The United States contains a mere 4.2% of the world’s population. That includes immigrants. That percentage shrinks for native born Americans. If you were born here, you won the lottery. American Culture has a lot to do with that.
The United States and Canada are one of the shockingly few nations on Earth that are not ethno-states. Maybe add Australia to this very short list. Maybe add New Zealand. This simple fact completely refutes any notion that America and by extension, American Culture, is racist. By any metric, it’s obvious that America is the least racist nation on Earth. Any assertion to the contrary is ludicrous.
A nation is borders, language, and culture. Borders and language are easy to define. Without a common ethnicity, culture requires work. American Culture in particular must be maintained through relentless vigilance.
Defining American Culture
From the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident,
There is no quibbling with what follows. Whether you were born here, or you are a new arrival, you need to agree, otherwise none of this works.
that all men are created equal,
Equal before The Creator, equal before the law. You are a child of God, the prodigy of a loving and caring Father in Heaven. There is still a social and economic hierarchy, and there always will be. We are not perfect, and we never will be. Anna Wintour will never have you over as a guest in her home. A $1,000 an hour attorney is better than a public defender. Not everyone gets to live in a Manhattan penthouse and have a beach house in The Hamptons.
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
Your rights come from God. Full stop.
that among these are Life,
You are intitled to live. Remember that part about self-evident truths? Short of self-defense, the penalties for one depriving another of his or her life are purposefully draconian. This has been the norm for the last 7,000 years.
Liberty,
This gets nuanced when you scratch the surface. Our Republic prides itself on “Ordered Liberty” and requires an abundance of cooperation from its citizens. Police cannot be everywhere at once. It’s up to us to obey traffic signals. I place my life in the hands of thousands of complete strangers every day on my morning commute. So do you. Green means go, Red means stop. Property rights – this is mine, that’s yours. I’m free to go from Point A to Point B, and I cannot block you from doing the same.
There are countless essays on what it means to be “free.” Yes, this is a “free country,” which we take to mean we are free to exercise our rights given to us by God, and we cannot prevent others from exercising those rights as well. I am free to listen to my music, yet I cannot – certainly should not – force you to listen as well. That’s why we have earbuds.
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. – John 8:36
We deal with parameters on a daily basis, and we trust others to do the same. Keep off the grass. Do not enter. Signal when you change lanes.
There are still rules, and at the end of each one there are men with guns. The degree of liberty a society enjoys depends on the degrees of separation between the average citizen and the men with guns.
and the pursuit of Happiness.
Reality check for some: there is no Federal Department of Happiness [hat tip, Newt Gingrich]. This is a variation of John Locke’s famous assertion “Life, Liberty and Property.” You get to start a business. You get to pursue your goals. Most importantly, you get to set your priorities. Do you want to live in a min-mansion along the Saucon Valley rail trail? Or are you content in a Walnut Port trailer? You get to define happiness for yourself, and set your path accordingly.
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
Unheard of. Government is not there to rule over you. We are not supposed to have overlords. We are not serfs, or even subjects, we are citizens. Government is there to protect our rights – rights that already exist. Government does not exist to give you rights. This assertion within The Declaration remains unique. Very few nations actually acknowledge this, even today.
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
American culture rests here. This is where we find ourselves at a crisis point. Far too many of our fellow citizens within the embedded government bureaucracy operate with an egregious sense of entitlement. Prior to the New Deal in the 1930’s the United States Federal government got along with about 70,000 full-time civilian employees. Current estimates are upwards of two million (not counting the U.S. Postal Service). I defy anyone to come up with an exact number. Then take into account government contractors, and all the tertiary organizations that do business with the Fed.
Kind of makes me nostalgic for the days when a Republican Congress gave President Clinton the line-item veto. Good times… good times…
From The Pulpit
My Pastor delivered a message on Liberty yesterday in keeping with the spirit of Independence Day. One of the main points: Freedom is found in truth. It’s worth viewing and you get the entire message here. Otherwise, you can read John 8:31–38.
Wrapping It Up.
America is awesome. It’s not perfect. I simply refuse to participate in self–flagellation regardless of how fashionable it becomes.
Selah.
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