Are you better off than you were four years ago? That is the question Ronald Reagan asked to get elected. It was the wrong question to ask. It implied that it was the government's responsibility to create well being. Reagan was against big government and yet he was asking the public to look to Big Brother to take care of them.The polls asking about how many of us approve of what the President is doing seem to be along the same lines. The President is not up for re-election. Aren't there better questions to be asked? What are they? What would better focus national attention on issues that we can more directly effect? What questions would help the majority of America's citizens "be the change they would like to see."
1. Am I taking full responsibility to insure my own family's economic, emotional and spiritual well being for today and tomorrow? (Seth)
2. Am I then realizing and acting upon the obligation I have to aggressively encourage others in my community to do the same through example and active civic participation? (Seth)
3. Am I easily persuaded by one strong opinion, eloquently advocated, only to be swayed the other direction when I hear another equally persuasive "expert" voice the counterargument. (Seth)
4. Do I take enough individual responsibility in my examination of an event to see the big picture clearly by gathering the relevant facts available, recognizing historical patterns and applying truths which I hold as absolute before making a judgment? (Seth)
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Paradoxically enough it was JFK who said "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country". We are a society drenched in moral relativism and an entitlement mentality which cripple our ability to think and act independently and surrenders our God-given freedoms. Stated generally I would ask: 1. Am I taking full responsibility to insure my own family's economic, emotional and spiritual well being for today and tomorrow? 2. Am I then realizing and acting upon the obligation I have to aggressively encourage others in my community to do the same through example and active civic participation?
ReplyDeleteAnother useful quote would be from Alexander Pope “A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.” Mere knowledge, (or the tidbits we are thrown by an hour long session with a 24/7 cable news service) does not guarantee we are gaining wisdom or even a true understanding of the events examined. I came across the following by an anonymous contributor writing in response to a commentary on The Economist's website: "The rise of 'big government' is in large measure the result of failure by the people and the press. Neither of these two essential protectors of freedom and democracy has responsibly applied a knowledge of history to current events in the last century or so, most especially during the last few Obamaniacal years in the United States. The people must be informed rather than entertained. The press must inform rather than advocate. These goals require a greater individual responsibility than either show at this time." My next question would be something like: Am I easily persuaded by one strong opinion, eloquently advocated, only to be swayed the other direction when I hear another equally persuasive "expert" voice the counterargument. OR do I take enough individual responsibility in my examination of an event to see the big picture clearly by gathering the relevant facts available, recognizing historical patterns and applying truths which I hold as absolute before making a judgment?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response Seth! These are some great questions!!!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen the second part of the Pope quote. Thanks again!
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