With AMERICA - Home of the _____?

              There seems to be an American epidemic spreading further than this nation.  I speak of separation and loneliness. Sadly, I can see this in all three stages of our lives. In childhood, parents separate themselves from being active parts of their children’s youthful ages to adulthood where they are faced with separating themselves from their own family and sometimes building fears of interacting with other fellow humans.  Lastly, I see it in older ages where loneliness seems to be at its apex. Here, the elderly are in great need because they have less strength to heal themselves, and often their pride overpowers their need to receive help. Many live in the discomfort of slowing down the fast pace of the younger ones they need help from.

          So what is the antidote for this epidemic? It starts first with a thoughtful approach toward unity. So much of our society keeps expecting “quick fixes,” but the more we separate ourselves, the longer it might take to bring us together. So to accept quick fixes, we just end up with an abundance of short-term results.  If we can swallow the antidote of unity, then we shall see long-term results.  Maybe we will see cures to this epidemic in our jails, hospitals, schools, and most importantly, in our homes.  Sometimes, I feel like this country has kidney failure, and we are not properly cleansing the blood that runs through our nation. So many of our “leaders” are afraid to speak the truth, as a result, we cannot get the proper help.  I feel many leaders fear that if we were to go on dialysis and possibly collapse, we will no longer have what we have today.

          Well, what do we have today? What are we so scared to lose? Our obesity problem? The place where the most anti-depressants are sold in the world?  Or do we fear losing the idea that we are brave and the strongest – the bravest army, the strongest marketing powers, the strongest television industry, the strongest sports industry, the strongest economy. What are we truly the strongest and most brave at doing?  Perhaps the truth we avoid is that we are strong at creating often false images that, over time, cause suffering and distract us from achieving honest feelings of strength and honor, not just images.

So where do we start?  It’s just like healing anything else; it starts with the patient.  The patient (us) must admit that there is a problem and that they need help. This is a tough pill to swallow in our ego, image-driven nation. So in reference to the analogy of kidney failure, maybe we have to go on “dialysis” three times a week, and maybe we will no longer look as strong as we once did.  But at least this time we are being honest.  Honesty and love go hand in hand, and with love comes hope. With hope, maybe we can function happily with other nations that are also trying to be honest.  Maybe together we can be in a better place to truly help others, whether it is just one person, a nation, or a whole universe.  Now that sounds to me like the real home of the brave.