Something is seriously wrong in the United States today. Why is the first question that comes to mind, and it has received many answers. Some experts will tell us that it is because Americans are angry. Some will say it is because of income inequality. Other reasons have been given as: persistent racism, policy divides between urban and rural areas, massive immigration, too many guns, climate change, a move towards authoritarianism, continuous military misadventures, narcissism, and of course greed.
None of these would be wrong, but none of them are really the underlying cause which some see as the decline of the American dream. The end of the idea of America as the shining city on the hill or the last great hope of the world. The light of America today is blinking on and off. Fewer people see hope in America. More people see the USA as a scourge on the world. A country only interested in pushing its agenda on other countries whether through economic war or military war.
The decline of America lies in a very simple problem. A failure to balance Moral Policy with Economic Policy. A problem that may be simple to describe but extremely difficult to solve. This failure began as soon as this country had its first pilgrims. America was born out of a dream of prosperity and equality. The equality did not have its roots in DNA but in the idea that all people (white and male at the time) through hard work and education could become prosperous and equal. Equality would not depend on being lords, or barons or some other type of royalty as had been the norm in Europe. This prosperity is still enthralled in some religions where it is promoted as “The Prosperity Gospel.” An idiotic idea that the more you are favored by God, the more he/she will bless you with wealth and success.
Unfortunately, there is one rule in the Universe which cannot be undone or avoided. It is the rule of balance. What goes up must come down. For every pushing force there is a pulling force. Antagonist muscles must be developed equally with protagonist muscles. The Chinese might call what I am describing here as the principle of Yin and Yang. The Greeks called it the Golden Mean.
“The golden mean or golden middle way is the desirable middle between two extremes, one of excess and the other of deficiency. It appeared in Greek thought at least as early as the Delphic maxim “nothing in excess”, was discussed in Plato’s Philebus.” — Wikipedia
Since the beginning of America, we have ignored this rule of balance. It is the main reason that we are in a crisis today. Ironically, it is the separation of Church and State, perhaps the greatest innovation in America which has led to its decline. Let me explain further by starting with an analogy. We will say that there is a continuum in terms of policy needed for an efficient and effective country. An efficient country is one where most citizens are well fed, well clothed and well housed. An ongoing effort is made to insure that more and more citizens meet these criteria. An effective country is one where most citizens are safe, happy and content with there lives. Effort is also made to see that more and more people meet these criteria.
Economic Policy drives efficiency. It is the main determinant of how wealthy and prosperous a nation is. Economic policy puts the food on the table, pays for the overhead and allows people to buy things. Americans today buy and buy and buy. They shop till they drop. On weekends they stage flea markets, garage sales, and church sales to try to get rid of the STUFF that they have accumulated. Economic Policy gone unabated by Moral Policy has stuffed people until they are fat and bloated with too much stuff. More is the anthem in America. “He who has the most toys wins.”
Our politicians are troubadours for the American dream of “More.” There is no secret to their being elected. It is a very simple formula. 1. Promise voters more stuff by way of the trickle-down theory. 2. Promise to lower taxes to give people more money to buy more stuff. 3. Raise more money than your competitor so that you can sell your promises to more potential voters. 4. Find a way to scare voters into thinking that your competitor will not be able to deliver on the same promises.
Economic Policy in America has become a Frankenstein. Without a balance of Moral policy, it is a monster which is destroying this country. It has been destroying this country for many years now. However, people are so blinded by the promises for greater prosperity that they have ignored the essential balance provided by Moral Policy.
Moral Policy looks outward. While Economic Policy looks inward and asks what can my country do for me, Moral Policy asks what can I do for my country. Moral Policy asks what can I do for other people. I noted above that a great inspiration for our founders was to separate church and state. While this was a truly great political idea, morally it was a disaster.
Prior to the emergence of America, most people received a balance between Economic Policy and Moral Policy through a balance between their obligations to their state or nation and their obligations to their church or religion. They would go to jail if they ignored their state obligations and go to hell if they ignored their religious obligations. Their church laid out its obligations in its Moral Policy. For some, this was thought of as religious doctrine. Perhaps the best example of a Moral Policy is the Eight Beatitudes described in Christianity and formulated by Jesus of Nazareth.
- Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.
- Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
- Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
- Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
- Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
- Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
- Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. —- Matthew 5:3–12
There is no question, that Jesus was describing a moral responsibility to others. Jesus talked about greed often and the “cure” to greed lay in giving as much as taking. Jesus constantly talked about taking care of others who were less fortunate.
Thus, the uncoupling of Church and State in the constitution of the United States set the stage for a catastrophic imbalance between Moral Policy and Economic Policy. Over the years, the lack of influence in organized religions at the political level was abetted by the horrendous influence and power of Economic Policy. If Moral Policy was once the heart of a religion, it was supplanted by an Economic Policy which has become the main religion in America. This policy states that more is better and that you can never be too rich or have too much stuff.
Ultimately as with all imbalances, they eventually lead to a disaster. America has gone over the tipping point. The decline of the American Dream, the schism between conservatives and liberals, the rural versus urban divides, the dissatisfaction with the current political system and the rise of fascism in the USA are all symptoms of this imbalance.
