What will the future bring?
Who Speaks for America?
Losing our Voices
At one time in this country, each person had his/her own internal voice. This was mostly a personal, silent, voice that told us how to approach life. This voice guided us to whether to go, or stay; to work or laze. It told us which behaviors were acceptable and which were not. It advised us when to cooperate and when to stand on our own.
Although fortune presented us with favor or with trouble, the internal voice advised us about how to cope with what man and nature had to offer. We didn’t always follow the advice offered by our voice, and even when we did, it wasn’t always an unerring guide for success and happiness. As we progressed through life and history, our voices were modified by our experiences, and adapted to new environments to help us through life as America became older.
But, with each succeeding generation, we seem to losing our voice. More and more, our individual voices are being quieted by the volume by the big voice of “society” that is taking over the role of directing our thoughts and actions. No longer is it possible to move the free frontier of individual decision and self-determined lives.
The voice of society grows louder and more difficult to withstand or ignore.
We no longer are allowed to be charitable of our own free will, but are forced to provide for others, regardless of our belief in their need or worthiness. We are not allowed to think about nature unless we think the accepted way. We can no longer make decisions about how use the benefits of our labor unless we decide as the Big Voice wishes us to. We can no longer speak our thoughts unless the thoughts have been pre approved by the Big Voice or its delegated Nanny voices.
Of course, the Big Voice speaks on behalf of everyone, but it doesn’t sound like the cooperative buzz that used to come from our neighborhoods. It appears to come down from somewhere in the political ether, and its tone is sharp and demanding. The Big Voice speaks in words that we have heard before, but we don’t understand what he means by those words. A word like “invest,” which once meant to earn a return on your money, but now means to take our money and use it as the Big Voice says. A word like “patriotic” that meant love of country now means to pay more taxes without objecting. The Big Voice knows things that either we don’t know or don’t understand. It knows that the secret ballot is no longer a good thing in a democracy. It has the ability to convert sunshine and wind into a guilt-free, cost free, energy source. It knows that we are not competent to make economic decisions on our own, so it prescribes what we should buy and how much we should pay for it.
The Big Voice is a powerful voice: It can cajole our worst enemies into becoming friends, just by talking. The Big Voice is seen as well as being heard. Although it generally comes from the Big White House, it often seen and heard from around the country as if transported by air. The Nanny voices are like echoes of the Big Voice. They know what is good for us and how we should behave, or else. Sometimes they even disagree with the Big Voice, leaving us confused and uncertain.
If we speak as one, our voices will be heard
Although fortune presented us with favor or with trouble, the internal voice advised us about how to cope with what man and nature had to offer. We didn’t always follow the advice offered by our voice, and even when we did, it wasn’t always an unerring guide for success and happiness. As we progressed through life and history, our voices were modified by our experiences, and adapted to new environments to help us through life as America became older.
But, with each succeeding generation, we seem to losing our voice. More and more, our individual voices are being quieted by the volume by the big voice of “society” that is taking over the role of directing our thoughts and actions. No longer is it possible to move the free frontier of individual decision and self-determined lives.
The voice of society grows louder and more difficult to withstand or ignore.
We no longer are allowed to be charitable of our own free will, but are forced to provide for others, regardless of our belief in their need or worthiness. We are not allowed to think about nature unless we think the accepted way. We can no longer make decisions about how use the benefits of our labor unless we decide as the Big Voice wishes us to. We can no longer speak our thoughts unless the thoughts have been pre approved by the Big Voice or its delegated Nanny voices.
Of course, the Big Voice speaks on behalf of everyone, but it doesn’t sound like the cooperative buzz that used to come from our neighborhoods. It appears to come down from somewhere in the political ether, and its tone is sharp and demanding. The Big Voice speaks in words that we have heard before, but we don’t understand what he means by those words. A word like “invest,” which once meant to earn a return on your money, but now means to take our money and use it as the Big Voice says. A word like “patriotic” that meant love of country now means to pay more taxes without objecting. The Big Voice knows things that either we don’t know or don’t understand. It knows that the secret ballot is no longer a good thing in a democracy. It has the ability to convert sunshine and wind into a guilt-free, cost free, energy source. It knows that we are not competent to make economic decisions on our own, so it prescribes what we should buy and how much we should pay for it.
The Big Voice is a powerful voice: It can cajole our worst enemies into becoming friends, just by talking. The Big Voice is seen as well as being heard. Although it generally comes from the Big White House, it often seen and heard from around the country as if transported by air. The Nanny voices are like echoes of the Big Voice. They know what is good for us and how we should behave, or else. Sometimes they even disagree with the Big Voice, leaving us confused and uncertain.
If we speak as one, our voices will be heard
Marietta Daily Journal 2008/10/28