People of all stripes and persuasions are looking for a “white knight” to come and rescue our society from a long list of ills. Liberals are looking for another JFK, while Conservatives are looking for another Ronald Reagan. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news here, but neither is coming. You can look for another George Washington, or Thomas Jefferson all you want, but you will only find them in history books.
There are tons of problems with society today, and it does little good to sit idly by and complain. Very seldom does anyone ever offer solutions. When solutions are offered, it’s almost like a late night infomercial. “Just try XYZ. We are so confident that it will fix your problems, we guarantee it!” Unfortunately, what happens is that group just gains more power and money.
How many politicians, corporations, and political parties are shouting at you right now? Aren’t they all promising to make your life better? If you just give them power and money of course! Yet don’t all of these so called “leaders” benefit from your submission to their authority? Even with all of your blind faith in their agenda, has it ever made any impact? Why not change strategy?
We all need to stop complaining about the lack of good leadership, while we ignore glaring problems staring us in the face. Stop sitting on your hands and waiting for someone else to lead you. You know what the problems are and you know how to fix a couple of them.
Is your neighbor’s yard out of control? It may be tempting to unleash the fascists at the HOA on them, but perhaps we should try a different approach. Try knocking on your neighbor’s door and actually talking to your neighbor. You might find out your neighbor has a health issue and is having trouble keeping up. You might offer to help cut the grass yourself, and you might make a new friend.
We are quick to go door to door for a petition demanding that the President do something about jobs, but very few of us have ever started a collection for one of our neighbors. Pounding on a politician about “income inequality” is easy, but how many of us avoid volunteering at soup kitchens, or hurry past the Salvation Army kettle at Christmas? We all know someone struggling from something. The big question is what have you and I personally done to help them?
We have all grown lazy. We wait for someone else to fix our problems for us. Stop looking for a strong leader to fix society. Historically that always ends badly. Strengthen yourself, and your community. Become more independent. When you see a problem, fix it yourself. You might make a few mistakes along the way, but you will solve far more problems than you create. And in the end, you will find yourself surrounded by friends and loved ones that cherish you.
Christian Hudson
Lewes, Delaware