What we once believed was a great political innovation to separate Church and State has led to this imbalance. There was no place in the state for religion and no place in religion for politics. America’s dominant dream for peace, justice and equality was replaced with a dream for more money, more power and more fame. The push by the State for this dream dwarfed any efforts by religion to provide a moral balance and the State had no legitimacy for morality. People are cast adrift amidst a chaotic and vicious ocean of competition for more and more stuff. No moral anchors exist that are powerful enough to counterbalance the tide of greed that this has brought to our shores. Guns have replaced morality as citizens arm themselves to prevent imagined attacks at taking away their STUFF.
Is there an answer to the problems facing America? I will discuss this question in my next blog.
I have often been accused of being a pessimist but there is nothing about this quote that is pessimistic. It is simply a fact that we must use our imaginations to see a different world and to believe that a different world can exist. As long as we are stuck in the same thinking that generated our problems, we are not free to consider alternative realities. We need more thinking about possibilities and the future. We are bogged down with what Dr. Deming called the “problems of today.” Deming said, “We must balance the problems of today with the problems of tomorrow.”
A Rabbi, Iman, Pastor and Buddhist Priest were all discussing the issue of peace in the world and in particular peace in the Mideast. The Rabbi said there could only be peace in the Mideast if all the Muslims left. The Iman said that there could only be peace if all the Jews left. The Pastor jumped into the argument and said there would only be peace if all the non-Christians left. The Buddhist cleared his throat to interrupt the argument and said, “There will never be peace anywhere as long as there are Muslims, Jews, Protestants, Catholics and even Buddhists in the world.” 
The peaceful person does not use violence against others. The peaceful person is a diplomat who solves problems with his/her brain and not with tools of aggression. The peaceful person is confident because they have integrity. The peaceful person has serenity because they have no fear. Fear is the enemy of peace. When the world is on red-alert, people live in fear. People become fearful of others and fearful of living. Racism, sexism, discrimination, greed, and militarism create fear. With fear, no one can be at peace. 
We should all be grateful for peace. This means we need to appreciate peace and understand that it cannot be taken for granted. Peace is up to us to create. It is too important to leave to religious leaders and politicians. If we want peace in our lives and peace in the world, we must create it. There can never be peace for anyone if there is not peace for everyone. 
Faith is number five of my seven essential virtues for leading a happy and successful life. Every Friday I start my day with the following prayer:
I decided that I must first understand what Faith really means. To do this, it is helpful to deconstruct how we think about Faith and how we use the word. I thought about how we use both Trust and Faith in common language. For instance we use trust in English as follows:
I think you can readily see that there is a certain degree of overlap between the two concepts. However, Faith generally seems to convey a more sectarian or theological concept of belief whereas Trust is generally used in more secular terms. Thus, we don’t “trust” God but we have Faith in her. Faith seems to be a term that is not contingent upon any kind of physical or logical proof. We might not trust a person with our money without proof that they are “bonded” or trustworthy, but we would not expect such displays of material evidence when it comes to having Faith in God. So what is the relevance to this in our lives? What good is Faith if we can substitute trust for faith and have more security in the long run?
The answer seems to be (IMHO) that sometimes we can trust without evidence but generally we are better off trusting with some element of surety that can mitigate the risk of our trust being unfounded or mistaken. Whereas, there is little or no evidence that can prove your need or desire to have Faith. You must have Faith like a parent has love for a child. It is unconditional. You have Faith simply because you want to believe. You have Faith because you accept something without conditions. You need no proof or evidence to support your Faith. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Should you have Faith without proof? What would a life without Faith be like? Would we be safer or happier with less Faith?
Fortunately, the 3.4 percent of respondents have been more than enough to help me keep my Faith. (Should I really need such sustenance if I have Faith?) Yes, I have Faith that my writing is making a difference to the world but alas, I have no proof for the empiricists, the materialists or the skeptics. I have to ask you as well as myself to believe that I am. It is Faith that keeps me motivated. Without Faith, life would appear to be a futile waste of time. Faith helps us to carry on when everything and everyone is saying to quit. The woman in the life raft, the athlete with a severe injury, the parents with a disabled child, the poor fighting hunger, the righteous fighting injustice are all sustained by the power of Faith.
Faith can believe everything
I teach part-time as a substitute teacher in two high schools in Casa Grande, Arizona. Both public schools have a large minority population of Latino’s, African Americans, and Native Americans. I talk to many of these students when they are seniors about what their plans are after they graduate. Many of them remind me of myself when I graduated high school. I had no clue about what I could do or be. My father wanted me to become a postman like he was, and my mother did not really have any idea or inclinations about careers. I looked around and in 1964, thought “Well I will join the military and see what happens.” I had no dreams or goals for my future. I had no role models when I was growing up.
The father decided he would join his son on the donkey. As they passed through the next village, people shouted “Look at that. Two people on one donkey. How cruel and mean.’’ The father deliberated and made the following decision. He and his son came down off the donkey and picked the donkey up. They carried the donkey all the way to their final destination and as they entered the village, they heard uproarious laughter and saw everyone in the market place pointing at them and saying “Have you ever seen two more stupid people in your life. They are carrying a donkey that could be carrying them.”
Perhaps the most famous example is in the spiritual arena. Twelve men chosen somewhat randomly hitched their wagons to a shooting star and achieved fame and glory far beyond anything they could have dreamed of. Today we remember the shooting star and his 12 apostles. Each of the apostles later went on to their own fame and glory spreading the word of their lord and master. Sometimes, it is the shooting star that gets forgotten but, in this case, through the efforts of his 12 followers, the name of Jesus Christ rings throughout the centuries in every corner of the globe.
Aging Capriciously 