By Ray Cardello for October 2, 2021 Season 3 / Post 12

We have told ourselves for years that not only are we a Superpower in the world, but we are the biggest and best. I will not say this is a big lie as I believe that we were the standard for other countries to aspire, ‘at one point in time. My parents were of the Greatest Generation. They were of that selfless age when the young lied about their age so they could go to war. They were of the time when patriotism rose above self and people were willing to go without so our young men and women could fight evil in Europe and the Pacific. They were the last generation to call America the greatest and the last generation to win a war. The three generations since are but a shadow of the greatest.

We have made some incredible advances in the last 50 years. Technology has been a whirlwind. Achievements in science and health have been transformative. But with all the good comes significant negatives. We are experiencing the first generation that will see a shorter life expectancy than its predecessor. This is due to people being heavier, resulting in higher rates of heart disease and diabetes. Drug and alcohol use has increased, contributing to more deaths, especially in the young, and suicide rates have never been higher.

Three other areas of concern are:

• The continued breakdown of the American family.
• The increase in people who identify as agnostic or atheist.
• The sharp decline in people who love this country and still believe in the experiment created by our forefathers.

From the beginning of time, people have changed. That is how we grow as a society. But the hope is for growth in a positive way for the evolution into an even better community. I am not sure we can say that about post-World War 2 America. We seem to have grown from people who were proud to be self-sufficient to needy, instant gratification-driven people who expect others to provide for them. The desire to work towards a better America has declined, as has patriotism and love of this great country. 

We allowed the thinkers to overpower the doers. We pushed our children to higher education, unaware that they were going to institutions to learn but were instead indoctrinated. They were taught that America was not the country to be celebrated but was built on the backs of slavery. The thinking of professors caught on and has filtered down to every grade of our education system. Instead of a country filled with patriots, we are morphing into a nation of young people seeking a direction and getting lost in the process.

Our flag has become a symbol of oppression, and the Pledge of Allegiance no longer exists. The Star Spangled Banner is now a song of anger. I can see how we got here, but I do not see an effort to correct the course. Instead, I now see that same angst against America that started in our colleges has permeated our government. It is a disease without a cure. Somehow we need to find leaders strong enough to bridge the divide, stop the scourge of hatred for this country, and put down the forces that want to see the United States of America exist no more. 

I pray to God that some men and women are brave enough to answer the call, or America may become another chapter in history books next to Greece and Rome…former superpowers. That is a sad look into the future. I hope it does not become a reality.