American Culture

High Ideals – Roughshod Reality

A distinctive feature of American culture was its underlying ideal that anyone willing to invest time and energy in self-education might better himself.

As Daniel Webster so eloquently states in 1826, our nation was founded on the lofty ideals of “a newly awakened and unconquerable spirit of free inquiry, and by a diffusion of knowledge through the community." (see excerpt)

Even Ronald Reagan sought to inspire our youth by the same high-minded vision.

Where Are We Now?

Has our nation lost it's passion for these ideals?

Have we been seduced by the mind-numbing overflow of infotainment; ensnared by an "easy-street" of high-tech style and rhetoric that's sadly devoid of any long-lasting substance?

Or... have we been ushered into a new paradigm, where the all-encompassing digital playground has inspired a new revolution of higher learning—fulfilling our founding father's vision for the new republic?

Susan Jacobs believes we have failed. Statistics certainly support her argument. From the inconceivable rudeness of Bill O’Reilly to the appalling ignorance and apathy of our citizens, we have fallen as a nation and disgraced the democratic ideals on which America was built.

Enlightened or Sidetracked?

The digital world offers a myriad of possibilities—its temptations can enlighten or illuminate as easily as it can mislead or sidetrack. The Internet is a powerful tool, effortlessly connecting millions to a treasure chest of the world’s information, empowering all to partake and participate.  But with each new sound bite… with each new dazzling download… comes a need—a responsibility—to  question... to research... and as important.... to converse and participate in it’s acceptance or judgment.

Let's hope each one of us as individuals—and as representatives of the greater democratic community we live in—can help derail this downward spiral and realign it back upwards, on the path of self-enlightenment that Daniel Webster so ardently championed.

In the immortal words of John F Kennedy's famous "Ask not what your country can do for you..." speech:

“We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. The world is very different now...  the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans…"

"Together let us explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us… In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course…"

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