Once a nation of self-starters we now look to the government to supply us everything we want from health to education and a forgiveness for our own folly in managing our finances. We prefer to blame others, rather than change ourselves and then we wonder why this delegation of accountability results in increasing chaos, hardship and malaise. When our collective self-esteem is bruised because others refuse to put up with our self-centeredness, we resort to brute force and kill, like the bully on the block. We choose violence to force our will rather than the tools of civilized nations and then pat ourselves on the back for succeeding in brutality. 'Do it our way or no way' we say to the world and within our self-righteous narrative, we think we've won. We haven't. Like that same bully we continue to isolate ourselves from others and the rest of the world watches. They fear us, but only for the moment. They've seen this before and know they don't need to destroy us; we'll destroy ourselves in good time for a house divided always falls.

We as a nation are divided. The tougher times get, the scarcer necessities, the more divided we will become. We have the power as Americans to reverse this if only we'd stop judging each other and listen. Once we listened. Today, rather than listen to opinions and ponder ideas, we segregate:

'That is liberal, I'm a conservative so I won't listen'.

'That is fundamentalism, as a liberal I shall not listen'.

'What you say doesn't match the narrative I've created so you cannot be right.'

This closing off of the free exchange and debate of ideas by categorizing serves only those profiting from ignorance; yet we as a people allow it and embrace it. Why think when others can think for us and tell us what is proper to think? After all, this was the foundation of empires and monarchies up until 237 years ago on July 4, 1776. It took thinking coupled with action to break from that then. It will take the same today. Are we Americans today a lesser people? The game is the same. Only the technology has changed.

The fact is America we've digressed as a nation. We live by labels and therefore excise ourselves from the primary responsibility of being free: accountability. Accountability requires vigilance. It requires work. It mandates we become involved and educate ourselves beyond what we are told. Accountability necessitates we seek out opinions different from our own, test them, ponder them and consider. It means we have the capacity to question, theorize and when necessary, admit our misconceptions, misinterpretations and folly. Accountability means we become involved, we become one of the 15%-ers who make things happen. This is the mark of mature person and a mature nation.

Given our conduct of late, America seems stuck in the wonder years, those years of childhood where a person is too young to be held accountable and decisions originate with adults, yet the child remains old enough for self-awareness and guarded responsibility. It is during this time his character is shaped and he learns from his mistakes by accepting accountability for his actions.

The full article by by Laura Dawn Lewis can be found here