Distant horizon, uncertain future
It is now the day after; America has spoken and all is well. Once again a nation with nearly 400 years and 20 generations of history behind it has peacefully transferred power and looks to the future, all while doting little on its past.
This unique Americanism of forging ahead without looking back is not necessarily a bad thing -- it is simply the way we as a cohesive people evolved.
Change from the beginning
Armed with few tools, an energy infused by hope, and the raw power of limitless dreams, our first forebears began to hew a thriving nation out of nothing. There were those, too, who slaved to build, but their coming to the New World as well as the manner of their treatment were not of their choosing.
And then there were those who came after, those seeking freedom of the human spirit, crowding themselves and their families into the miserable, foul-smelling holds and gangways of ships bound for promised glory -- often with nothing more of value than the sinews in their arms, the strength of their backs, and determination in their minds. And still they come, floating on rafts, packed into containers, enduring rivers, deserts, thirst, hunger, and death in order to give their children the gift of freedom in the land of opportunity.
This ethnical conglomeration added to the greatness that was to become America. Here it was that they hacked and fought, clawed and scraped, suffered and bled, and sickened and died to ensure a life for their children and their children's children better than their own. All of them prayed and worked and slaved for change, yes change -- a change of promise, for a chance to succeed, a chance to prosper in freedom and peace.
The United States in 1830 was far different than the nation envisioned by our Founders as they met, debated, and dreamt of change in the 1760s and '70s. So too was America far different in 1900 than it was to those who toiled to build a life and better the nation in 1830. And so generational change wended its way until today, and so it will continue.
Change that is uncertain
Because that is the way of Americans and America. Succeeding generations have re-shaped and tweaked definitions of what the Constitution enumerates to fit their expectations for the future they hoped to build for their progeny.
Now that I am older, now that this latest election cycle is over, I cannot hide my disappointment in the two generations following me. Not because they are doing anything wrong; No, it is because they do not value my values. But I am guessing that I am not the first of an older generation to feel thusly.
However, if one takes the time to examine beneath the surface of the younger vote, what you see are altered perceptions toward the America I have known and upon which I have always relied.
Although change in America is as American as apple pie, and accepting such change the key to happiness (and sanity), the old man in me hearkens back to a cause for which, in my own way, I have striven to promote since 1964 and the Barry Goldwater campaign.
Change that is dubious
The changing course upon which America is about to embark is doubly bitter because in addition to the new face of America abandoning the tenets of individualism, productive work, personal responsibility, and limited government, these nation-enriching principals were negligently squandered away within a brief eight-year span.
It is a difficult thing to have your life and who you are rejected. But bear it we will, because bear it we must -- to do otherwise would be un-American, at least it was in the America that is now giving way to a more helpless, entitlement-needy version.
While half of America feels a joyous liberation today, the other half feels dispirited and a dark sense of foreboding. However, the coming change will not be as pleasant for the liberated as they hope, because it cannot be remotely similar to the manner in which it was presented.
We will all live with the change that is coming and do our best to preserve our nation, our personal liberties, and the well-being of our families and neighbors. But I have little doubt that the coming expansion of the welfare state will result in a significant reduction of American wealth, a diminution of American prestige, and ultimately a loss of freedom.