Friday, March 4, 2011

Practice What You Preach

So there I was, sitting quietly having my hair cut. Next to me was a young girl. She was speaking to her friend about her young out of wedlock child and her new boyfriend and how excited she was that she had just received her government issued cell phone with 250 prepaid minutes. She was boasting to her friend that each month the government would refill her minutes – for free while her poor pal, who had a job and was attending college, had to pay $54 a month for hers. She also stated that she received her welfare check and bought these ‘cool new shoes’. As I sat there and listened to this conversation I began thinking about what I’ve been hearing all week – Politics is a dirty business.

I’m an American History major and marvel daily at our Founders. Here we had a group of men coming together, not for their ego, not for their profit, not for re-election, but to risk everything for the country’s future. While our Founders did not agree on everything, a common thread was prevalent: good character, virtue, moral psychology and courage.

As I sat there listening to these young girls and as I read the newspapers each day a glaring fact unfolds – our nation is in trouble. We have trotted off the limited constitutional government, the notion of self reliance and personal responsibility and liberty under God, trail. Why is the question at hand.

While there may be nothing new today in politics – two sides of thought exist and each side fights to have their way, a new philosophy has crept in among those that represent – one of self preservation aka re-election replacing what once was a concern for country and the next generation.

Our children have been taught that they are ‘owed’ something from the government. This young girl believed she was ‘owed’ a cell phone and the right to collect welfare. She seemed to have no desire or thought to better herself or provide for her child for the government would take care of it all. Some politicians push this thought – it’s our job to provide – we must provide aka social justice.

As I was getting ready to leave I couldn’t hold my tongue. I looked to the college girl and said, “she should thank YOU for working, because it is YOU that is providing for her new cell phone, her minutes and her ‘new cool shoes’. With that I left.

Good character, virtue, moral psychology and courage are what is necessary each and every day. We must take those traits with us as we walk the streets, go to the mall, hop on a train or bus. We must remind our schools, our representatives, our family members of what is good and right. We must demand those traits from those that represent if we are to have any hope of steering our nation out of troubled waters. The time has come to start practicing what we preach.

Politics may indeed be a dirty business but it doesn’t have to be. Politicians need to understand that it is not about THEM – it is about future generations. If this mall visit was any inclination – they are failing them. The future generations need a wake-up call that self reliance and personal responsibility is the ‘cool – in thing’ and to be a taker, not so much.