American Greatness relies on courage, commitment, perseverance, resilience, and a good deal of solidarity – acting from what could be called “our larger selves.” But life is tough, and fear and doubt are ever present. And they lead to anger, doubt, violence, and acting from what could be called “our smaller selves.”
When fear and anger outweigh courage and hope there are six natural actions that demonstrate the “smaller self” – actions that directly undermine American Greatness.
There is also a complementary set of six common behavioral pitfalls that it is easy to fall into. When committing to take on the big tough challenges we face it is critical to be aware of these pitfalls and avoid them.
When fear and anger overwhelm courage and hope we see the opposite of American Greatness – Undermining actions by individuals, groups, or organizations
1. Retreating
This a turning away from the big tough issues, disengaging or refusing to engage. It is simply turning our backs and running away. It is a retreat from believing in America and the processes and institutions that support it.
2. Pulling Inward
Fear undermines a commitment to the larger community. It causes people to pull inward, disengaging from the larger community. People will pull back to where they feel safe and have a sense of power and effectiveness. That can mean focusing on smaller and more narrow issues that are not as big and complex and threatening. That usually means focusing on and going after groups that are smaller, less powerful, and threatening in concept, but not reality (bullying).
3. Denial
A lack of courage often breeds denial of the big tough issues. In this case fear would breed denial that these issues really exist and require committed action. It is simply a refusal to acknowledge the challenges and engage.
4. Misdirection and Pretending
If the big tough issues are too scary a natural response is to try to get the attention off of them and redirect attention to smaller less scary issues. Acting tough and making a lot of noise about smaller issues becomes a way to hide from reality and our failure to take on the big tough challenges.
5. Lying and Obscuring the Truth
When the truth requires courage and hope that aren’t sufficiently present, lying and obscuring the truth becomes a way to pretend that we are not retreating from the big tough issues. We either refuse to see the truth, lie about it, or obscure it enough to give ourselves an excuse for not acting.
6. Attacking and Destroying
Developing and maintaining a democracy in an unfriendly and ever-changing world is an extraordinary challenge and one that does not often show immediate results from efforts. When the required courage, perseverance, and resilience are not present – when immediate results do not reinforce a sense of power and effectiveness – the default is to attack and destroy. That provides a false and short-lived sense of power and effectiveness.
When these default behaviors become too prevalent it can be fatal to the American experiment in democracy. These are normal responses to fear, doubt, and feeling inadequate to the challenges, but the American experiment won’t survive being ordinary or normal. If we are to honor and model American Greatness and take on the big tough issues we face we must act from our “larger selves” and avoid these fear-driven actions
For anyone answering the call to model American Greatness and take on the big tough challenges that we face there are a few very powerful pitfalls on the journey that must be dealt with directly. They are normal and natural and exert most of their power when they are not addressed directly.
These natural pitfalls undermine the uncommon qualities generating American Greatness. They reflect acting from our smaller vs. larger selves. They can divert us from drawing strength from our two foundation blocks and trusting that we can take on our big tough issues together. These six behavioral pitfalls stand out.
#1 Failing to act from courage and confidence and falling prey to fear and insecurity.
#2 Defending and hiding in the past vs. going forth and creating the future.
#3 Focusing on “otherness” and defending vs. focusing on “togetherness” and creating.
#4 Standing on the sideline wondering, “But, what can I do?”; caught it in the paralyzing world of “ain’t it awful?”; or simply hiding in denial or being unconscious.
#5 Retreating to the sidelines when faced with the inevitable and natural disappointments, rejections, setbacks, or a lack of short-term progress.
#6 Failing to persevere and stay outside of our comfort zone vs. tolerating discomfort and creating new larger comfort zones.
These pitfalls on the journey are normal and natural. But, they must be confronted directly. The good news is that the strength to do so usually appears when called upon. Particularly if we are connected to each other.
Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.”
