American Appraisal: Touching Our Nose and Elbow
By: Daniel E. Kramer
We seem to hold the belief that we are truly free here in the United States of America, but didn’t you know that the world over seems to disagree. I have heard them call it a false doctrine. Our doctrine indeed; we hold these truths to be self-evident. To the pursuit of freedom, happiness, liberty, and justice for all…The Americans
Self-evident; not needing to be demonstrated or explained; obvious.
Self; a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action.
Evident; plain or obvious; clearly seen or understood.
So what is the root cause?
Vid, as in “eVIDent”, coming from the word vidēre, meaning “to see”. To see what; perhaps one’s own self? But how can we get a better look at our “self”, and take appraisal for the self-evident truth, the one that we expect fellow men and women alike to give us? After all, unless we first see ourselves for what we are how can we possibly expect the mass sum of the world, or even our own people to understand these so called “natural born rights”?
Here it is: An American Appraisal
“We like to personally control our own environment at whatever cost. Timing is essential, schedules always dominate. Never say never, because we can change anything. Everyone is equal, right? The individual is the ultimate minority (as in me, myself and I) who must be respected at all costs (as in we). Competitive Capitalism, with no formalities please. We purchase, stockpile, and buy in bulk. Materialistic, as in stuff and more stuff. Ever the optimist, futuristic, looking forward, working to gain the goal.”
The figurative physiognomies upon which we are based as a nation, summed up into a short and concise packet; a true mixed to oblivion nation-state, a democratic republic, an infant that was born unto a world of potentiality. Are these things the plain and obvious values and needs that we derived out of our revolutionary beginnings? Is this what the self-evident truth got us?
When I hear these things being talked about, these seemingly sad sounding characteristics of our nation, by people of other cultures, I feel saddened. In the past, I followed that by feeling emboldened to speak and question. Immediately, I would seek to right the wrong, show them we are free, show them we do care about so much more than just stuff. I would defend and deflect all of the articles they somehow had gotten so wrong. I always fought to prove our nation’s amazing successes.
These days I just listen instead…
Debating them, I would ask “why then are so many drawn to the US?” Why are so many places, which seemingly give more to their people (i.e. free education, free health care, free housing, etc.), often left behind by their citizens for a better life here in America? Why, why, why?
Unfortunately, my ability to convince these fellow human beings seemed to inevitably been hung up in the cultural battle that is the product of great distances and time. Turns out the differing opinion on what freedom actually means is quite subjective. It is a culturally biased product unto its own.
Ask a Moroccan in Fez and he may say that true freedom is in not having a difference of dress, or appearance that is dependent on income, wealth, or family status. To him, the value in freedom is to be the same, not different from his fellow man. His evidence is in the halls and walkways of so many medinas throughout the Islamic world. Here, where on the outside the buildings all look the same (of plain mud mortar) exists true freedom. No worry to maintain, no status to maintain, all simply living the same, following the footsteps of their prophet. One on the outside is left only to wonder if on the inside there is a simple single family home, or instead a 20 room mansion.
Ask a Chilean in Pichilemu, and she might say that time is really not of the essence, as in “take it easy, enjoy life a little, slow down”. To that culture it is important to stop the running around fast paced madness. It isn’t that they are lazy, on the contrary they are highly productive, but they relish the concept of time down with family and friends. Stop and enjoy “la fiesta”. Raise a glass and enjoy an “asado”. At 11 or 12 at night these people say “that the night is still in diapers!”
Ask a Malagasy person, and they might reflect more fully upon the importance of their ancestors; respect of them and to them. They might tell you to never go to the east of a building to use the restroom, for that would disrespect all of those whom had died before. They might laugh at you when you fall down and get hurt, because in some places laughing is still the way of dealing with pain and suffering.
So the difference in our tendencies, wants, beliefs, and principles are in part from being of different cultures. None the less, I think we all must ask ourselves some of these self-evident questions more often. It is easy to recognize that we are living in a confused time, a period of prosperity the world has never before known, and yet there seems to be much unhappiness within our people. Maybe it is too much work, too much stuff, hurry all the time, schedules, training, new jobs, someday you’ll get there, and then it is all over. Poof, there it went, life evaporating into thin air.
Some of these other cultures might even say that this is happening because we have too much freedom. Here in, I simply question our self-evident truth to ask if we are really as free as we think we are, or instead are we now slaves to the masters of freedom that we created. I ask this to discover and find that self-evident truth for me. Maybe in doing this things could become more resolved, resolute, clear or crisp.
The only self-evident principle I actually agree with in my American Appraisal is that all are created “equal”. But even that needs modification for me to feel right. I would venture to say that what fits better is that everyone should be treated with love, compassion, kindness, and respect to their individual freedoms. What my heart and mind says is that this fits the mold of my individual core-being. This is the root, and from it everything else is nourished.
Forget about the rest of it. None of the other items matter, because they are all taken care of when we stop disrespecting our fellow man and woman. This is the life lesson of so many religions; love one another. This is the message that above all else seems to resonate with those that are at death’s door. If it matters when you’re dying, then that is the truth to consider.
When I lay my head down to rest at night, and when I look to the future, I worry about so many of the “little woe is me things”. At the end of the day, on death’s doorstep will I be considering those woes of the modern life, or instead will I be thinking of the ones I love, the people and creatures I will miss, and all of those that might miss me? Will I be wondering if I got it all wrong in the end?
For me personally, the battle of self-evident is wrapped in the basic principle of “don’t tread on me”. It should say “don’t tread on me and I won’t tread on you, don’t tread on others, and by all means never tread on this principle”.
The sun rises everyday on all of us. It sets in the same way. When an earthquake, flood, or fire comes we all experience it. The universal shaking of our foundations is proof that we are all supported by the same ground, even if our structures may be slightly different in shape, style, or size.
As the nation of immigrants (the people for whom the individual is paramount) there may be nothing more important for us all to do than a simple self-appraisal of what we are individually about. Self-examination has saved many over the years, be sure of that.
But then again, when it is all said done, trying to delineate one’s own self is like trying to touch your nose to your elbow; it seems easy, but is only accomplished by detaching one’s arm from one’s body.
