Self Determination

I have been thinking about several things recently that separate us here in America, even amongst our allies that have truly propelled us to the level of prosperity we enjoy in such a very short amount of time. I believe the two things that truly define the traditional American approach are free enterprise and individual liberty. These are the two crucial values our founding fathers wanted to secure with the Constitution.

The benefit of these two values, or systems if you will, is that the INDIVIDUAL can use that liberty he has to determine his quality of life. The greatest gift that God has bestowed upon us is our free agency. The ability to make your own choices is a great gift. It also means we bear the sole responsibility for our choices. In allowing others to use that agency to determine their path it gives us the great diversity that we have. Some people are satisfied with less than others. Some people want to achieve much more. The great thing about self determination is that you get to chart your own path that you can be satisfied with and allow others to do the same.

We as individuals must always remember we determine our own destiny. We are the ones that decide when enough is enough or if we want to keep pushing ourselves to greater heights. Do not allow others to tell you, you aren’t good enough, or you were born at a disadvantage. History is full examples of people who were told they were worthless or brought up in a horrible situation and turned out to do great things. On the flip side, there are those that were told they were great their whole life and given every opportunity available and became derelicts that just pissed it all away.

There are some that believe that a benevolent government or other force should make sure everything is fair for everyone. The biggest problem with this solution is that it accepts mediocrity as the standard. It does not allow anyone to truly achieve greatness. The last 200 years of our history has been marked with individuals pushing themselves to achieve greatness. This is what truly separates us as Americans, even from our closest allies.

Is it fair to leave others behind while you succeed? I give a resounding YES to that. Although there are those that have suffered some tragedy or other, and we should help our neighbors on a local and individual basis that need some help, we must give people the tools to pick themselves up and make their own choices, and be responsible for those choices that will determine their future. Giving out handouts just creates a culture of handout dependency.

Do not let anyone break you into a specific sub-group, whether it is race, economics, whatever the title may be. We as individuals determine what our lives will become and the quality of life we enjoy. Do not settle for less than you want. It is only by allowing individuals to continue to achieve or fail through their own choices that we can continue to be the great nation that we are.