Born on the Fourth of July

 Happy birthday, America.

I've been sitting here this morning considering how you seem to have changed since I was a kid. I finally arrived at a startling conclusion: you have not changed one iota. You still stand for freedom; your high ideals and aspirations are intact. It is we who have changed—we, the people.

We took you for granted, assumed you'd always be strong enough to weather any storm. Even if we slacked a bit, we figured someone else would batten down the hatches while we sheltered 'neath your umbrella. Yeah, we could sit back and munch on chips and dip, maybe quaff down a few Buds while someone else did the hard work of keeping America strong.

Today we hear a lot of talk about "emerging nations." We chafe a bit when they're mentioned, harbor more than our share of resentment and tend to vent a lot of steam over the fact that they have been the beneficiaries of our outsourced economy. They're hungry, willing to work for less. We can't begin to compete.

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Fact is, as an elder generation who survived the Great Depression fades from memory, we—"the people"—have forgotten what it means to be hungry. We grew up with plenty on the table and have always assumed the bounty was simply there for the taking with relatively little effort on our part. We have tried to ensure that our kids, too, want for nothing. We have handed them all the bits of fluff and fripperies they've demanded simply because the neighbors' kids were rollin' in fluff.

Like us, our little darlings have never been hungry. They have never had to really "want." They have never known a life where blessings were earned by working their butts off to make it happen. They have never really understood what a blessing it is to have a school to attend. They're too busy trying to cut class to care. As parents, maybe we've been too caught up in our own narcissistic agendas to really care much, either. Is it any wonder our kids are more concerned with really important stuff? You know...really important stuff, like what Snooki on Jersey Shore will be up to next.

Suddenly, America, our economy has taken a serious smack-down. We've been startled from our complacency. It's like we woke up and realized that most of us have forgotten what it means to sacrifice. And some of us have never grasped the concept at all. Not really. Now we fear there are simply too many of us crammed under the umbrella while too few are left out there weathering the storm, keeping America strong.

However, maybe—just maybe—it's not too late. Our first priority must be to make education a priority. We absolutely must instill a sense of appreciation in our children for the blessings they have taken for granted every day they're sent to a school and forced to open a book to study. Believe me, parents and their kids in "emerging nations" would never take the opportunity for an education for granted.

We need to have our kids turn off Jersey Shore and spend more time studying the impact global warming may have on the Jersey shore. Our kids need to know that they can't be rollin' in the fluff if they have done absolutely nothing to deserve it because there are plenty of people around the world who are more than happy to make the most of our apathy.

"Emerging nations" already understand what is at stake here. They appreciate where their priorities must lie. They're hungry, willing to work for less. They're willing to compete.

But are we—the people?

~ Robin

PS: Sorry I won't be able to celebrate your birthday today like I'd like. I have to work for a living. Thank God. :-)