McQuaid Jesuit High School hockey game ~ Ft. Covington, NY (click to embiggen)
student art ~ Cardigan Mountain School, Canaan, New Hampshire (click to embiggen)
The entry's title asked a simple yet very vexing question - What happened to America?
In his entry's text, John made plain that his "blog is not intended to be political" which was somewhat akin to offering an apology for his expression of distress re: the current states of affairs in the good ol' US of A. iMo, no apologies needed.
My response to John's entry is now that we have stepped through the looking glass and entered the alternative world of Tweedledum and Tweedledee, it is, as the Walrus said, "The time has come to talk of many things." While I, like John, don't intend my blog to go all political, I do believe that it is time for all good men (and women) to come to the aid of their country in whatever manner they can. So, on that note. today's entry ...
Over the past 5 days, I have been instigated to think of the idea of core values. The first instigator was a visit to the 2 New England junior (6-9 grades) prep schools, one of which Hugo (my grandson) will be attending this coming fall. Both schools have as their raison d'être for being is the instilling of core values - compassion, integrity, respect and courage - into the intellect and lives of their students.
The second instigator was a visit up to my neck of the woods by my high school's - McQuaid Jesuit College Prep School - hockey team (I was amazed that all of the kids on the team were named Jesuit). That school shares (amongst other Catholic values) the same dedication to the teaching and instilling of the core values of the NE prep schools.
That written, there is no simple easy answer to John Linn's question. However, I would suggest that, one level, what has happened to America is the slipping way of those specific core values in American society. However, trying to address that notion as anything other than a longterm fix for what ails us is akin to fiddling while Rome burns inasmuch as, while there is a battle over whose core values are "right" which must be engaged, the real issue, re: what happened to America, is the onset of genuine class warfare - haves vs. have-nots.
The solving of that core issue is a thorny problem. While, due to my core value education, I have genuine compassion and understanding of the plight of the have-nots, I have real difficulty trying to understand why they have chosen a leader and a political party, both of which are haves and hell-bent on protecting and preserving what they have (to the detriment of the have-nots), to lead them to the promised land.
Then again, #45's statement on the campaign trial...
"I love the poorly educated." ~ Nevada / Feb. 24, 2016... is very instrumental in understanding why the have-nots are easily conned into following a have.
Or, as Pat Paulsen said during one of his faux campaigns for president:
"I read an article that said one in five Americans thinks Elvis is alive. I want to find those morons and get them registered to vote for me." ~ c. 1968
'Nuff written for now ....