Roll Up Your Sleeves, America; Let's Get Back To Work
What happened to us, America? We built the strongest, most prosperous nation in the history of the world by being home to the hardest-working people in history. You used to hear so much about the American Work Ethic, about how people came to the United States, worked crazy-hard, built businesses and created opportunities for entire families and generations of new Americans. That work ethic now seems to be more a part of America's history than a key feature of the nation today.
Today, labor unions have run amok, "bargaining" for sweet-but-unsustainable deals for their memberships and driving otherwise-healthy enterprises into the ground. The very definition of "hard work" has changed; many (not all) young people today think they've worked hard if they've been on the premises of their workplace for longer than six hours. They've slaved especially hard if they've been too busy to finish personal calls or get in all the smoke-breaks to which they feel entitled. A job is more like a possession today than a calling; it's something you have, not something you do. A paycheck is an entitlement. And now, if your employer can no longer afford you, you get years of unemployment compensation from the big-government nanny state that's more out-of-control than the unions.
When I was in my twenties, I expected to pay my dues (and I don't mean union dues). If I wanted to have kids, I knew I'd better be prepared to work my tail off - and I did. Hume's Rule of Economics back then was that, since Mom stayed at home with the kids, Dad must work "one job per kid." For me, that meant four jobs - two "full time" (around forty hours a week) and two part-time jobs. Sleep was optional. Recreation was unheard-of.
These days, I'm proud to say that my kids are probably the hardest-working twenty-somethings around - they all have jobs, and they all work harder than do their friends. And I wouldn't wish the life I had in my twenties on them, or on anyone... but even the hardest-working among them don't have the grindstone-marks on their noses that I bore for decades.
The nanny-state is the enabler of the general lazing of America... but a societal trend is the enabler of the state. That is the trend toward greater "victimhood" than this country's ever seen. There are two types of person out there, and in each of us: our self-entitled inner "Victim," and our self-reliant inner "Entrepreneur." Over the years, more people have been more dominated by their inner Victim than was ever the case before in America - and the resulting societal sense of entitlement has grown so big as to threaten the fabric of our society and the foundation of our nation.
The "progressive" movement by statists in America has helped feed this victimization trend. Statists have slowly taken over every major institution of influence in America, from the labor union to the news media and from the classroom to the movie theater. Taken together, these institutions form a powerful sort of "brain ray" for the statists, and they use it to imprint their far-Left messages on people from an early age. Young people today feel entitled to a job, a good paycheck, and a pretty easy life. You'd expect the same things if you had been raised to believe you should.
The statists have vandalized the American Constitutional republic almost beyond recognition. America needs restoration, and that's going to be a daunting project indeed. But the good news is that none of us has to restore America alone - and, if each of us takes on our own little restoration project, we can still do it. The Entrepreneurs still outnumber the Victims in America, and it's still a land of opportunity. We just have to roll up our sleeves and get to work - real, hard work - on our restoration projects.
What can you do? Can you start a business? Run for office? Support a campaign or petition drive? Donate to restorationist causes? Be a citizen journalist? Whatever you choose, start by choosing and nourishing your own better self - your inner Entrepreneur - and start by simply working harder. Life doesn't have to be a drudgery - but in America, we've partied for a while now, and it's time to get back to work. The restoration of our country - and of the engine for most of the world's strength and prosperity - depends on it.
Michael Hume is a speaker, writer, and consultant specializing in helping people maximize their potential and enjoy inspiring lives. As part of his inspirational leadership mission, he coaches executives and leaders in growing their personal sense of well-being through wealth creation and management, along with personal vitality.
Michael and his wife, Kathryn, divide their time between homes in California and Colorado. They are very proud of their offspring, who grew up to include a homemaker, a rock star, a service talent, and a television expert. Two grandchildren also warm their hearts! Visit Michael's web site at http://michaelhume.net
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