How Should We Reform America?

Every week Reform America hits on the hot topics and whatever happens to be leading the news in the arena of politics. It is sometimes cathartic and at other times frustrating as a writer. There are limits to how far you can go in exposing your true feelings without making people think you’re either a psycho or crackpot. You choose your words carefully and try not to let your emotions overtake you when you sit down at the computer while giving the reader a little piece of your soul in everything you write. In the end I do it because I want to make the world a better place by sharing my opinions on the issues with the world in the hope that my words might touch the hearts of others and motivate them to get involved as well.

This last weekend when I gave my business card to someone they asked me a simple question. "How should we reform America?" While I offered an answer that dealt with the issues of the day and my personal passions it seemed somewhat lacking and it got me to thinking. How should we reform America? What do we want our nation to look like in fifty years and how do we get there?

That question is at the heart of why we started this organization three years ago. I am a part of it because I believe that we as a people can steer our own destiny and make the world better for our children. When I became a father it became my mission in life to make things better for my child. Whether it’s recycling or volunteering in my local school or donating items for a charity event I do what I can to make my little corner of the world a little better. It may not fix everything but whatever I am able to do to root out evils in the world big or small I will do.

My five (soon to be six) year old son has no concept of true evil. He’s never seen it. He has no idea that people could kill thousands or even millions of people simply to make money. He can’t imagine someone hurting something for nothing more than a trophy to hang on the wall. Frankly, if I had my way he never would. I don’t think anyone needs to see the ugliness of man. We should really be focused on finding ways to overcome the evil inside of us so we can rid the world of it in the future.

Sadly, my son will likely see evil in his life and I will have to prepare him for it because it is too pervasive to eradicate in short order. That doesn’t mean that I can’t teach him to not give in to evil urges. I can teach him the difference between dogma and truth and that lust is not abnormal but that it should be tempered with love. I can teach him that differences should not divide people despite our seemingly exceptional ability to find new ways to divide ourselves. Even teaching him all of those things I will still have to prepare him to face the evils of the world. No matter how much I try to fill my child’s heart with love and caring for others he will not live in a better world than I without the efforts of many more people focused on a world free from evil.

So how should America move forward? How should the world? What do we want our children’s world to look like when we’re gone? Do we care enough to sacrifice for it today? I can say that I would like to see a world where possessions are seen as trivial but relationships are treasured beyond all else. I would like to see a world that focuses on constant learning and exploration as the pinnacles of personal achievement. I would like to see a world where teachers are revered and CEOs are merely considered cogs in the machinery of our society.

I wish I could tell you how my vision can be achieved but I can’t at the moment. I can only tell you that I will share my vision of the future with my son and show him with my actions why I believe my vision for the future is a better one than a future consumed by greed and acquisition. So I pose the question to you; how do you think we should reform America? What world do you want to leave behind for your children and what do we need to do to get there?

Troy Wilson-Ripsom | Staff Writer | E-mail Comments on this column. | Click icon to Digg this article

Get Involved Do you sit and yell at the TV when politicians come on? Do you shake your head sadly whenever you see a homeless veteran? Is that all you tend to do? It's time to put up or shut up America. We all love to talk about how we could do things better or how we would do it if we were in charge. Well, it's time to put your money where your mouth is. If you can think of it, you can write it down. If you can write it down, you can type it. If you can type it, you can e-mail it and if you can e-mail it, you can send it here. We at Reform America are committed to giving voice to anyone who wants to put their ideas out there to make our nation a better place. As the readership grows, we are able to take those views to a wider and wider audience. Grassroots campaigns begin with voices speaking out. You have opinions. Voice them. We aren't about conservative or liberal. We aren't about pro-this or anti-that. We're about Americans and the First Amendment. Reform America is about politics by, for and of the people. You are the people. You only need to speak up. America is listening. Send your article to: stories@reform-america.net

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