America the Beautiful - West Wing Season 5 /Disk 1

America the Beautiful

I shouldn’t be writing this right now. I am on my one day off; half pissed on cheap Carlo Rossi Chianti wine and just watched the West Wing, Season 5 disk 1. I like to watch this show because it reminds me what is so great about this country. We are so great and imperfect. For all of our flaws and ‘warts’ and imperfection, we are the greatest experiment in democracy and freedom that exists. Not taking from any other country’s greatness, in our greed, imperialism and empire building, for all of the harm we may have done since our existence, there is still ‘good’ at our core.

Why do I have to be half drunk to realize this? I look at the ‘facts’, the information that eludes us in sound bites, the media and runs deep beneath the existence of a ‘republic’ that resembles Plato’s Republic more than true democracy and realize that power, geo-political governments and policy run amok, that we are a force for good not evil. Why do I feel the need to even question such things? I think because the evidence of corruption [at times] exists in all of humanity and cannot be ignored.

My mother, the wisest of all human beings, the mentor of all humanity, inspired to teach me, told it to me straight, “Life is not fair”. I hated her for that truth; but she told it to me ‘straight’, that is the way it is, [I didn’t like it].

What is this ‘truth’, this fairness she instilled in me. Was it the Ten Commandments I learned and rebelled against in parochial school? Was it a principal of universal doctrine she instilled or a doctrine of propaganda the government instilled in a carefully planned societal agenda that the rich and elite gave to retain and garner their power, position and status? I don’t want to think on these possibilities because they makes me uncomfortable and vulnerable to deceit.

My father seems to have taken on the realities of this ‘world’. Get along, make a paycheck, survive and thrive, that is the social order of the middle class. The insider’s game of remaining at the top is not so simple. Planning and maneuvering to stay at the top of the stack is not honorable, but profitable; but in the end, we are all human.

Social Darwinism is the struggle to obtain and maintain power. The elusive goal of having what another doesn’t have. Holding power, controlling forces beyond one’s control; this is the empire. Do I envy the power brokers, the captains of industry and power echelons? Perhaps.

I know that honor, dignity, humanity and compassion are goals worthy of attaining. Not because of religious training, ethics, morality or even philosophy, but because anything less is destruction, lack of mercy and control beyond measure. What we do is evaluating other humans, their worth, their value and the ascension of humanity above all else has some merit, but not full license to exploit. Are these just words, ideas, philosophies, ideals that are above the animal-like nature of some humanity? I have a question mark here because I recognize the level of thought, action and rawness of humanity. Are we perfect? Far from, but is there a better alternative? I think not!

West Wing Season 5 Disk 1 exemplifies this reality. Did we ‘blow it’? Do we ‘blow it’ on ethics, morality and basic human rights? I guess from a legal standpoint we do. But do the tyrants, genocide agents and advocates of other forms of humanity trump our aggression and imperialistic actions? I’m afraid they do at times.

Are we ‘The World’s judge’? If not us [U.S.] and the biblical values we have handed down even in secular times, then by what standard do we owe our actions? This is the immutable question of morals, values, ethics and morals. Do we violate our best [Yes – at times], but is the sum total of our actions the representation of ‘who we are’ [as America]. At times. Can we be better [I hope so…], and it is THAT hype that we trust and pray for the wisdom of ages and morality to come to bear.

Would you want to be the U.S. president with that weight on your shoulders? The burden of history and time judging your actions against the results to the security of a nation. No, No, no it wasn’t ME, but a courageous hero has stepped into the role as 44th president of the United States. There is no substitute for courage. There is no substitute for moral leadership. We desire to be the people that lead nations as “A light on a hill”.

Can we obtain the mark of expectation? Only time will tell as we feel secure and enhance our countries moral, ethical and leadership prerogatives. Then, and only then, will we lead in finance, military and global leadership. I wait with baited breath to see our leadership prevails in international respect and revelry, not for human glory, but to the glory of the one that created us to be one to another, Humankind.