“Behind the Badge” A look forward -2013
By Joseph Pangaro
The year is new; once again many of us make resolutions and plans for this annual renewal. Whether it’s getting healthier, smarter, stronger, nicer, and more generous or the thousands of other things we can be “better” at, one thing remains the same- we want to change.
As with other best intentions they don’t always work out so well. We lose interest, get distracted, or lose faith in our goals. In this year 2013 we have many things to consider as a nation and as individual people. Having survived the End of the World this past December 21 and all the hype that went with it for the past three years, I am hopeful that we can begin to look into things a bit deeper, to spend more time trying to gain a true understanding of the things around us and the choices we will be called on to make.
It would seem that as we enter 2013 our nation is truly at a crossroads, some may even say we have gone beyond the crossroads point and have moved in a new direction totally. It would seem that many parts, traditions and norms of the United States, if not most of the “Old” America has been left behind, replaced with a new view of the world and our place in it.
Re-Defining ourselves seems to be taking place right before our eyes, without much actual discussion or debate. For many people this is a refreshing change, a chance to reinvent who we are, to set things right as they should have been. For others it is not quite so good. Changing the dynamics of how we live and function among the global community and within the borders of our own country is difficult at best.Regardless of where you come out on this process the reality is that it is happening and there is no stopping it.
This leads to the obvious question- are we headed in the right direction? Are we remaking America into a better place or are we destroying what was the best place on earth for the sake of change. I have to ask an even deeper question, do we have any idea who we are at all? It would seem that we have lost our perspective.
When we view the founding fathers, not as noble and honorable men of vision who created a country where anyone, from any background could achieve anything they could imagine by working hard, sacrificing and dedicating themselves to their goals, to seeing them as a group of privileged, racists, whose sole aim was to take advantage to every opportunity, every person and everything of value for their own benefit; therefore rendering everything they did and set in motion as illegitimate, we remove a cornerstone of who we are. This leads us to a path very different than what we have been following for the past 200 plus years. Which could be a good thing or a very bad thing.
A column of 800 words is not really the place for this discussion, but it is a place to ask the question- what do we want to be?
Looking back at the totality of our history it is easy to find and point out things we have done wrong, beliefs that we had to change, practices and prejudices that could not stand, but if all we do is look at our faults and sins without accepting that we have made great changes and overcome the negative things, then we are doomed to see ourselves as no better than any other society.
Even making the statement that America is better than most other places is offensive to many people. That in and of itself speaks volumes as to why we are in such an era of upheaval.
To look at our founding we could, if we choose to, see a free people declaring that for the first time in human history, individual liberty trumps government. Or we could view that same founding; as many people do today, as the opening salvo of an oppressive nation lead by an oppressive few, bound to steal the worlds resources for their own enrichment.
Sadly these two options, these two ways of viewing our America, are as real and truthful as anything else.
Did we, at the cost of thousands of American lives, liberate Europe from the diabolical hands of NAZI Germany and a decent into an unparalleled hell, or did we simply take advantage of the moment to assert ourselves as a superpower in a better position to plunder the riches of the globe crushed beneath our military feet?
Does our Military itself serve the betterment of mankind by fighting against evil dictators, regimes, and despots, or does it simply do the bidding of the Rich and powerful who run the military complex, picking its involvements based on financial gain for its owners.
Do the rights we once proclaimed as coming from God, and treasured and vowed to protect to the death, now seem to be valid only if they are wielded against anyone we perceive to have more power or money than they need or deserve.
Have we taken the uniquely American opportunity to rise above our birth stations and become as rich and powerful as our abilities, gifts, and desires take us, or do we now see even the idea of rising and attaining as evil?
Do we now embrace the concept that equal outcome is more appropriate than equal opportunity? Do we cede our options to others to decide what is most fair and just for everyone, or do we maintain our own sense of fairness and justice?
These questions, and many others similarly themed are before us as we move into 2013 and the years to follow. What is our American Heritage? Has it all been a farce? Are we really an evil people deserving of a slide from prominence? Are our traditions and values worth maintaining or do we move away from what has been our American Legacy and towards a new America?
As I talk to people about these questions and the conversations run all over the possibilities, it becomes clear that we are changing as a nation. Depending on the age of the people I have spoken to, their opinions reflect either what they have lived or been taught as truth or as is the case for many people, what they have heard the truth is from the popular culture and media of the moment.
In the end we are faced with decisions that must be made either by proactive national consensus, lethargy and a slide into the answers, or as the result of imposition by whoever happens to be in charge at the moment.
I see America as I choose to live it, a place with a rich history and vibrant past. I am proud of our people for the things we have changed over the years. When we saw or realized something was not right, we changed to become a better America. It was not always easy and the work is certainly not complete, but we are the greatest country God has ever seen fit to live on this planet.
Our Military and their families have fought against tyranny all over the globe, with thousands of patriots paying the ultimate sacrifice on the altar of freedom and justice for people and places they had no previous relationship too other than justice itself.
America is a unique place- a land where the individual could become whoever he/ she wanted to be. A place where you could relate to your God as you saw fit. A place where you could reject the concept of a God and instead worship whatever you believed was truth and find peace in your choice. A place where my children and yours could decide for themselves and their generation what paths to take and how to make the world a better place. A place where the people, bound together by an understanding that human freedom is a gift to be cherished and defended at every turn, could achieve their dreams and lay a foundation for a better tomorrow.
I hope this is still the case for our country. For now it is still our choice. Our destiny is unwritten and will ultimately be decided by our own hands. We will forge a better America based on our traditions, our compassion, faith, and love of freedom or we will choose to let someone else, wiser than ourselves decide for us and live with the consequences.
2013 can be a bright spot for all of us. We can choose to see each other as fellow travelers on the path. We can learn to value each person for their deeds and not their designation by race, creed, religion, social status, or who they love. We can be better and still be America. That’s is my hope for the New Year.
I want to thank all of you who take the time to email or write to me. I appreciate all of your comments and critiques and I try to learn from each encounter. We are all truly blessed to be here as 2013 dawns. I wish all of you and your families a wonderful New Year filled with health and happiness and I pray we find the answers we seek and the justice we all deserve.
Let me know what you think. Jpangaro194@yahoo.com
