250 years ago America was founded as an extraordinary country and form of government.
Since then we have seen 250 years of “no quit” effort to realize the promise of America for all Americans – lots of progress and sliding back, lots of ups and downs – but “no quit.”
We are not there yet and the “no quit” commitment continues to be the “make-or-break” factor in American Greatness.
If we step up as citizens we can continue to honor America’s greatness and carry the American experiment in democracy forward.
Or we can quit and retreat to become subjects of the authoritarians that are always waiting with false promises for a sign of American weakness.
This site is designed to support choosing to be courageous citizens – the “no quit” effort to fully realize the promise of America.
We have both challenge and guidance here.
If we choose to carry forward the American Greatness that we have inherited (as all generations must) we have some guidance provided by the main sections of the site.
Choosing to be citizens not subjects
#1 The Promise – What America is Designed to Provide its Citizens
#2 The Core – What American Greatness is Based on
#3 The Deceptive Strength of America – Healthy and Creative “Dynamic Tensions”/b>
#4 The Question: “Are We a Citizen or a Subject?”
What should we expect of America? What’s worth Fighting for? What’s worth making the effort to be contributing citizens?
No other form of government can provide the benefits that the American democracy can provide. America cannot yet provide all of these benefits to all of its citizens, but it provides a lot and the journey isn’t over.
Part of America’s greatness is the fact that we can say, “We are not completely there yet. We are not finished. But we will never quit and we will get there.”
These are not luxuries; they are the foundations on which people can pursue their goals. Americans should reasonably expect:
Freedom allows individuals to shape their own lives rather than having those choices imposed by others. Americans can:
A sense of order comes from knowing that rules exist, are understandable, and apply to everyone (the fair rule of law). Personal safety comes from knowing that we are protected from violence from other individuals, corporations, and governments. It also comes from the protection of property rights and a strong national defense.
People need a sense of belonging, a sense of community, and a sense of place. For example:
The ideal is not that outcomes are equal, but that opportunities are genuinely available. At its best, America is a place where:
Hope and aspiration is often underrated, but it is one of the most important social resources. America thrives when people believe:
America at its best encourages people to dream beyond survival. People should feel free to aspire to:
Many of the aspirations and hopes of the American experiment in democracy are being fulfilled if a citizen can reasonably say:
At its best, America fosters confidence without arrogance. Citizens should feel:
National confidence comes from courage, competence, integrity, and shared purpose – from taking on the inevitable problems with confidence and solidarity – not from pretending problems do not exist.
A healthy America helps people find purpose. Americans want to feel:
American greatness requires that “the game is fair, the floor is solid, and the ceiling is open.” That is the vision – we are not fully there yet – and we haven’t quit and won’t quit in our drive to fully realize the vision.
America is based on a set of democratic processes and institutions as well as behaviors
As with any organism or machine the American democracy will wear down if not maintained and part of being a citizen of a democracy is taking responsibility for protecting and improving those democratic processes and institutions. We rely on these systems and behaviors, and we are responsible for their health.
America’s greatness is not built on any one factor – “the three legs”
It is built on many factors that can be grouped in three categories – “three legs of the stool” – that provide stability and strength for our way of life. All three “legs” are essential. Our job now is to protect and improve them. We need all three.
These are the “things” that must be protected and im[proved.
These can overlap or blend together, but it’s useful to try to separate them just for focus. These are just examples.
Beliefs – 5 Examples
Values – 5 Examples
Citizen behaviors are the third leg of the stool and the place where we, as individual citizens, must make the difference.
We always face these forces and must always counter them.
They are normal and natural and will be in play in one form or another. Part of America’s greatness is that these forces have always been kept in check, but they will always be present (the bad news) – so they will always provide a challenge to prove America’s greatness (the good news).
The last 250 years of the American experiment in democracy have been marked by a powerful tension between progress toward realizing our democratic ideals and the forces that have sought to undermine or reverse those gains and undermine American greatness.
America is great because we are secure enough to say with confidence:
“Yes, we can do better – we will do better – we will always seek to do better.”
Although we have had a mixed history of progress and backsliding, America has been working at realizing the founding principles and values ever since its beginning. It has been a relentless challenge to choose the right trajectory and to persevere despite a disappointing pace with lots of small and large ups and downs – progress and back-sliding, but no quitting.
