Return the Beacon

Roughly 240 years ago a small group of self educated, self reliant men gathered in pubs to spread an idea. These guys new that their idea would never be accepted by a majority because the necessary action would require a level of bravery and sacrifice unlike any witnessed in recorded history. Another thing these fellows knew, beyond doubt, was that there would be enough rugged individuals who embodied the American spirit and would be willing to pay any price to earn their freedom. A freedom to be responsible for their own futures based on their own merits, this is real freedom. Modern Americans seem to have lost touch with the very same rugged individualism that earned them the freedoms that they have since forsaken in the name of comfort and security.This complacency has been chipping away at everything from education to social interaction and represents one of the biggest problems with modern society.


After winning the Revolutionary War, our founders gathered to create a new style of government. This government would be the first of its kind, in that; the citizens would be the focus of the entire system. They realized that the war would never have happened, and freedom would never have been gained, if the decision had been left to democracy and the majority. The American Revolution was, after all, only supported by about 30% of Americans. Knowing the inherent oppression created by Democracy, our founders turned to a near facsimile of the Roman Republic. In this system, Republicanism, the minority has power equal to the majority rather than being subject to the whim of the masses. In his first inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson said “though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect”. Jefferson also said “a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits”. The idea of Americanism, at least until Andrew Jackson introduced Democracy, was that the federal government would have very limited powers and only be responsible (on a social level) for preventing citizens from interfering in each other’s personal freedoms. Under this system our nation blossomed at inconceivable rates and the rest of the world rode on its coat tails.


The global rise of socialism (a byproduct of democracy), at the end of the nineteenth century, brought with it a new sense of entitlement. Many self proclaimed socialists were entering the political horse race with promises of financial security- a chicken in every pot. The cost of that financial security, according to the new progressives, would fall on an unpopular minority; the rich. This oppression of a minority set precedence for future generations who learned that they could forgo their personal obligations as long as the majority had democratic power. With each passing generation the lessons of self reliance slowly turned into lessons on social reliance and the individual grew ever weaker. Ridiculous is the premise that a society comprised of the weak and held together by strict governance is stronger than a society of strong individuals who find communal adhesion through shared religious and philosophical beliefs. America is now following the rest of the world into the downward spiral created by the vacuum that results when productivity is replaced by consumption.


The political battle between the ideologies has boiled to a bubbling head with American progressive leaders claiming that their opponents are “clinging to their guns and religion” while constructionists suggest that the weak and unsuccessful are clinging to social programs and mob rule. The purpose of this essay, however, is much less political than it might seem at this point. The solution to the societal woes, so rooted in political dependency, starts, not with a political movement, but at home. Public education plays a role but a role which is not as vast as most would expect. The term teacher, as it refers to our sanctioned education system, is a colossal misnomer: the better term might be tellers. These are the folks who have generally been taught what to teach, irrespective of their own rational influence. As teachers tell students what is known (or accepted as known) by others, it is up to the student to run the information through his/her own system of rationalization; that system is built at home. Parents have the primary responsibility of creating a foundation for the philosophy of their children and teaching them how to measure new information against their philosophy while measuring their philosophy against the new information. This process defines rationalization and keeps the power of learning in front of the power of teaching.


Past generations, the now relic rugged individuals, learned how to fend for themselves. From a very young age these Americans were exposed to the skills necessary to provide every basic necessity, and thus, were instilled with the confidence that they would always have total control over their own survival. Personal responsibility allowed the individual to assign his or her own worth rather than having the community assign it for them. Parents today could have a tremendous affect on the future of this nation, as well as the world, if they would take time to teach their children self reliance and personal responsibility. By teaching these kids the kind of life lessons that can only be learned through real experience, giving them the opportunity to fail “safely”, and passing on the concept of integrity, the tide of dependency can be turned.


There is no time better than the present to honor that small minority of brazen insurgents who risked everything to lay the foundation for a nation that they would never live long enough to enjoy. As a nation, we should let our children see us as we take care of our neighbors. We should, as families, join social groups and churches and get out of our houses. Expose our youth to nature, teach them to hunt and gather, teach them how to survive as individuals and to thrive in groups. Politicians are subject to the market forces, just as private industry is, so we must stop looking to them to “change” things for us and begin to change ourselves so that the politicians are forced to follow. With a little bit of gumption and some personal responsibility, we Americans can take back our freedom and return the beacon to that long lost hill that Ronald Regan once spoke so proudly of.