The motto of the United States of America is "In God we Trust".
What does that mean?
Does it mean that the United States of America is a country based on religion?
One view is that since the majority of the Founding Fathers were Free Masons whose sole requirement is that its members believe that God exists. Since Free Masons include people from all religions it isn't a religious statement but a statement of humility. As humans, we don't have supreme wisdom and we should always be seeking the wisdom of God. We are all less than God and thus are equal in our relationship to God.
So when "In God we Trust" is written or spoken it isn't a statement that we should be a faith-based society but rather a society that is wise enough to know that people are not to be trusted as the final authority in any matter.
It is a perfect sentence. It displays a wisdom that should inspire us all to seek, which is not our own but that of a higher entity.
In fact, when a politician that is running for office says "You can trust me!" you shouldn't. Why? Because it isn't about trust. The quality that is sought for elected leaders in the United States should be those people who are willing to be held accountable for their actions, and not to be blindly trusted.
The most desirable quality that should be sought for elected leaders in the United States
should be those people who are willing to be held accountable for their actions,
and don't expect to be blindly trusted.
Everything about the Constitution of the United States of America and the system of checks and balances screams mistrust in people, especially people who seek the power of political office. The higher the office the more willing you are required to be to be held accountable for your actions. If any laws apply to the citizenry, they apply MOST to the President, and then from there on down the ranks of political influence.
The system of checks and balances, the multiple-party system (which unfortunately is basically boiled down to 2 parties), and the great voting public with multiple levels of government are all designed as "keepers of the trust" in that the job of each is to keep watch over the other. The three branches of government, the executive, the legislative, and the judicial, are separate but have equal power. It is the job of each branch to keep watch and correct the others and political parties are supposed to present opposition because that is the best way to find the best solution.
Unfortunately, our political leaders of late seem to think that they have the right to not be held to these controls and that is basically as Un-American as you can get.
Our Founding Fathers were passionate leaders. They probably wrangled heavily over topics...after all...they were creating a constitution unlike any in the history of the world. They were not experienced constitutional lawyers but rather men who valued the independence of each individual over that of the government. The government is there to serve those who elect it and there was to be no such thing as a blind devotion to anyone who has been elected to office.
When the language "All men are created equal" is used they aren't referring to race, sex, or anything we associate those words with today, although it does include them. What they are referring to with "All men are created equal" was a statement that was aimed at the Monarch Families of Europe. They wanted to break with the tradition of power staying in a bloodline that assumed some sort of divine selection of "Royal Blood' and the marrying between the children of monarchs as a way to solidify loyalty.
"All people are born equal" and "All people have the right to lead" and no privilege is acquired through genetics but through achievement. Therefore our government has been led by people who were born in a log cabin somewhere in the wilderness of Kentucky or a mix of immigrants from other nations. Some leaders held slaves, and some of our leaders are from families who were slaves many years ago.
The United States has developed into a country with huge, impressive, and vast universities that are at the core of research and developing the minds of the future. With the intense studies in all subject matter, the availability of higher and more important critical thinking should be the beginning of our quest to create a better society for all, each unto their own desires and with respect for the success of others.
Justice for All
What does "Justice for All" mean?
Is it about 'legal' justice alone? I think not. Justice is not only a legal term it is also a social term, a financial term, and a political term. Justice implies "Fairness" between everyone.
So what is "Fairness"?
It seems to me that "Fairness" has to do with balance. That one side of the scale is no higher or lower than the other side.
This philosophy suggests that you can't increase on one side of the scale unless you increase the other side as well. How that gets done is a huge topic, but it doesn't matter because the only important thing is that it does happen. No matter what level you are operating at everyone wants to succeed, to get 'ahead'. (As if such a thing actually exists.)
If one section of society gains more than the other it is not good for either section because balance is the most basic need of a society.
The disadvantaged people in our society need advantaged people to create new products and innovations for the future. The advantaged need the disadvantaged to do well so that they have people with money to buy those products. It helps nobody when one side gains without the other gaining as well. It is in everyone's best interest to solve the problems of the poor, the disabled, and the disadvantaged not through handouts, but through the development of opportunities that give people a way to contribute.
The greatest successes of the United States are embedded in the fabric of those who create out of their situation something of use to the rest of society. Everyone has the opportunity to pull themselves out of their situation if they so choose. Not everyone does. Not everyone will. Not everyone knows how. Plus, there will always be people who will never figure it out.
Today's Quandary in America
Americans choose their leaders at the Ballot Box. It is up to Americans to choose and ultimately is the best way to accept or reject a leader. You can bring all of the lawsuits you want to the doorstep of a corrupt leader but the only guarantee that this leader will no longer be a leader is when the voters go to the polls and take away their influence. That is the most powerful way to keep America what it should be. A place where our leaders "Trust in God" and not in their own wisdom. A place where our leaders expect to be held accountable by the laws of the land and don't always try to lie their way out of it. A place where the branches of government do their job by checking abuse in another branch of government and when necessary remove or prevent those who would have the laws not apply to them.
The quandary in America today is the fact that 30 percent of the population has fallen prey to a brainwashing of epic proportions. That may not sound like much...but it is 40% of one-half of the political party in question and the vast majority of that party. It is more than enough to overthrow the government, especially if both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court act in unison.
Unending Peace, Freedom, and Prosperity is at Stake
One major reason the United States has excelled since the Civil War is that it hasn't had a war on its land since 1865. These 158 years of stability coupled with the massive influx of immigrants from the nations of the world and an education system have created a juggernaut of economic power. Why would anyone want to change this situation?
It is the balance of power, the stability made possible by the Constitution of the United States with people who believe in these principles that has created this utopian situation. Is it perfect...no, of course not. But, with the development of technologies and the raising up of human education and consciousness, it is possible to continue the betterment of this society.
People are afraid of those wanting to come to the United States. They shouldn't be. They should be afraid if it ever gets to be a place that people are fleeing from.
It is what we keep, that counts.
Nobody can make a horse drink water. Likewise, more stubborn than a horse, or a mule, is a human that won't do what is necessary to keep themselves alive.
Throughout life, we all are given so much. Some are given more than others. But, it doesn't really matter, does it? Because no matter what you are given, it only matters what you keep. If one was to go out and list all of the things we have been given in life it would be a staggering list. Even the most unprivileged are given a blank check for education and opportunity in the United States. It isn't what we are given that counts, it is what we make of it.
All of my life my spending has been limited by my income. I have never gone into debt to such an extent that I couldn't pay for it. There is no greater stress in life than financial stress, because it can be the roof over your head or the floor under your feet that is the consequence...not to mention the food you eat. The fact is, nobody can help someone who can't control their money. It is this primary skill that Americans of all kinds need to embrace because it is your freedom that is at stake.
So, you have to sit down and plan it. People must make sure that they aren't sabotaging their own existence. People must make sure they make wise financial moves and not just spend every penny that rolls through the door on frivolous things. I've been in many houses where the people have little money and they are filled with nothing but junk that they have spent money on which lost its value the moment it was taken out of the box. Instead of spending money on another gadget, invest in a company that makes gadgets. Instead of going to McDonald's, invest in McDonald's. But, most people ignore or don't know about that possibility.
So, at the end of the day, looking to trust in ourselves is the wrong thing to do. We should seek a higher wisdom so that we don't make the mistakes that fools make every single day.