A Prayer for an America with a Focus on our Children

Patton, Roosevelt & Kennedy era of leadership

“Must we continue to waste our brilliance seeking the worse in each other?  It takes as much effort or more to discourage than to encourage.  Our children deserve better role models. Our children are losing the most; they are depending us to set the standard of leadership.”

This is my prayer:  I pray that the petty bickering and “one-upmanship” will cease and desist in America.  I pray that America will return to the spirit of General George S. Patton, Eleanor Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy. 

As I observe our emerging humanity, I can’t help but feel that we are losing the war of civility, respect for authority, and common dignity among people.  The pettiness, the politics, and disregard for what is right between each other, are taking us down. We are all losing because of it!!  Our children are losing the most; they are depending us to set the standard of leadership.

Our children are looking and learning…The question is what we are teaching them.  Are they learning to push the envelope until someone pushes back?  Are they learning that as long as it is not illegal it is acceptable?  Our country is going to be no better than the people we are raising to run it. Are we teaching them harmony or hate?  We must never forget that infants, be it humans or animals, are born with no thoughts; only instincts for survival.  Just like a new computer, until software is programmed into them, they don’t know what to do.  They just look, see, and copy until they feel they have it down and then they act. Is it any wonder that they continue to shock us with their behaviour? Where did they learn it?  Remember, they were born knowing nothing; it is learned behaviour.

I am reminded of the quotes by Patton, Roosevelt, and Kennedy.

General Patton said:  “Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser.  The very thought of losing is hateful to Americans…He said he did not want to hear anything about soldiers “holding their position.”  He declared that:  “We not holding on to anything but the enemy; we are advancing constantly..” General George S. Patton, 1944.

In America, it appears that the biggest enemies we are fighting are ourselves.  Physically, psychologically, verbally through character assassinations, and otherwise; it appears our worse weapons are being used internally against each other. Not one of us is exempt.  There is enough blame to go around.

What will be left to defend each other should an external enemy attack?  Should this happen, can we call a ceasefire internally and focus our enemy externally?  No, we must be ready to defend each other and our country, in and out of season.  We are here, together.  Let' us our collective intelligence to get better as we get larger as a country.

First lady Eleanor Roosevelt said: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” One need only review the daily news and monitor our own conversations to know which category we fit in; great, average, or small minds.

Must we continue to waste our brilliance seeking the worse in each other?  It takes as much effort or more to discourage than to encourage.  Our children deserve better role models.  It would be a great weapon against bullying.

I pray the petty bickering and “one-upmanship” will cease in America. It is my prayer that America will return to the spirit of General George Patton, Eleanor Roosevelt, and President John F. Kennedy.

Let us lift up America in the area of relationships.  Let us do it with the spirit of President John F. Kennedy who, in a speech in 1963, quoted: “a high or rising tide lift all ships.”  We no doubt all came to the United States by different means but there is no doubt; we are in the same boat now.  Let us use our brilliance to build a better America, together.