and to promote prosperity. The all knowing will cut our expenses, invest our savings, and manage our happiness. We seed power eagerly to those willing to exercise it, believing naively, they have our best interests at heart.
But what of the alternative? If we were to accept total responsibility for our lives and our choices, who would we blame? Who could we convict? Who could we condemn? We would have to have vision, commit to a direction, and summon the courage and fortitude to proceed. We would have to discipline ourselves with resolve to shepherd our own journey - to choose the best path. Is there any other way? No.
To right our course we Americans must accept total responsibility for what we have created. The trials and tribulations we now tolerate are the result of the people, "we the people", abdicating power and forsaking responsibility. The power to correct these errors lies with us, not the elite.
We can change direction. We can produce a better result. We can choose prosperity over poverty. The power is in each person, accessed through each mind. It is our right, our duty to choose again.
Scott F. Paradis, author of "Promise and Potential: A Life of Wisdom, Courage, Strength and Will" http://www.promiseandpotential.com/ publishes "Insights" available for free at http://www.c-achieve.com/
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