A time will eventually come when Americans will demand better governance and true transformation will begin.  We say that time is now.

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The time has come for each of us to honestly question our commitment to the future of this nation.  Will our legacy be something we are proud of, or will we forever be known as the former superpower that recklessly relinquished our prominence because we lacked the will to protect it? Deep down, do we really want to make the necessary changes or are we satisfied with accepting our political circus as some sort of perverse entertainment?  We certainly have that privilege as a free nation but, if that is our position, we better brace ourselves for its severe consequences.

           

Our superpower as Americans is that we have the freedom and authority to change the things we don’t like. That we take that right for granted is a colossal understatement. It feels like we all anticipate someone more qualified or smarter or less busy than ourselves to do something about all of this. Everyone is certainly eager to convey their disapproval and complain about the problems, but often the person who criticizes chooses to blame someone else or suggest someone else take action.

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It’s true that identifying the challenges is a crucial component of the process, but to stop there is like hitting faulty brakes at the edge of a cliff.  Imagine the difference if we reject finger pointing and the blame game, and go a step further: look inward, feel a compulsion to act, and introduce potential solutions into the political conversation.

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We can absolutely change our direction, and we will.  Regardless of our individual beliefs, it is critical we join together for positive progress.  We have been underestimated long enough. Together we will overcome the tremendous challenges we face and, channeling our very best angels, unleash the greatest version of both ourselves and our country.

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What in the heck have we been waiting for? Americans are the most dynamic and innovative people in the world. We are courageous, convicted and confident and we possess a unique sense of assertiveness and adaptability. We have all of the necessary ingredients — unlimited talent and intelligence, unparalleled freedom of opportunity, and vast economic resources — to cultivate the strength and goodness of America that we all know exists but that, thanks to partisan politics, has been compromised.  We simply need to incorporate the final component: a way to harness unrelenting will.

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Challenging authority is our right, our responsibility, our legacy.  Since the two-party political dynamic in America has completely broken down, we will simply step in and fix this madness ourselves.  The most beautiful thing about living in America is that we have the freedom and power to create a better future for ourselves without waiting for some piece of elusive legislation to pass. We don’t need anyone’s permission to define our destiny. Is this not the greatest country on the planet?!?

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The exciting news is that once we take matters into our own hands, our future will be brighter than ever! The American spirit is unmatched, and we can achieve absolutely anything we put our minds to.  It’s a good thing too, because the time has finally come to tackle the most important effort we will ever take as fellow citizens:  Saving our country.

 

We better get busy because, I hate to break it to you, there’s no one else to do it.  No one is sequestered in a secret room somewhere trying to figure this mess out. We seem to have this crazy notion that somebody — anybody! — is working on groundbreaking, nonpartisan solutions for us, but they are not. It’s you and me, my fellow Americans!  That’s it.

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We like most of singer/songwriter John Mayer’s songs. But his song Waiting on the World to Change drives us nuts.  “One day our generation is gonna rule the population, so we keep on waiting, waiting on the world to change” seems to insinuate that younger generations have little choice but to sit around with our thumbs up our… well, otherwise occupied…until the old regime is finished screwing everything up. Do tell, who exactly is going to change the world if we all just sit around and wait?  What age should we all hit before we jump in and help fix this? 

 

We absolutely share John’s frustration — “now we see everything that’s going wrong with the world and those who lead it, we just feel like we don’t have the means to rise above and beat it” — but we better get busy and find the means because our lame excuses are no longer an alternative. In the absence of our involvement, we relinquish our future to people we half-heartedly elect and then are shocked when they fail to come through for us.  No more!

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Every single American needs to take their share of responsibility for the future of this country. It’s important to have strong leaders and decision makers, but it’s far more critical to have active, responsible citizens.

 

A time will eventually come when Americans will demand better governance and true transformation will begin.  We say that time is now. Okay, so maybe we’ve been asleep at the wheel for a while, but this country has tremendous resilience.  Americans don’t reject national reflection — we embrace it.  We don’t allow momentary lapses in judgment to derail us — we gain wisdom that makes us even stronger.   

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We could not be prouder to be Americans.  Americans are optimistic not only for our own future, but also for our capacity to create a brighter tomorrow on a global scale.  We are aware of our imperfections and have a deep desire to correct our indiscretions but remain completely faithful to the belief that the United States is the best place to be. 

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But the absolute greatest privilege of being an American is the freedom we have to continually assess our government, our leaders, and our political and moral direction.

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Without that privilege, America would be lost.  With it, anything is possible.