Hope?

by Don Harkey

"The middle class needs a rescue package."
- Barack Obama, October 7, 2008

The book "Outliers", by Malcolm Gladwell, outlines a study that shows a single difference in parenting styles that will greatly improve or reduce a child's chances of becoming successful later in life. The study showed that parents who teach their children not to question authority and accept their place in society tend to have kids who grow up to be passive and struggle through life. In contrast, parents who teach their children to question authority and take personal responsibility for their successes (and failures) have children who grow up to enjoy life.

There are really only 2 responses to a challenging climate. A person can wait it out and "hope" that it goes away or a person can "do" what they can to navigate through the challenges. Unfortunately, the current administration is trying to teach the American people to "hope" that the government will act in their best interest to "save" them. Whether or not you believe that the economic policy of the United States will help or hurt the current economic situation, everyone should believe that the ultimate solutions will lie with the actions and innovation of the people of our great country.

Those who have come to believe that our choice lies with either fear or hope have forgotten the true value of the gifts God has bestowed upon humanity. Every day I meet people who are creating, searching for ways to add value, working together in a free market, and who are looking toward to the future. These are times of great opportunity.

In the long term, it doesn't matter what the government does as long we remain free. We will continue to rise up to the challenges ahead of us and ask our Creator to enlighten us with our true Purpose in this world. There is a lot of good news out there, but none better than the fact that there are still many of us who carry great passions and enthusiasm for this gift of life. It's not about fear and it's not about hope. It's not about tax policies, bailouts, or government. It's about you and I and our Creator.

I know many of us are struggling today. I know that many have lost their jobs, their investments and seemingly their future. It is natural to feel fear in these times. During these times we must scratch and claw and struggle our way back. We must get smarter, more disciplined, more passionate, and more focused. While the struggle will be difficult, we will come out much stronger as a result... and it won't be because of a donkey or an elephant! We must accept the blame and we will be able enjoy the great glories that life brings!

"It is time for us to realize that we're too great a nation to limit ourselves to small dreams. We're not, as some would have us believe, doomed to an inevitable decline. I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing. So, with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope. We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look."
- Ronald Reagan, 1981