Freedom Over Security

My wife thinks I was a bit harsh in my last post. She has appreciated the generally positive outlook of the Yes You Can concept. That positive outlook and hope for a better future for every individual is what attracts me to this concept as well. If I am harsh, it is because self-critique and vigorous self-discipline is required to achieve that better future.

I explained that Americans are lacking in their personal morality. One of our greatest moral problems today is a desire to get something for nothing. This has caused Americans to become reliant on Government in a very dangerous way. It results in dependency, slavery, and a loss of freedom. We must be better than that. The American Dream is beyond the reach of anyone who would have it gifted to them. It must be earned. Yes You Can believes in the power and capacity of the individual to create their own prosperity. Consider the following words by Dean Alfange:

I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek opportunity to develop whatever talents God gave me - not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say - “This, with God’s help, I have done.” All this is what it means to be an American.