We need to a reason to dream

I have been thinking for a while on what seems to be a common thread for all the turmoil the country is facing. The news is about the woes, threats, ridicule, discrimination, etc. being brought against one another. It is a constant drain on us all. Rights being threatened and taken away, the Federal government is in total chaos with certain leaders side stepping the Constitution with the flick of his pen.

What is causing this turmoil?

Here is my perspective, the country doesn't have anything to dream for. No country wide excitement type dreams. The kind where we all as a nation would circle around the television waiting with bated breath for images or news of exciting revelations and conquest.

We had the moon landings, space shuttles on exciting missions, heroes setting world records in flight, science, explorations of the deep sea, new lands never seen. Without these dreams we all sit around and stew on what our problems are and who we can blame to make ourselves feel better. We are too easily offended, too quick to yell racism, bigotry, narcissism with bitter resentment.

This country was founded on the belief that we are free to be who we are without the least oppression from others and especially the government. The government was created to protect the borders from invaders, regulate trade and commerce, and protect the laws and Constitution of the land. Over the last 100 or so years slowly we allowed special interest groups lobby and influence our government turning it into a nanny state. The government in turn has taken away our responsibility of self govern of our homes and families. Then more groups have gotten comfortable with not having to rely on themselves and holding their hands out for their assistance from the government. Churches and local charities have been taken out of the equation. Self reliance is a thing of the past for this generation of entitled, self centered, self important heathens that influence our children and our grandchildren.

There are programs that are being attacked that should never have been touched. Our men and women who served in our Armed Forces who deserve the security of having the country provide their care and assistance for their time of protecting our country and keeping us out of harms way. Our veterans are one of our greatest treasures we need to protect. It is our time to serve them.

Our space programs are being farmed out to private businesses. I have no problems with the private sector working in partnership, but how are we as a nation supposed to rally around that. We won't go back to the moon. We have astronauts in the the International Space Station, but where do we go from there.

Do we get too bored too quickly?

We need to restore the national imagination and dream. We need to dream big. Start looking for that next horizon that will capture us and want us to go farther.

The longer we sit and stare at our misery, the more bitter we become.

JW