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Recently Glenn Beck, a popular media host, held an “American Values” gathering in D.C. There are many opinions about his gathering but I don't think he did anything wrong. Having a large gathering in D.C. is the appropriate place for large demonstrations on a variety of topics and as Americans we accept that people have diverse opinions. So the fact he had this gathering is okay with me. (I would have picked a different day for the event but I’m sure he selected that date to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., and not to diminish Dr. King’s famous day of long ago. I hope.) It’s his topic I’m confused about. What are American Values?
Almost every cause, every group, and every politician bandies about American Values, especially during elections. In fact, they spend a lot of their advertising budgets telling us what American Values are not by blasting their opponents. I don't believe we have developed a formal set of American Values, however, so I have decided to set forth my own personal American Values in this posting, but first I’ll need to study the options. It’s confusing and I’m not sure which way to address this controversy. And it certainly is a pickle because your American Values may not be my American Values. Shall we explore?
American Values are attributed to our forefathers and many of us believe what we learned in elementary school: our forefathers were saints and created this country with saint-like intentions. I think as adults we all know how the world really works. They came here to create wealth and to keep it and not give most of it back to the King. They acquired land by the zillion acres. The land of opportunity.
All those first families who came here and found themselves developing democracy and our Constitution and our laws of the land were smart people (and rich and powerful so we are lucky they had democracy in mind otherwise we would be bowing low today) and they wanted to rid themselves of the monarchy and they did a great job creating the U S of A. King George, III, however, demanded his large share of the loot. A large share as well as control of the land of plenty. Hence, the American Revolution commenced and here we are today.
Along with breaking away from the British Empire for monetary gain was access to other freedoms denied them by the aforementioned King. Freedom of religion was next on that list--right after getting rich. Because of the passion of these families, most of them (but not all) Christian, spirituality was intertwined throughout our forming documents providing guidance as we grew into a great nation. A democratic form of government and religious freedom for all (religion and government being separate entities) were of paramount importance (except for Native Americans and slaves).
Keeping religion and government separate was a must since the King kept them bound together and we know how that turned out. Our spirituality enhanced our government doctrines but did not rule them. In some countries today religious leaders rule governments. We don't like that form of government. We like separation of church and state. The reason we don't like religion and government mixing is because if we had, say, a Christian-ruled government with, say, the Pope ruling our country, a whole bunch of people would riot. Then another group could fight for control and before you know it we could have the Ayatollah of Iran or David Koresh’s brother (if he had a brother). Safer to keep them separate.
Today, some folks who profess to have what they believe to be our forefathers’ American Values say or repeat the most hateful things. Sometimes what they say is not only hateful but incorrect and certainly not Christian. When I receive an email with a hate slur passed off as humor (and as truth) I immediately look it up and sure enough the comments are taken out of context and then spun into an agenda. Often the people with the agenda then declare that their view is for or against “our” American Values. Hey, they are not MY American Values. I do not spew hate and slurs. And while on the topic of my American Values let me point out my ancestry. Talk about an American. (Unless you’re a Native American and then you trump my puny ancestry.)
My first family member in the new world arrived here before the American Revolution. My family still has the original family property in Virginia and has deep roots in this country. I’m actually very proud of my long lineage and can only imagine what lives my ancestors lived. Slaves also came here early on so many African Americans have long lineage, longer than most Ellis Island come-latelys. The fact that they were forced from their native homes, leaving their “values” behind, and were then forced to take our values, our religion, our way of dress and our language (the King’s English, not Apache or Cherokee or Comanche, etc.), is mind boggling. Did we have American Slave Values? No, indeed we did not. Only monetary values. Slaves were valuable. When searching for African American lineage people find their ancestors on property lists along with the cows and chickens.
Curiously, when I grew up I didn’t realize God hated so many people and I certainly never thought Jesus did. I know the Old Testament has some heavy stuff in it but the New Testament is all about love and Jesus died on the cross for our sins and I’m just so confused. So when a soldier dies in one of our current war zones, certain Christian groups protest the soldiers’ funerals with large protest signs, shouting, spraying pepper spray, and flinging hate, because they believe, and I quote, “God is punishing our soldiers and killing them on purpose because our country is tolerant of homosexuality.” I’m not making that up. Check it out. Do they represent “our” American Values? These groups most certainly have a right to do this but do the soldiers’ families have rights to have funerals for their children without hate mongers raging outside during this profound time of sadness? I think dead soldiers represent American Values and religious fanatics do not. Wonder what our forefathers would think of those protestors? And, you know, doesn’t that type of anti-American protesting sound sort of, well, anti-American?
Some American Values are religious values that have morphed into “American” Values for everyone. One size fits all? Nope. So then do we have Catholic American Values, Mormon American Values, Jehovah’s American Values, Hindu American Values, Baptist American Values, Scientology American Values, Church of God American Values, Presbyterian American Values, Evangelical American Values, Muslim American Values, Methodist American Values, Lutheran American Values, Latter Day Saints American Values, or whatever? The list is staggering. American values regarding home and family are widely different as well. Do we have Divorced American Values, Married-60-Years-But-Miserable American Values, Having 20 kids American Values, Vegetarian American Values, Environmentalist American Values, Losing My Job Due To Corporate Greed and Outsourcing American Values, Losing My home Due to Criminal Conduct in the Mortgage Industry American Values, Living on the Street Due to Our Failed Mental Health System American Values? See where I’m going? In fact, it’s fortunate that Jews, Christians, and Muslims all share the same God because they can share the same American Values thereby fostering peace and goodwill for one and all. [heh heh heh]
[While doing a little research for this blog I found the following link. It gave me a headache:]
So here is the short list of my American Values. Each one has a sub part but for this post I’ll stick to the core.
First and foremost, take care of my family.
Second, honor my country and when someone tries to screw it up or messes with our Bill of Rights or our Constitution--stop them [power of the pen].
Third, keep prejudice, hate, and intolerance out of my life.
Fourth, respect all non-spiritual and spiritual belief systems, supernatural or otherwise.
Fifth, work hard, maintain a simple lifestyle, and tread lightly through the environment.
Sixth, obey the laws of the land.
Seventh, practice civility.
Eighth, educate myself to prevent saying or doing stupid things.
Ninth, review this list daily.
Tenth, each morning chant my mantra: “I’m not better than you are.”
I guess there are many more but mostly when it comes to American Values the true meaning is that we are a country of free thoughts and ideas, freedom to come and go as we like, free to say what we want, when we want, where we want, free to live how we want. We can do that under God, if we choose to, and we can pick any God we want including a God with thousands of interpretations to suit our needs some of which are scary (Jim Jones comes to mind). We just have to follow our laws. For those who don't it just means they do not have values. They actually do think they are better than everyone else because they can just run around breaking laws.
We are the land of the free, and the home of the brave. One for all and all for one. Oh, wait. That last part is from the Three Musketeers. It’s French. Les Trois Mousquetaires, by Alexandre Dumas. But I like it. It fits so well for Americans. I have to add that to my personal American Values when I finish this. Whew! (By the way, we should say they are our North American Values and not Central American Values or South American Values; right? I mean, which American Values are we talking about? Now I’m confused again because we aren’t the only “Americans” in this part of the world. More correctly, then, we should say “United States of America Values.” Gee, I thought I had it all figured out.)
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