Attitude

There are large numbers of people in the United States today who believe that the country is tyrannical in its social mores. They concentrate on how groups are treated and minimize individual rights. They pit one group against another. The rich vs poor, the white vs non-white, gay vs straight, conservative vs liberal, college educated vs non-college, young vs old and coastal America vs middle America. In each of these groups they see the oppressor and the oppressed. The rest of the world sees a different picture. Millions of people from around the world, mostly of color, want to come to America. Millions of disadvantaged within the country have moved up the ladder to middle and upper middle economic status. While many people remain proud to be Americans there is a growing group who seem to be ashamed of America. They see themselves as victims and are blinded to the opportunities that abound. They wait for things to change instead of taking action. It is not circumstances that hold people back it is attitude. There are myriads of examples of people who have overcome dysfunctional family situations to become productive citizens. If you look to the past to find reasons why you cannot succeed you will find plenty but it won't help you much. Learn from the past but don't live in the past.