I elect to be radical.

Am I better off than I was four years ago...? I think this question is stupid. It's like the cliche interview question of "Where do you picture yourself in five years?" Like I would want to predict my success or failures... Isn't "Am I better off" a question for my own initiative and motivation? I loathe the question because it suggests that what I do with my life is dependent upon whether or not the government has provided the proper set up for me to succeed. This is not what the Founding Fathers would have asked. I would think the majority of those that decided to take the slow boats to America were not thinking they were better off halfway through the trip. But they were thinking that. I believe it was the promise of a new freedom that they had no hope of reaching in the place they were coming from. And that was enough back then.

You see, in my opinion, we are too well off to realize what we have anymore. We argue and whine about what others have and get, whether by privilege or exception, or whatever the circumstance. When, what we really should be worrying about is what we're doing to make more of ourselves and in turn, help others make more of themselves. Once again, doesn't it always come down to attitude and perspective? Time warp tells me that all the pilgrims that helped bring us this country realized that the success of their future was up to them. And look at what came out of it! Are you better off is up to you, and only you. For starters anyway. Whether you decide to cowboy up with others to make the most of "it" or find a better way, no one is telling you or forcing you to do anything. This is what our freedom and democracy is all about. CHOICE. We get to make a choice! Granted, majority rules, but I believe if you look at history, that has generally served us well. So for those that want to say on one hand the government hasn't done what it's supposed to do for you, and on the other, the government is too involved in your life, I say you don't understand Democracy. By the people means it's your responsibility to be involved. And if the majority rule hasn't served your interests, then maybe you should take a second look. Because regardless of whether the government is partisan to your politics, you can still make a difference. You still can always serve a greater purpose- for others and in turn, for ourselves. There are millions of ways to do this.

I fear for the future because the "can do" mentality seems to be castaway by up and coming generations after my own. (And yes, that does imply that I think my generation is the last of those who weren't born feeling entitled.) The sense of entitlement is staggering and evident in present-day priorities and interactions (or total lack thereof) with others. In the current Facebook, Twitter, text, email world we live in now, gone is the face-to-face reality of what was, of what actually changed and effected our perspective. And I'm guilty too. I choose email over phone calls every time, unless you're extremely familiar to me. But what worries me is the latest generations rarely have opportunity for others to be familiar to them anymore. If you have 100+ "friends" on Facebook, who cares if you have any social skills? Who cares if you understand the importance of neglecting your own personal interests in order to help someone else? And I fear that gets lost more and more in the "standards" of the present day. So are we better off? And is that any one person's load to bear? I think not. Don't get me wrong. I have never been Polly Anna about anything and I too am frustrated many times over with what's going on (actually, not going on) in Congress. But I will always support the one that offers hope and the challenge to change over the one that only offers criticism for what hasn't happened with no game plan on what they can do better. I will always support the one that wants to find a better way for those that have been oppressed and neglected over the one that favors the more fortunate. I will always support the one that forges relationships to create solutions over the one that would rather wage war.

Am I better off? I challenge myself with that question everyday I'm alive. In my opinion, it is fundamentally my own responsibility, and also my responsibility to help my neighbor be better off as I would want for myself. That's what I've learned from being an American and a Patriot for my country. And I pledge allegiance with those who share the same view.