Republic of....

"It may be an easy thing to make a Republic," wrote Horace Mann in 1848 (1957, p. 92); "but it is a very laborious thing to make Republicans; and woe to the republic that rests upon no better foundations than ignorance, selfishness, and passion.”

Is this true?

When it comes to the first question, the answer is very simple. The most important fact is the time is the scarcest resource we have. Looking for ways to make mundane tasks faster only frees up more time to do other things. Whether each individual person decides to use that time productively by reading to their children or wastes it by sitting on the couch watching hours of television varies. The opportunity is there for the choice.

That choice determines whether Americans as a whole are selfish. Grouping together people as diverse as the population of the United States is foolish. Each individual has different values and priorities. There are some very selfish Americans who would throw a man off a cliff for money. Some CEOs of companies like Enron have smuggled millions of dollars for themselves and left their companies and stockholders in shambles. Is that enough evidence to condemn all American people? If that was true, then all Iraqis should be judged by the evils of their former president Saddam Hussein.

That being said, many Americans are ignorant about the culture of the world. It is common for people in the United States to judge foreigners on stereotypes. It is a positive trait to be proud of one’s country, but when that attitude changes to “We are the best; I don’t care about the rest!” that turns negative. Global cultures need to be more represented in American schools. As the world shrinks by business globalization, being ignorant of the rest of the world is no longer an option for the American youth.