A
blessed & happy Independence Day weekend to you!
As
we celebrate the birthday of our nation, I thought it might be good to consider
an important issue. This issue defines a lot of how we see ourselves, &
which will also determine whether our descendants will experience the same
freedoms that my generation has often taken for granted.
That
issue is whether we see ourselves as members of a community or a collective.
The
stereotype of Americans as rugged individualists, although somewhat accurate,
is not totally true. Most of America’s accomplishments have happened as a
result of groups of citizens who voluntarily worked together in a cooperative
& mutually beneficial way.
On
the other hand, a collectivist understanding of America sees its greatness as a
result of an entirely different dynamic at work. It sees a centralized
authority populated by people who are a little wiser & more altruistic than
the average American. They know what is best for all, & deserve the
authority & power to make such decisions. Also, they live far from the
mundane realities of life so that they can make the most objective decisions
for the people.
The
brazen statement “You didn’t build that” comes from this collectivist mentality.
“It Takes a Village” also reflects a worldview where government (a collective,
not a community) is the best parent for the next generation.
During
this Independence Day weekend, please remember that we are celebrating the
exceptional results of voluntary association (or community) and not an impersonal,
centralized, faceless, inefficient, out-of-touch collective.
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