The target of our ire was the bipartisan commission draft proposal calling on sacrifice from all to reduce our nation’s debt, which prompted people of every economic and political persuasion to argue someone else should feel the pain. It’s only natural that a society that has become so accustomed to blaming others for all our ills would expect that others should carry the burden of correcting them.
What we fail to see, however, is that we are all complicit to some degree for our challenges. From bankers more concerned about this year’s bonus than next year’s solvency to borrowers who took on debt they could not repay. From taxpayers who elect to starve schools of funds needed to educate a competitive workforce to students who don’t make the most of the educational opportunities afforded them. From a Congress that forces unwanted weapons upon the military to a public that demands their representatives bring home the bacon. The list is endless.
Our Veteran’s Day observation recognized a dwindling number of WWII vets. They experienced the hardship of the Great Depression as children and were rewarded by having to fight the ugliest war mankind has ever seen. They, and those who supported them, earned their title of the Greatest Generation through universal sacrifice, never asking someone else to shoulder the burden. We can honor their memory by putting away our fingers of blame, looking in the mirror, and asking what we can do to ensure America’s best days lay ahead. It’s our time and our responsibility.
