Concept of American Idea - Essay Example

In the present world, there is so much information available to us but it is sad to know that very little would be preserved. In this electronic age, all the information is stored on the system which can be altered by falter methods by any unauthorized person (hacking) or even disposed of by design. This disposable culture is the latest and greatest American contribution to history. But it is also true that it does not provide any alternative form of storage. This has led to a lot of instability. Consider finding a library under the earth due to some natural calamity,  we could still have access to the books once the repairs are done but what would be the state of the computer-related memory storage systems such as memory sticks, CDs, etc? We will have absolutely no access to these regardless of how much storage space they hold.

If anyone has committed any wrong act, the person is punished. And hence there is justice for all. But despite this rule, there have been so many loopholes and there have been instances where evil-minded people, smugglers, and other criminals get away with their wrongdoings.

Independence/freedom is the core value that is given the most important in this world. Everyone wants freedom and independence which is good and will boost one's positive attitude. But this freedom is also misused in several ways. Children who are so young become victims to so many criminal activities such as taking drugs, becoming alcoholics, or being chain smokers which are very harmful to health all just because they have the freedom to do what they want. It fosters excessive individualism, an unfettered reliance on markets, and an unrelenting distrust of government – each of which impedes our capacity to address urgent societal problems.

We adapt to change while remaining anchored to core values. Change is inevitable and people believe it only because of adapting to change we have grown so far. And America leads the way here as well. Globalization, terrorism, resource scarcity, consumerism, and technological advances are among the forces that test economical and political institutions and our values.  An information free-for-all makes it hard to discover the truth and distinguish between the significant and the trivial. And hence a bunch of fighters arises over a bunch of people who should feel like one big family and work towards destroying the world rather than creating harmony.

The biggest challenge facing the American idea is how to anchor enduring values in this time of rapid and discordant change. Religious and cultural norms of a simpler past seem unable to secure shared values in the complex present.

It is certainly very difficult to find a place characterized by justice and freedom, but if the future has to be better than what it’s been all this while, America must be the role model for the rest of the world. As regards moral leadership, America stands first in helping and leading her own country and also some of the other suffering countries. This idea may not be true in every sense but we must strive towards the achievement of the same as it is the only hope for freedom in the world which every human being strives for at the end of the day. America means development, liberty, justice, and equal opportunity for all. And hence this idea of America should be given utmost importance and should be well safeguarded as well.

American people should push our institutions in the right direction and the future should be good as America’s track record is reassuring. My appreciation of the American Idea is constant in its presence and constantly evolving in its favor. The essence of the American Idea, then, is that it is an engine of evolution – the personal as well as the social and cultural. Somehow, the people must develop a more textured understanding of the exclamation: “This is America!” I strongly believe despite the drawbacks stated above that if this place has to find its way to harmony, justice, equality, democracy, pluralism, the institutions of civic culture, and public life, America has to lead the way.

According to Courtney E. Martin, “We strive to be truer or freer or smarter or richer or perhaps just happier than our parents were. The American Idea is about generations in reaction and reinvention” (Martin, 2007).