I am sick of it.

[jacksbuddy]

I am sick of it. I have heard in countless venues about how bad America has become. Conservatives are hating Liberals, Republicans are hating Democrats, and everybody, it seems, is looking to blame their own woes on somebody else, and sometimes on everybody else. This is beyond stupid.

Think about it for a minute. I am going to tell my age.

Our Grandparents came out of theGreat Depression and fought a world war. Through all of the troubles associated with what all they had to deal with, they gave their children peace. And you can bet that there were more than a few of these people who thought that those youngsters were going to ruin the United States of America because they didn’t experience the same hardships as “we” had.

Our parents DID have peace as children. But as adults, they were thrown into other adversities (some were much worse than their parents faced) – a war that the government had no intention of winning, a struggle for civil rights, and an economic meltdown are just a few of the troubles they faced. But they also gave us hope and knowledge that we could accomplish great things. They proved it by going places and doing things that their parents could only dream about. And yes, I remember hearing the people in my parents’ generation who were convinced that those youngsters were going to ruin the United States of America because they didn’t experience the same hardships as “we” had.

And we DID have hope and a belief that we could accomplish great things. Sure, we had problems. And again, some were much worse that those faced by our parents. We still had the “Cold War” to contend with, HIV/AIDS came about, and whole continents were starving, among other ills.

But we DID accomplish much. We fed a continent during a drought. We brought technology into our homes in many and miraculous ways. And like those who came before us, we laid the ground work for our children to take up the challenges and make our country even better.

And more and more, I am seeing that they are doing just that. Young people with a work ethic and a desire to accomplish goals that they set for themselves; not in a loud and flashy manner, but in a professional, and dare I say it, “mature” manner.

Do you want proof? Look at college entrance requirements today versus a generation ago. Look at the courses offered at these institutions, and not just at 4 year colleges, but also trade schools and community colleges. Look at job requirements today and the people who are applying for these jobs. Long gone are the days of getting a degree and being guaranteed a job for life. Now the norm is earning additional certifications and additional training, just to keep up.

Sure, these younger generations have troubles. Their struggles are different than those we faced, and some of them are much worse than we had to deal with as well.

There will always be those who cry and complain about how bad things are that happen in their life, and how they are entitled to certain things. This is to be expected because it happens in every generation. I guess it always has and always will, unfortunately. But these people are the exception rather than the rule.

Despite the best efforts of those who coddle and patronize this generation, I firmly believe in them and am convinced that they will do great things for all of us. They will probably not do things the way that I would want them to do them, but that is to be expected as well.

They will do it their way. They will accomplish things that I cannot even fathom. They will learn things that are currently unknown, and lead in a different and better direction. And yes, there will be people in my generation who are convinced that these youngsters are going to ruin the United States of America because they didn’t experience the same hardship as “we” did.

Don’t worry. We’ll get over it. Since generations before us did, and generations who come after us will as well, then we can too.

So, to all the whiners and haters who are complaining about how bad America has become, please do us all a favor. Just shut up. Nobody is listening to you.

[JDgator]

well said.

[southernvaughan]

Exactly. I get so sick of this at work. Everyone talking about how bad everything is, but when I look around sure there are bad things in this country but the good still far outweighs the bad. Ita all about your personal attitude.

[gps4]

I watched the book thief a while back and thought to myself how greatful I am that my children do not have to hide in the basement or the attic for fear of being dragged into the street and marched off to a concentration camp, or have to sleep in bomb shelters so they don't get killed during the nightly bomb raids.

I'm not thrilled with a lot of the political and social trends of late, but I appreciate the fact that it could be far worse.


Happy Independence Day!

[the doctor]

"BE the change..."

the doc

[Laus]

Yep. This gets me to worked up. Just got home from traveling around asia. No more bitching from me.

[iron grip]

I personally think this country is headed in a bad direction. And no, not because of the people, or the entitlements, or even the immigrants coming en masse. People are going to do (for the most part) what's best for themselves, take care of their own and put their big people pants on and get stuff done. I see loads of kids fresh out of college that impress the hell out of me how sharp they are. See plenty with out degrees that do so as well.

On the other hand the folks who lead this country, that know what's best for its people rather than listening to their constituents, take care the rest of the world with money and food while people here go homeless and starve are the cause for my concern. Not democrats or republican et al... but the lot of them. I just don't see how these "public servants" that go up to the ivory tower and become millionaires and get chauffeured around and live like royalty off the tete of the taxpayer have OUR best interests as their ethos. It don't jive with me.

Not saying it's going to Ship High In Transit....but it's starting to smell.

[davidees]

On the other hand, be vigilant to keep our country free and great. If we are apathetic and ignore the warning signs we will lose it. Things are going in a bad direction. People are asleep at the wheel. If we lose it all, it won't be because I buried my head in the sand. I've been to some pretty terrible places, I know what bad is, I don't want my country ending up that way. Believe me, it CAN happen here.

[augustus_65]

Great post!