What’s Wrong?

I have been in our country since my birth 62 years ago, and in that time I have never felt the shadow over us which I now feel. We went through a lot of problems during those years, but through it all there always existed a foundational sense that at the core we were sound.
Even the Vietnam War did not unsettle us in the same way as our current discomfort. Vietnam did cause us to realize that we were not invincible, which created a feeling within me that I had to grow used to.
Now, however there is a sense that there is something bigger afoot, and at the root I think it is a combination of things. I sense a growing concern that we have lost our way generally; that the unique quality of being an American is being torn from us.
As some of you know, my wife, Patricia, and I recently lost our older son. As we work through our grief, we have a guiding star which offers us long-term solace, that being our knowledge that it is well with his soul, and that we will see him again. I think our nation is looking for that star right now and has not identified it.
As I said, at the root I don’t sense there is any one problem. If it were only fear that our government taxes too much and then wastes it. Or that we have turned on the presses and are destroying our currency. Or that the national health-care fix will be worse than the disease. Or. Or. Or….
I sense that it is much deeper because parties and party platforms have come and gone over our history, and we correct excesses with the next election. The problem now seems to be that citizens are coming to feel that it doesn’t matter which party we vote for, neither will lead us well. This is indeed lamentable because our grandchildren will face even larger problems as other nations grow stronger and richer.
Enough about the problems. While we have to take a cold look at problems in order to muster the determination to do something about them, the focus needs to be, Where do we go from here? While our leadership is faltering, we as citizens have no choice but to step up to the plate.
Lyndon Johnson was not one of my favorite presidents, but he did say something that I have not forgotten: That he always did everything he knew to do, and that was always enough.
As a nation, America will do what we have to do, as we have always done, and it will be enough. We no doubt have some dark and difficult time ahead, but we will pull together, push forward and regain our footing.
As a matter of fact, there are some budding signs in the town-hall meetings on health care that the American people still possess the ardor which made our country great. Regardless of which side of the issue you are on, this engaging debate is constructive. It is demonstrating to the party in power the necessity of the deliberative process, of bringing the other party into the discussions when writing our laws.
So have we lost our way? I would say, Yes. Are we going to get back on track? I hope so, and I believe so.
Art Hall, publisher