It's that time of year again when I ponder what the United States of America is all about. Is it a new empire that put closure to an old one? Is it a continent that was populated by extremist religious groups not tolerated anymore in Europe? Is it a Democracy? Well, the "founding fathers" clearly said: No to that, leaving the states in an ambivalent free for all experiment. So what is it then, the land of the free, with awesome sculptures carved into the rocks of Mount Rushmore?
Did the Indian's blood fertilize the lands properly? Did the two party system evolve to anything else but a Duocracy?
Does the Hamburger taste better in the USA than in Hamburg - Germany? Besides, maybe the US burger is better since most obese, fat, ugly people live on this continent and most other continents are spared of such ... for now. (Sorry obese people, I just had to say it that way). And why do we American opportunistic peoples only invest into the infrastructure of "Now" - and not the future? Why do we wait to call for international help to clean up the worst oil spill ever ... until six weeks down the road? Why don't we use our plenty abundance of resources wisely which would suffice for all of us? What's wrong with this "Independence"? Have we become cowards not able to live up to our dreams and expectations, do we have an issue jumping over our own shadow?
All right, today I am not using charcoal, but real wood - ash wood that is, to get my fire going. And then, we will have all kinds of meats and vegetables roasting on that fire, celebrating the 4th of July!
As Lincoln would have said: Let the fireworks begin!
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4 comments:
i agree that western-style 'democracy' was an 'experiment' drawn by our forefathers, since history had little previous experience with it. that is what elevated the declaration of independence and our constitution into such great documents.
as a framework, democracy is wonderful; the execution of it however has been, at times, selective and poorly applied. but the idea is so grand, i hope it isn't abandoned by history.
it is sad that corporations and governments underinvest in long-term infrastructure. one can visually see the difference in schools built in the early 1900s versus modern schools- early 20th century schools were made of brick and lasted 50-70 years or more, while modern schools are manufactured out of sticks and look like crap.
i don't know anything better could have been done with the oil spill. every proposed "solution" has its limits and risks. the thing that *could* have been avoided was the spill itself.
"good enough" shouldn't be an option with oil infrastructure any more than it is with nuclear power.
"good enough" shouldn't be an option with education either.
enjoy your trip to europe, zee, and spread the good word.
i hope your 4th of July celebration feast was as good as it sounds. happy trails. send us pictures of your trip :0)
It's an interesting question. I only wish that I could give you an honest answer. I will consider the matter.
My first impression is that any point in history is not a valid indicator. There is one wild, reactionary swing to the one side, and then another follows, like the movements of a concerto. In this maniacal, jerking dance, we hope to find grace. On the whole and over the long-term, maybe some sense of direction might be had, but any moment-- any point along the line-- there is only madness.
For every bad thing you see, you will also find some good, and for every tragedy, a triumph.
I am unsure of the meaning of this. Perhaps to assume that there is some sort of meaning behind it is rather presumptive of us.
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