[The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the Alligator.]
Grab anyone’s smartphone, and you’re likely to find an app like Google Maps that can provide explicit instructions to reach destinations throughout the world. There was a time when acquiring directions was more difficult, requiring maps and compasses. If only the ease of Google Maps could translate into directions for our nation’s future. Despite how easy it is to find our way to the nearest coffee shop, movie theater or our long lost aunt’s house, we, as a nation, are aimless, directionless and seemingly lost. Yes, that’s a dour proclamation, and maybe it’s easy to be morose after just 36 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in last week’s midterm election, but perhaps it’s time we ask ourselves where we, as a nation, would like to go. It’s too early to tell whether a Republican-led Congress will find compromise with President Barack Obama, but if gridlock remains in place, it’s time for us all to do a little soul searching and perhaps consult a map for our nation’s future.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy told the American people that by the end of the decade, an American would be on the moon, and he was. It’s a trite example that elicits audible groans from the pessimists in the crowd, but if it worked in the awfully turbulent 1960s, why can’t we find some direction in 2014?
Our leaders and institutions seemingly skate from one crisis to the next without any bold vision for our country’s future other than fearing the debt, fearing the terrorists, fearing Ebola, fearing the opposing political party and fearing that long-lost aunt. Fear is not a recipe for direction, and generally, if you’re lost in the woods, fear is not a prescribed method for finding your way to safety.
It’s not clear whether the American people — well, the ones who actually voted last week — chose a specific direction for the nation’s future, other than asking Washington to end the gridlock that has all but paralyzed the government. That’s not necessarily a clear vision for the future of our country, but it’s past time for us to find out where we as a nation are headed.
Leaders in Washington and throughout the country need to echo Kennedy’s spirit and actually stand for something bold, visionary and unifying. Whether that’s returning to space, revolutionizing our nation’s infrastructure or something still unknown to the general public, American leaders have an obligation to actually lead.
All of this sounds rather naive, and perhaps it is, but part of our country’s strength lies in our naivete. No matter how big, bold or difficult the challenge, the American people rise up and accomplish greatness. The spirit that guided a generation through the Great Depression, past two world wars and onto the surface of the moon is replaced by cynicism, anger, doubt and distrust.
Some speculate that millennials largely avoided voting last week because we have no faith in American institutions, especially politics and the government. While that might be true, it’s going to take bold action on the part of generations young and old to restore faith or reform the institutions that allowed our country to thrive for more than two centuries.
The great conundrums that block our path forward are where we would like to go and how to get there. As young people, we are often told to create a five- or even a 10-year plan. The roadmap of our lives gets adjusted along the way, but if we largely stick to that plan, we are seemingly more likely to succeed. It seems rational, and it probably is. We receive this advice for a reason.
If it works for us personally, perhaps it’s time for us, as the American people, to figure out our five- and 10-year plans. Otherwise, we might spend the future living in our parents’ basements, and it’s doubtful anyone wants to be a British colony again.
Joel Mendelson is a UF grad student in political campaigning. His columns appear on Wednesdays.
