Travelers on the Path

Travelers on the Path

Melissa J. Dallago

“…that your work is the purpose of your life, and you must speed past any killer who assumes the right to stop you, that any value you find outside your work, any other loyalty or love, can be only travelers you choose to share your journey and must be travelers going on their own power in the same direction.”

                                                                        Atlas Shrugged (p 924)

Ayn Rand

            Our morality and values are in a deplorable state of affairs.  We have become a society that values selfishness, greed, and depravity above all else.  We believe that we are entitled to things, and they need to be provided to us free of charge, with absolutely no effort on our part.  We believe that we are entitled to it simply because it is there, or because someone else has it and we don’t.  This entitlement mentality will be the death of the American society.  It is carrying us on a direct march into a collective society.

            While Americans may complain about the apathy and inaction of our government officials, these officials are a reflection of us, as we placed them in power.  The government is a creature of our own creation.  Its slow reaction to demands or crises, such as Katrina or 9/11; its inability to act decisively about pressing matters, such as our economy or the immigration issue; and the ever present political spin placed on any issue, is nothing but smoke and mirrors that fails to get to the heart of the issue.  These are again reflections of our society.

            The true principles and greatness of our nation are still with us, but they and we in turn have fallen asleep.  We have reached a point where we have become inoculated against ourselves and against the greatness that is in each and every one of us.       We are each travelers on our own path.  If we pursue our own purpose with a clear vision and movement towards that goal, we can better ourselves and our society as a whole.  The true spirit of America lives in each and every one of us, we just need to let it shine.

            The Founding Fathers staked their lives on a dream.  Were they right to do so?  We are in part living proof of that.  They did not mean for this government to save us in times of need, they meant the government to work for us. 

We have been blessed with prosperity and peace because of our prior generation’s work and hardships.  This prosperity has, in part, caused us to forget what it means to have dedication to our dreams, and what it means to struggle.  Yes, we want our nation to provide and we want our children to be better off than we, but that prosperity doesn’t mean that we forget what it means to be an American and be ourselves, and allow our morals and values to become lax.  What are we passing on to our children, but poor values and an attitude of entitlement and lack of personal responsibility.  The belief has become that if someone gets hurt, they look to the deep pockets for compensation.  If we get into trouble financially, we look to the government for a handout, instead of a hand-up.  With these beliefs becoming so prevalent in our society, what are the hopes for the future, for our county?  In reality, because of our country’s success, we need to be even more vigilant and protective of our morals and what it means to be an American.

            Our society is facing a crossroads.  We have a choice to make.  We can either continue down our current path of entitlement and an apathetic attitude, or we can tighten our belts and become responsible for ourselves and our actions.  If we continue on our current path, the true meaning and ideals of our nation have been given a death warrant and our glorious dreams will fade away.  If we chose the later, we can reclaim our identity and the dreams of our Founding Fathers will be realized.

            To me the values that define America include hard work, honesty, a sense of purpose, dedication to one’s self as a free individual and accountability for one’s actions.  A sense of purpose is what truly defines man. 

We need to recall our ideals so that we can pass that very dream down to future generation and the American dream can live on.  To quote John Adams, “I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy.  My sons aught to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture, in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry and porcelain.”  We have benefited from the education and hard work of previous generations.  Our job is not done.  We need to do our part for the future.  We as travelers on the path of history owe it to ourselves, and future generations to be the best we can be, and leave our Country in a better condition than we found it.