“The America We Were Taught, and the America We’re Becoming” We grow up hearing a certain story about America, a story about freedom, liberty, and justice for all. We hear it from our teachers and our parents; the flag hanging in every classroom is the symbol for it. We’re told this country was built on the idea that no one stands above the law. Not kings. Not presidents. Not billionaires. And for a long time, that story held up. Not perfectly, but well enough that you could believe in it. But lately, it feels like we’re watching that story crack, not because the principles were wrong, but because too many people with power decided the rules didn’t apply to them. The Successes We Should Still Be Proud Of For more than two centuries, America pulled off something rare: the peaceful transfer of power. Presidents stepped aside when the people chose someone else. No matter how bitter the election, the Constitution won. That was broken by Trump, but it is still something that ...
I’m 73 years old, and I’ve lived long enough to see America at its best and at its worst. I’ve seen boys barely old enough to shave shipped off to Vietnam. I’ve seen Americans march in the streets for civil rights, demanding this country live up to its promises. I watched a man walk on the moon, and for a moment it felt like anything was possible if we stuck together and remembered who we were supposed to be. Back then, morality wasn’t as complicated. It wasn’t political. It was just how you lived. You weren’t supposed to hurt people for fun. You weren’t supposed to lie when the truth mattered. You weren’t supposed to turn your back on a child. You didn’t worship leaders like they were gods. You weren't supposed to treat people like they were disposable. Churches preached compassion while preaching from the Gospel instead of turning their backs on it. Neighbors were supposed to help each other. We expected our leaders to act like grown‑ups. We weren’t perfect, but at least we ...