Make America Better Again

Towards a More Perfect Union

America has always been a country of aspirations, of ideals. From its founding, it has also - obviously - been flawed; our history is filled with shameful moments, some of which have not made it into many history books. We have had dark moments, that's for sure - and most of these moments have involved discrimination against a group of minorities, sometimes even to the point of atrocity. From the Original Sins of the slaughter of natives and slavery to the mistreatment and dehumanization of groups from women to People of Color to LGBT folks, America has, despite aspiring towards progress, often failed to achieve it.

Of course, American history is also filled with moments of light. Moments of greatness. Times when we lived up to our ideals as a nation. There have been victories over evil overseas like WWII, victories over discrimination like the Civil Rights Act, amazing innovations in industry and technology, and progress on a huge number of social issues. But, invariably, we find ourselves right back in moments like the one we are experiencing now - dark moments that seem completely disconnected from the ideals and aspirations which have formed a foundation for the great work we have been engaged in for more than 200 years: the work of making America better, of establishing a more perfect union for all of us.

It's All American

I have been guilty of something - a simple logical error. When faced with the latest norm-defying transgression by the Orange Madman - with children being ripped from mothers, vulnerable immigrants being threatened with violence, poisons like lead and mercury and asbestos being deregulated, the environment being abandoned and betrayed - I have said, "That is so un-American!" But there is a stark reality to remember; it's all American. We need to own the ups and the downs, remember that our errors were real, that our flaws really happened, and that each time we failed is a moment to learn from.

Maybe this dichotomy can be traced back to the Founding Fathers, whose decisions were driven both by hope and fear: the hope that the American experiment would live up to its promises, and the fear that getting 13 disparate and sovereign States would be impossible without concessions. When we strive for our ideals, we are embracing our hope; when we regress from them, it is almost exclusively because of fear.

The Path to Progress

So what is the path forward? It seems pretty simple sometimes. Remember our ideals. And don't let irrational fear guide our behavior. We have been better before; we can be better again. We have thought of ourselves as Camelot, as a shining city on a hill, as a beacon of hope to the world, as lifting our "lamp beside the Golden Door" of opportunity. Remember that we are the "land of opportunity" - that this is how the world once saw us. That we have prided ourselves on our decency and, sometimes, even been guided by the best principles of our biggest religions.

The path forward is one that has America embracing its role as a global leader, acknowledging that the world is shrinking, welcoming the vulnerable and the refugee, and seeing the interconnectedness that binds nations together as groups of fellow humans.  America - at its best - has been wealthy AND generous, powerful AND kind, patriotic AND welcoming, talented AND inclusive, secure AND welcoming. You want to Make America Great Again? Remember this - "America is great when it is good." You want to be "Great Again" - then let's focus on being BETTER again.