An Exceptional Idea

I always get very concerned when I hear that term “American exceptionalism” being bandied about…

usually, these days, on Fox News.

Indeed, “America” (or, the part that encompasses the U.S.A.) is exceptional in many ways…

It was founded upon an exceptional ideal…

for a government of, by and for “the people.”

And throughout the years we have made good on the characterization…

We have, actually…acted exceptional…

by ending the institution of slavery…

in overcoming a Great Depression…

in defeating fascism…

in educating our people…

in giving equal rights to vote…

only just recently, in providing equal access to health care (one that was long overdue, by the way)…

and many other ways that have had as their impetus, government action.

Our hallowed military, which is the paramount example of our exceptionalism, in the eyes of many, is the largest government program in the history of the world!

Now, it seems, that this idea for exceptionalism gets twisted and warped in the minds of many…

Who think it means that we are somehow better than the rest of the world.

That it means that we have somehow earned the right to impose our will on the rest of the world.

That we are possessed of a degree of wisdom that the rest of the world lacks.

That “they” are, to put it bluntly, lesser beings.

And that, my friends, is a dangerous way to think.

to try to mold them in the image of us…regardless of how “they” might feel about it.

To try to mold the entire world in our image and likeness.

I believe that makes the world a more dangerous place…

because it causes others not to like us all that much…

even hate us to the extent of trying to do us harm.

It gets us into messes we ought not be in!

We’ve got better things to do. We’ve got important problems to solve right here at home…so that we can actually live up to the manner in which we seem fond of characterizing ourselves.

The truth is, even though our form of government is at its core tenets, exceptional, as compared to others that have been tried, it doesn’t mean “we” are!

We aren’t better than the rest…different maybe, but not better, nor different in a better way, which is what “exceptional” implies.

We’re all made of the same stuff, flesh and blood…and with the same basic desires…

to live a dignified, good life, free of exploitation and free to be the masters of our own destinies.

Everyone wants that. Everyone deserves that.

And we can’t impose our ideas of how that should be accomplished on others.

Let them try it their way. And let us get out of the way, whilst they’re doing it.

Our hope should be that others out there can be exceptional in their own way.

That the entire world can be exceptional.

It may come as a surprise to many, but…

it’s not a contest!

How’s that for an exceptional idea?

image credit: FDR Presidential Library & Museum via Compfight cc