American Virtue

The news of the week, combined with a case of the flu, has me in a funk. I’ve been thinking about the American people. Who are we and what sort of people will we become?

The country has always struggled to live up to its ideals, and there has been bitter strife and disagreement. Still, at our core, we have been defined by a set of common virtues: industriousness, pragmatism, honesty, compassion, self-discipline, thrift, patriotism, and faith. Alexis de Tocqueville identified these traits in the American people in the 1830s.

These virtues define the American character and underpin the American Dream. If we want to hold onto this dream, we have to be vigilant in our defense of these values. If we want to improve the character of the nation, we have to nurture a culture that honors these values. Unfortunately, we cannot count on the current political leadership of the country to do that.

I believe that the American people still possess the virtues that de Tocqueville saw almost two hundred years ago. While the current administration is in every way a rejection of our core values as a country, these leaders do not define us. We must serve as a counterbalance to the hatred, dishonesty, greed, violence, vengefulness, corruption, chaos, narcissism, incompetence, and sheer stupidity that define the Trump administration. It is up to us to shield our friends, communities, children, and grandchildren from the cultural effects of their leadership. They do not define us and are not to be emulated. We can look forward to the day when they are not in the news.

I went to the doctor last week, and there was a sign in the waiting room that read, “Zero Tolerance for Aggressive/Disruptive Behavior.” What in the world is that all about? We can draw a straight line between the permissive, belligerent, and bellicose behavior of our political leadership and the coarsening of the country's culture. This cannot stand.

The etymology of the word character tells us that it is derived from a phrase that means “to engrave” or “to etch into”. Values that are engraved in our culture are not easily erased. We are still a virtuous people. We deserve leaders who model the character traits that make America great. This is not a political, nor an economic, battle; this is a moral crusade.

To paraphrase Lincoln’s first inaugural, we shall again be touched by the better angels of our nature. I believe this and will do everything in my power to usher in a new era of American greatness based on our foundational principles and virtues. We owe it to our children to keep the American Dream alive and well.