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I called my blog "Ask Not," after JFK's inaugural address.
It's incredible how much resonance words spoken almost 20 years before I was born can still hold. I doubt there's a single American who doesn't know at least the first line of the speech, even now, over 50 years after it was performed.
Yet, listening to politicians, pundits, and comments from people all around me, I keep getting the impression that our society remembers the words, but has somehow lost the meaning. Instead of pushing ourselves to constantly improve, as individuals and as a society, we're bickering, passing blame, and looking for easy outs. Our debt is growing and we're falling farther behind the other major players in education.
There are a lot of different factors, but I believe the biggest contributor is we've fallen into a blame cycle. When something goes wrong, it's become more important to target someone else as fast as possible and to make sure you are not the one who is attacked, than to focus on solving the problem. Most politicians will not make the decisions we really need because they know if there is one single undesirable aspect, it will be featured on the news, radio, Twitter, Facebook, everywhere, while the 99 other components vital to our well-being are only mentioned in passing, or ignored completely.
I know so many people who want to do something to make things better, but don't know what to do, feel discouraged by all the negativity, or have lost faith in our political system. In 2008, I saw how much energy and enthusiasm Americans can still put forth when we really believe in something. I heard "Yes We Can" as a rally cry to believe in ourselves, not just until November 4, but for every day and for every aspect of life that we need to improve. Instead, the energy dissolved into partisanship, the banks collapsed, the economy collapsed and Americans felt abandoned and unmotivated.
I started this blog to do my small part to try to regain that "Yes We Can" mentality. We know we can work together and accomplish great things. For those my age and younger, it may have seemed like a brief burst of energy not to be repeated, but remember this expression came from the 1970s (Rodriguez), and built on a nationwide mentality to never give up and always look for some way to improve.
By pushing for improvement, encouraging each other, refusing to give up, and reporting what is done right so people in the public and in politics will feel like they have support when they make what can often be an exhausting effort to improve our country, we can make great accomplishments again. Sure, there will never be another first moon landing, but what about curing cancer? What about making sure every child in America has an education?
This is why I have made a commitment to share any and all information I can find about what we need to and can improve, best ways we can help, easiest ways to volunteer, and especially every bit of news on accomplishments made by the Obama administration and any other politician who has actively pursued improvements to our education system, technological advancements, volunteerism, and anything else we need in order to thrive as a country.
Last updated: 21 Feb. 2012.
Reference
- Rodriguez, Arturo S. Statement from Arturo S. Rodriguez, President, United Farm Workers of America, Celebrating Cesar Chavez's Birthday 3/31/98-La Paz, Keene, Calif. United Farm Workers. Web. Retrieved 02/16/2012.
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