Dan Bauer: Habits of the Heart

Silence is acceptance.

As the political rhetoric ramps up and the lies pile up it can be challenging to be proud of our current version of America. The hypocrisy, like a slow flowing syrup, covers nearly every argument as we denigrate each other’s version of the truth. The name calling, insults, excuses and citing the same bad behaviors to condone bad behavior drives us further apart.

The truth is no longer readily available, and the mainstream media are simply shameless charlatans pushing political party agendas. Pick your news outlet and they have a crystal-clear political alliance.

I find it both entertaining and deplorable that you can watch these rival networks paint a vastly different picture of the very same story. Slivers of truth buried beneath a log pile of lies, manipulated quotes and political party talking points.

November feels like an eternity.

We are left to wonder why the truth no longer seems to matter or why it is so difficult to find. It is a moral crisis that has left us all searching for something that shouldn’t be this hard to find. Albert Einstein predicted such a mess, “There will come a time when the rich will own all the media, and it will be impossible for the public to make an informed opinion.”

It is interesting that the synonyms for progressive are “leftist, radical and liberal” as if all changes fall into that category. And the synonyms for conservative are “moderate, fundamentalist and traditionalist” as if no change could be considered favorable. It is the labeling stereotype the media so effectively uses to convince us we are incompatible. Yet somehow, we have not only existed for the past 248 years but grown into the most advanced and powerful country in the world.

There is little plausible argument that this grand experiment called democracy, fueled by capitalism is the reason. As Ayn Rand proclaimed decades ago, “Capitalism has been the only system in history where wealth was not acquired by looting, but by production, not by force, but by trade, and has opened the field for human ingenuity and talent.”

We call it the American dream.

There is no argument that many of the changes have made our lives better. However, today I stare in disbelief and feel helpless and demoralized that we are allowing the moral template that has guided us for over 200 years, to be chipped away at like a sculptor commissioned to replace the faces on Mount Rushmore. And sorry, no modern-day politicians belong up there. These are faces of men who created, implemented and protected this incredible democracy.

Unlike trying to decipher Shakespear, if you take any time to study the brilliance of the constitution you will come away convinced that the architects of this document were genius. I look at today’s political leaders and am convinced that none of them could come close to constructing a similar blueprint for our country. The founding fathers had a vision and an iron clad conviction that couldn’t be compromised.

This democracy “experiment” was a radical and untested form of government. It was based on a deep moral faith that we answered to a higher power, and I am not talking about the government, Bill Gates or Elon Musk. The belief was that this moral code would guide us to take care of each other, not mind our own business. Today we don’t talk to neighbors or family because we have different political beliefs. This country longs for the days when Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neil understood that finding common ground was more important than their political ideologies.

While a border wall is needed, building more walls between us is not.

The moral code is absolutely set in stone, non-negotiable and not subject to modernization. The truth never changes despite the media’s repetitive lies. There is a systematic attempt to drag the ethical principles that have guided us into the foggy gray area of deceit and mistrust. Look no further than California to get a clear picture of a state that has abandoned the constitution and the moral compass it demands, or the recent admissions of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, to see that our government is clearly overstepping its constitutional authority. If the time comes when we are unable to differentiate between right and wrong or simply don’t care, this democracy we created will slowly crumble.

Despite our flaws, there is no greater country in the world. And because I believe that to be true, I will continue to trust that we the people will find the moral compass our constitution was founded upon and is dependent upon to succeed. Two hundred years ago French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville said, “America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.” He called the goodness he saw in America, the “habits of the heart.”

Our liberty cannot be maintained without our morality guiding us. That quality seems to be in short supply in our political arena, so it is up to us, the people, to restore the habits of the heart that made us great. There is evil being peddled right now as the “new normal” and it is time for the moral majority to fight back. For those who have no morality within them, there are plenty of countries where morality, compassion and selflessness are neither required nor admired. Choose one or choose to stand and fight for the moral soul of our country.

Evil will always exist in the hearts and actions of those who wish to do harm. Einstein warned us, “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” Silence is acceptance.

Right and wrong, good and evil, moral and immoral, trust the “habits of the heart” to know the difference. We are the most prosperous, generous and coveted country because of our capitalist culture and the democracy that guides us. If we turn our back on those cornerstones that have held strong, we will eventually surrender all that we have achieved and put an end to the promise of the American dream. Those who tell you that dream is no longer available, have been falsely convinced they don’t have the habits of the heart to pursue and achieve it.

They too have been told a lie.

Dan Bauer is a freelance writer, retired teacher and coach in Wausau. You can follow him on Facebook at Lockeroom Logic or contact him at [email protected].

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