At 82, Here Are 5 Things I Think America Has Lost

1. We lost the ability to disagree without becoming enemies.

There was a time when two people could argue politics, religion, unions, taxes, or the Dallas Cowboys and still shake hands afterward. Today disagreement too often becomes hatred. We've confused “I think you're wrong” with “I think you're a bad person.”

2. We lost personal responsibility.

Something goes wrong and our first question increasingly seems to be: Whose fault is it? Government. The boss. The school. Our parents. The other political party. Sometimes life deals you a rotten hand. But sooner or later you've still got to play the cards you're holding.

3. We lost respect for people who actually know how to do something.

We've elevated celebrities, influencers, and people famous for being famous while barely noticing the mechanic who keeps your truck running, the welder who builds what we use, the farmer who grows what we eat, the nurse working at 3:00 in the morning, or the young man sweating on a drilling rig. A society that looks down on working with your hands eventually discovers it still needs somebody who knows which wrench to pick up.

4. We lost some of our backbone.

We've become remarkably afraid of being offended, offending somebody else, failing, being criticized, or hearing something we don't like. Life isn't always safe, fair, comfortable, or polite. Sometimes you get knocked flat. The lesson I learned wasn't that somebody should remove everything capable of knocking me down. It was to get back up.

5. We lost the understanding that freedom comes with responsibility.

Everybody wants rights. Good. So do I. I wore a Marine uniform for mine. But rights don't eliminate obligations. Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from criticism. Liberty doesn't mean “I can do anything I please and somebody else can pay for the consequences.” A free country only works when its citizens accept responsibility for keeping it free.

And I'd end the article with:

There. I said it.

I'm 82 years old. I've lived through wars, recessions, cultural revolutions, technological revolutions, good presidents, bad presidents, prosperity, hard times and more changes than I could have imagined as a boy.

I don't think everything was better in the old days. It wasn't. America corrected some terrible wrongs, opened doors that should always have been open, and gave opportunities to people who had been denied them.