America Grows Up

America is a big, strapping country now, but it has not been so long ago that America was a drooling infant learning to stand and walk and talk.

As America grew to toddlerhood, it had its spells of brilliance, and the world oohed and aahhed over its grown-up Constitution and Bill of Rights. Like Mozart, America was a prodigy, producing in its infancy the Declaration of Independence; one of the best political documents ever written, and one that will stand with the Magna Carta in the annals of history.

But America also had its tantrums and fits pf pique and it nearly destroyed itself in an internal war.

When World War II came, America proudly marched into battle, eager to test its mettle against the enemy. Idealistic and brave, Americans threw themselves wholeheartedly into protecting the downtrodden from bloodthirsty enemies. It invented new technology, fought bravely and, with the rest of the world, looked into the face of evil and mourned the loss of innocence.

In the 50’s and 60’s, America grew into a brash, gregarious, fun-loving teenager, culminating in a nationwide love-in in the late 60’s.

In the years since, America seems to have lost its early idealism, sense of fun and even some of its bravery. Like many of us in our twenties, it seems sometimes to have lost its way. I think that some people are wondering about the waste, the greed, and the arrogance that seem to have informed some of America's foreign policy and even internal policies these last 20 years or so.

A mere 200 years is not enough time to mold a great civilization or really to draw any conclusions about its history, but I only hope that somewhere out there Americans are pondering their way of life and thinking about the legacy they leave in the world. Given what I know about Americans, I think that they are.