Opus 2025-098: Society’s Debt

What does society owe us?  Does it owe us a job?  Does it owe us an income?  We have a generation coming up with seems to think that they deserve everything that life has to offer at no cost to themselves.  Actually, it’s probably more than one generation.  There are even elderly people who feel like they are owed a retirement from the government.  I don’t mean just a fair repayment of Social Security, but I mean a certain quality standard of living.

Of course, nobodys asking who’s going to pay for all this.

I am asking and not getting an answer, unless you consider crickets an answer.

I think the preamble of the constitution goes a long way towards answering this question.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Such phrases as “insure domestic Tranquility” fit in with the responsibilities the Constitution assigns to the Federal Government.  It makes you pause and wonder where the Feds are when Antifa is burning cities and illegal gangs are taking over apartment houses.  I guess I live in a Unicorn Land where the government reads its founding document.  Forgive me.  

Then you have the Declaration of Independence which brings up the the concept of the “Pursuit of Happiness”.  Read the paragraph.  Notice it is not the guarantee but the pursuit.

Americans traditionally have not asked the government to do things for them that they can do themselves.  Originally we didn’t even ask the government to step in when we had personal issues, we expected neighbors to step up.  The churches and synagogues were the centers of help and charity.  Ultimately people were expected to be their own first responders in life.

We seem to have lost that concept.  We need to get it back.  Being our brothers keeper does not mean relieving him responsibility.

(Php 2:3-4 NAS77) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

The hard part of this to understand is that often what is best for the other person is not what they want and by giving them what they want we actually do them long-term damage.  This calls for real genuine love for them, guided by discernment and wisdom.

This morning I was humming an old patriot song from my childish memory,

What can I do for my country,
For all the things she’s done for me?

That brings to mind the old quote from JFK,

“Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.”

Those were the days when you could call Democrats real Americans.  I miss those kind of Democrats.

Step up.  Grow up.  Reverse the order if you need to.  Accept responsibility for your own life and look around to see if there is anyone you can really help.

homo unius libri