Freedom — To THINK, To Act on Principle
Our right to freedom in the US is broader than carrying guns and assemblying to protest or support something. We also have freedom of information and freedom to pursue what we believe in. What do we do with all that?
It’s too easy as Americans to equate our beautiful right to the freedoms we enjoy as citizens with a “don’t fence me in” attitude. I can be what I want and do what I want (as long as I do no harm) and that’s it. The “I can be me” of it is just the start though. How good a “me” can you be? In the US, we have a lot of protection for taking ourselves to the top.
But to the top of what? Too often lately, it’s been to the top story of greed or petty bickering, to the top of who makes the most as a CEO or sports figure, to the top of what a nun I had in 7th grade aptly termed “a manure pile.” None of that stuff is worth the effort to get it in the long run.
Here in the US, we can do more than that. As a nation, we’re languishing because we’re not. If we want to truly be Americans, then it’s time to accept that sometimes life is hard and that blaming someone else instead of dealing with it is cowardly. We need to get off this bickering kick in the halls of decision-making and get serious about finding solutions. “My” way only works when you’re the only one involved in the situation. “Our” way is always the product of negotiation, good will, and respect–and a desire to get on with what needs to be done.
Nothing in our Constitution holds holy our right to be right. That document–and everything this country is built on–comes instead from our right to do right.
The next time you decide someone else is wrong, remember this. Find a solution not a fight over who’s gonna win the right to be right.
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Mary Lloyd is a speaker and consultant and author of Supercharged Retirement: Ditch the Rocking Chair, Trash the Remote, and Do What You Love. Her current focus is on helping 50+ workers develop effective job search skills and strategies. Her website is http://www.mining-silver.com/ She can be contacted via her website.