WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Up! Of course! That's what we do.  Americans do not stay down for long, and we are already seeing the signs of optimism and recovery from a devastating recession and a country in huge political turmoil. Despite the doom and gloom of the past several years, there is a feeling that we're coming back---and in spite of bungling mistakes, weak leadership on all sides, and contrary to reports of our demise. We have been divided, polarized to the point of paralysis, torn from our constitutional  bearings, and left to drift in a sea of  uncertainty. Yet, we are still here, still the envy of all others, and with a little luck we are going to make it, after all. The housing market, is slowly coming back, unemployment is whittling downward, the stock market is up,  and gas prices are unbelievably down!  All of these trends can be interpreted with cynicism and skepticism---but for now, it feels good to breathe the air of a new year, and hope for the future.

 But who are we, at this point, and who do we as a whole, wish to be?   Ah, that is the question, isn't it?  Are we able to be a "whole", or are we too fragmented to be anything but a mixed bag of parts with no sure vision? Whose America  do we mostly desire?  The progressive left,  the moderate left, the center, the right, or the  conservative right? From the  extreme left concept of a centralized government , ruled by a few of the best and the brightest, to one of as little government as possible controlled by the will of the people, --- or somewhere in between. We yell and scream,  riot, hold demonstrations, tug, push, and pull. we rock and roll with all of our differences like a a ship on a roiling sea. Our president has more or less thrown up his hands and decided to go it alone on many issues, by executive fiat., a pen and phone. We watch warily, vote in a different crew, and keep rowing.---toward what?

Are we able to be  united in something beyond our desire to be free, to seek the American dream?  And even those at times seems to be slipping away as we construct more and more rules to keep it under control---as though the concept of freedom itself has led us to a point of dangerous vulnerability which requires constraints---and less freedom. Fire walls built, rules created, regulations put in place---all to guard against over indulgence . Our banks and corporations proved they were not above corruption; our borders too porous to protect from far too many illegal entries ; our speech too loose to be respectful of all, and even our privacy not exempt from government interference.  Our middle class, the lynch pin of our society, is shrinking as they bear the burden of supporting too  much and too many --- and without enough compensation for their labor, i.e. exorbitant taxes,  too many corporate loopholes, excessive bonuses, and pensions vs. a better living wage for those who turn the wheels. We are a very  unsettled country---almost schizophrenic, as we struggle to find the right balance between freedom vs. responsibility, independence vs. dependence, and free market vs. creeping mega government control, otherwise known as socialism.

But where would you rather be? China, Russia, Africa,  any place in Europe? Really? There's no place like this country. Try living elsewhere for awhile--the differences will astound and even frighten you, offend your senses--and the return to home will make you know why so many still clamor to get here. We are in spite of ourselves, our mixed parts, the free-est, the most stable, offering still  the best quality of life for the most, with an economy that supports and still promises to be the best in the world. We are coming back, and hopefully are chastened by our hard times, taught by our excessiveness, made  wiser by those who say no to racism or bias toward any minority group---we are bawdy at times, loud and unruly, but by and large, we are a nation of good will and laws.  We understand that in order to keep the peace and our sanity, we must have faith in our system.  We do not want a police state, or corrupt policemen, but nor do we wish to be ruled by mob or vigilante thinking. We are better and smarter than that, and our higher instincts will prevail.  But will that be enough to sustain us for the journey ahead?

There is an unspoken, strong under current which runs very deep in the American soul---it is that no matter who's running the ship, how many wrong turns or mistakes are made by us, our leaders, we intend to ultimately win, by sheer will power, and our own boot straps, because the one thing that makes us different and united is this: We don't believe in failure, our spirit, our inherent DNA is stronger than any one ideology, party, or pen. The  best of ourselves will rise to the occasion, as we continuously mix, stir,  and shape ourselves.

 If we're actually getting better, as it appears--it's not so much due to any one president, policies, ideologies, congress, or even all our rules and regulations to keep us in line---it is perhaps in spite of, and because we refuse to stay unwell, and if not rendered completely helpless by circumstances beyond our control, we'll fix ourselves as we have from the beginning---and we'll do it with all our dirty laundry hanging out for everyone to see, because we don't hide our flaws here.  Our basic doctrine of can-do, our entrepreneurs, our good people, our hard workers, our free market structure, and our ability to elect our leaders will hopefully see us through. Exceptional? Yes---we are, and we didn't get here by being like everyone else,  bowing to intimidation or misfortune, or following like sheep to a place we wish not to be.

Where to from here? That's the great thing about us---it's anywhere we collectively choose! Our freedom allows us to be flexible, to try this way or that. to grow and to mature into possibly a nation of even greater enlightenment, strength, and leadership. But much depends on world events --and how we respond. Like it or not,  we are still at war, and there is much more at stake than our domestic issues.
As the world grows smaller we face many challenges and threats, not the least of which is to our national security.

Happy New Year to us---next stop, the future.  That's where we're going.  Be brave, watchful, and buckle your seat belts---the destination is still in question, but the ride is a thriller!