Thirty-Something Soccer Mom

With the 2016 election behind us, the shocking reality of a Trump Presidency is beginning to set in.  As we prepare ourselves for what lies ahead, Trumps campaign promise to “Make America Great Again” echoes in all our ears.

Whether Democrat or Republican, to make America great again is what we all want for our beloved nation.  But what we ought to consider is this:

Does one President wield the power to renew our greatness as a nation?

In 2008 Americans believed that Barack Obama would be the one to bring Hope and Change to our struggling democracy.  And yet, with the passing of eight years, we seem to have slipped even farther from the moorings of peace and prosperity.  With the election of a new president, our search continues only this time under a different administration.  Will Americas’ greatness be reclaimed with this new leader, or will its greatness continue to remain elusive? 

In 1988 Charles Krauthammer made this inspired observation:

“We get the presidents we deserve. A great people is what you need for a great president.  Washington was the greatest president, because the people were at their most enlightened and alert.”

Krauthammer’s words prompt reflective insight into America’s search for greatness and leave a bitter taste in all of our mouths as we consider the quality of the candidates we had to choose from.

Could it be that our leaders are merely a reflection of the people they represent?

We all scoff at the behaviors of candidates revealed to be immoral, dishonest and self-serving all the while excusing our own immoral, dishonest and self-serving choices.  Even if our moral deficiencies are on a smaller scale, our disdain and criticism of their conduct drips with hypocrisy.

What We Must Understand-

Nations are not great because of their leaders.  They are great because their citizens are great women and men. Their leaders stand as a mere representation of that population.  Therefore, our ability to have a great nation does not rest on who’s in the oval office or with which party maintains control of the House and Senate.  

First Lady, Barbara Bush expressed it best when she said:

“Whatever the era…whatever the times, one thing will never change: Our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens in your house.”

A Return to Goodness and Truth-

Leo Tolstoy famously said:  “There is no Greatness where there is no Goodness and Truth.”

We all agree that goodness and truth are declining in the world at large, but do we see that decline in ourselves, in our children, in our families?

Do your friends, employers, and co-workers see you as an example of goodness and truth?  Have you consciously and deliberately woven into the fabric of your life the threads of honesty, integrity, industry, compassion, sacrifice, and unselfishness?

Are these moral virtues a part of your character or just something you expect of our leaders?

If we hope for a better world with more goodness and truth, and if we long for America to return to its days of greatness, then we must all evaluate the level of greatness within ourselves.

If the passage of time has stripped these moral threads from your conscience, character and conversation,  choose to return to goodness and truth and reveal the greatness within you.

Ask yourself this searching question:

If everyone in this nation were just like me,

what kind of a country would it be?

“In the private sanctuary of one’s own conscience lies that spirit, that determination to cast off the old person and to measure up to the stature of true potential.” *

May we all measure up to the stature of our true potential, embrace goodness and truth and become great citizens of our nation.  Then, and only then can we ever hope to Make America Great Again.

__________

*Thomas Monson