Our challenge is to celebrate hard won progress and – at the same time – keep acknowledging where we have come up short in fully realizing America’s promise. And to learn from the experience and keep grinding to fully realize the vision. That is the second foundation block on which American Greatness stands.
“No Quit Citizens” act to protect and improve the “three legs of the stool” that support our democracy
They persevere to realize the original vision for all Americans. “Subjects” desiring to be taken care of by authoritarians, fall for their false promises and collude with the forces undermining American greatness.
Our strength has been in continuing to celebrate what we have achieved and, at the same time, to Xight to “right the wrongs” – not to cower in insecurity and deny or defend our gaps.
The critical point is that a critical mass of “no quit citizens” has shown the commitment and courage to acknowledge and confront the significant gaps.
One of the reasons that democracies are so hard is that they come with a lot of uncertainties and a lot of what are called “dynamic tensions”
Dynamic tensions are natural forces that pull in different directions and cause tension. They are called “dynamic” because these tensions are never fully resolved one way or another. They can be troublesome because tensions are not something that most people value or tolerate well.
“Dynamic Tension” can be a source of excitement, or it can be a source of worry, anxiety, and a strong desire to just resolve the tension one way or another. Tension is a state in which individuals, groups, and countries can disagree with and feel anger toward each other, lose trust in each other, and where there is a possibility of conflict and even violence.
They can also be a source of vibrancy and creativity – Finding sustainable solutions to serious problems while achieving a sense of “balance in motion.” Dynamic tensions are never easy, but they can be extraordinarily healthy when managed wisely.
Dynamic tensions are like a big rubber band that is stretched
There is a natural desire to have the tension resolve one way or another, but that doesn’t happen with the dynamic tensions in a healthy democracy. If it did, the result would be extremes of one type or another, for example extreme liberalism or extreme conservatism – or from another perspective chaos or extreme control.
Most dynamic tensions never fully resolve, but some resolve for a short period and then move back into being in tension. Some dynamic tensions are basic to our psychological health and sense of well-being, some are based in specific values, beliefs, needs, and preferences and some are naturally institutional.
At its best, America can balance a lot of dynamic tensions at once. For example:
Dynamic tensions are one reason democracies are so creative
It’s also how they include people and different perspectives and values. We can be together/connected when we are a part of these dynamic tensions even if we are not in complete agreement. The more we understand these dynamic tensions and the better we are at managing them, the more common ground we have to stand on, the less our differences are, and the more resilient we are as a country.
The best balance points are near the middle
The resolve toward one “side” at times and resolve toward the other “side” at other times. Dynamic tensions are challenging, but they provide the energy and flexibility to be responsive and creative and not get locked into extreme positions or paralyzed in the face of change.
These are simply built into our way of life as a democracy. An authoritarian form of governance would simply decree which way the dynamic tensions would resolve. Not only would we lose our freedom, but we would also be in a losing battle with the way of the world and would pay an enormous price.
Democracy is demanding, but it naturally accommodates these forces of life and authoritarians try to force a resolution that is not natural and simply will not work.
Democracies will struggle with these dynamic tensions, but they provide a great deal of creativity and “balance in motion.” Authoritarians will simply decree a resolution to many and they and their subjects will inevitably lose in many ways.
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Do we step up as “no quit citizens” and continue to honor America’s greatness and carry the American experiment in democracy forward?
Or do we quit and retreat to become subjects of the authoritarians that are always waiting with false promises for a sign of American weakness?
If we answer the call as citizens to protect and improve our democratic processes and institutions, we have two foundation blocks on which to stand – our extraordinary founding and our 250-year “no quit” trajectory – lots of ups and downs, but no quit.
⇒ We say, “Yes” to being citizens and not subjects
⇒ We say, ‘Yes” to countering the 10 strategies in the Authoritarian Playbook
⇒ We say, “Yes” to executing the strategies in the Citizens Handbook
⇒ We say, “Yes” to taking on the big, tough, complex, and intimidating issues we face in our world
⇒ We act from our larger selves – our commitment, courage, perseverance, common ground, and our ability to extend grace to others and to ourselves
⇒ We step outside our comfort zones to draw upon and honor American Greatness when necessary, confident that we will be fine, even if uncomfortable