We, The People...

“That no free government, nor the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people, but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue; by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles; and by the recognition by all citizens that they have duties as well as rights, and that such rights cannot be enjoyed save in a society where law is respected and due process is observed.” –Virginia State Constitution, Article I – Section 15, paragraph 1

I unequivocally believe that this is a lost and forgotten truth within our society. We have become a nation of victimization and entitlement. We have cast aside the meanings of words like responsibility and duty. We have become self-centered and self-serving, neglecting the most basic and valid of our citizenship- that “all citizens have duties as well as rights.” 

One of our greatest presidents, John F. Kennedy, admonished us to “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Had he uttered those words today, he would have been blasted throughout the media as a right wing conservative extremist. Yet his words, uttered 54 years ago, ring just as true now as they did then. We have become a nation that demands everything from its government, legal system, its states, police departments, education system, elected leaders, etc., without actually giving anything back. Those men and women who enter the education arenas, the workforces, and many others, who purposely seek to contribute to the well-being, success, and preservation of their country have become overshadowed by those, in every economic/social/racial/educational facet, who simply seek to demand sustenance and provision from the state with no regard to their own contribution, or lack thereof. 

There is a quite common misconception amongst our citizens that any man/woman should be free to do whatever he/she pleases with little to no consequence. This is simply not true. We have blatant disregard for the law, rampant spending, and short tempers amongst The People, as well as their elected leaders, however, for my purposes here, I am addressing The People. Just because we can rarely means we should. Just because we have it in the account doesn’t mean we should spend it, although we can. Just because we have it doesn’t mean we have to have it all right now. Just because it is inconvenient or you disagree with it is no legitimate justification of breaking the law. We always demand higher standards of others than we do of ourselves, an interesting and telling hypocrisy of our society. 

We complain that our nation/society/system is broken, yet we, The People, are the ones responsible for its maintenance and preservation. However, as we have absolved ourselves of any and all responsibility for such, we neglect our inherent duty as citizens to hold ourselves and each other accountable to the ideals we claim to live by, the ideals our very nation was founded upon. We blame the politicians, who are only part of the problem. Our elected leaders are servants of the people, answerable to The People, however much they may have forgotten it. The ultimate seat of power rests with The People, yet The People willingly surrender that power and refuse the responsibility of exercising it, and then have the audacity to wonder why, where, and how our society became so flawed. Our flaws do not exist because of so-and-so or “X” organization. Our flaws exist because we, The People, foolishly surrendered the power of our will and we failed to carry out our inherent citizenly duties of maintaining this Union. 

Such ideals, such actions, such responsibilities are not, and cannot be, born by legislation. They cannot be written into existence. They are birthed through the enlightened and willing social collective consciousness of The People. They are enacted by the collective will of The People. They are maintained through the collective desire of The People to be responsible with the management and preservation of this nation’s prosperity. True justice, equality, prosperity, and freedom are not random. They do not spontaneously burst into existence. They are free for all who would seek them, but they are only maintained and preserved for all through the discretion, moderation, and responsibility of the collective efforts of The People.