We have a problem, America.

It’s convenient to focus vexation at our country’s ever-present adversity on impractical venues such as government. After all, we can vote, complain, post bumper stickers and invest in campaigns, but we really can’t change much.

Yet, what do we do in an effort to make changes? We find someone who resembles ourselves, carries our morals and will do what we want them to do (we think). Then we go vote for our hopeful savior. Whew! We did our part! Now, what’s for dinner?

Six months later, we find ourselves right back where we started. We’ll point to the president, media, Wall Street, guns, drugs and poverty; anything to keep us from looking at the real picture:

“We the people” are the problem!

The solution begins with us. If we cannot make a change, then we shouldn’t even bother showing up to vote because we have already failed.

After my previous article, I found myself engaged in many debates about guns. Soon, I realized I was saying the same thing over and over again: “We have a people problem.”

The more I thought on that, the more media stories flooded my mind, and they all had a common denominator: people.

Recently, the Slender Man case that’s been monopolizing the media has sparked the ethical debate of whether or not children should be tried as adults. As I watched the masses respond, I was appalled.

Of course, it was a horrible tragedy, but among the comments were remarks such as, “Hang ‘em!”; “Death penalty!”; “It’s a shame what our children have become!”

Yet, didn’t we establish and sustain a justice system specifically for juveniles? Didn’t we do that because they are, indeed, children? Children have not changed; we have changed. We’re not legally focused, anymore; we’re emotionally charged.

What about those two 12-year-old girls? Didn’t we create that law to protect them, too?

People.

Not long before that, I found myself shocked that an elementary school student’s gender identity disorder made the front page of news outlets, announcing how a boy had returned to school as a girl.

I was angered by every media outlet that felt it was okay to make her a hot topic for debate, but I was even more upset at the people.

Again, I watched as the comments filled the thread, “This nation’s going to hell”; “That’s why homosexuals shouldn’t raise kids” (the child was raised by a loving mother and father); “I don’t want my kids exposed to that!”

Yet, do we not still fight for freedom? Have our forefathers, sons, mothers and fathers not died defending our freedom for every American citizen?

Like selfish fools, we disregarded her privacy, her vulnerability, her age, her disorder and her family, and we did what we do best, America! We made it all about us.

People.

“American Schools Are STILL Racist,” wrote, Joy Resmovits of the Huffington Post. I can’t get the beginning of that title out of my mind. Why didn’t this article go viral? Why weren’t we angered by that? Who stood up to make a change? Who took action? Who talked about racism with their children?

Why are we not angered and enraged to see any adult take his fists to a child, even if that child is a teenager? An adult is 18 years of age as defined by law! How do we stand back so smugly and announce on public networks, “That bus driver can drive my kids to school every day of the week!”

Then we look at ourselves, our nation, our families and our children, and we wonder what we’ve become and where we went wrong.

WE the People!

That means all of us, every single person in this world.

It means if we want our schools safe, we should keep our homes safe. If we want our streets free of crime, we need keep our homes free of crime and teach our children the same. If we want guns to be controlled and to reserve our right to bear arms, we need to keep our guns controlled inside our homes!

If we want our children to love and respect others, we should love and respect them every day, at the dinner table, on the phone, in the middle of the night or early in the morning when we’re already running late. We need to show them our love every single minute of the day!

If we want to a change in our nation, “we the people” have to change.

Time is of the essence.

We cannot stand back one more second and believe we have the right to shake our heads at our young people while setting such a poor example ourselves.

The most important culture this country thrives upon starts at our own front doors. 

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