American Values

American values have changed over the course of time.

No big secret there.

America was founded on a set of beliefs such as, liberty, free speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly, among others.

Self reliance was important. You can’t be truly free if you cannot take care of yourself.

That goes hand in hand with equality of opportunity.

Those values combined creates what we call The American Dream.

The dream for an opportunity for a better life and a higher standard of living.

That dream for me equals good old fashioned hard work.

With that came certain values, such as patriotism, religion, having children, and community involvement.

All of these values are in decline.

A recent Gallup survey indicated there has been a significant decline in participation of religious activities over the past few decades.

The data showed 62 percent of Americans rated religion as very important in 1998 compared with the latest reading of 39 percent.

Americans are becoming less religious.

As far as patriotism, 39 percent of Americans polled said they were extremely proud to be an American.

That is a decline from 55 percent in 2001.

Americans are becoming less patriotic.

Community involvement follows the same trend.

The importance of involvement in community activities shows only 18 percent think it’s vital or important.

Americans are becoming less involved in their communities.

Over time, Americans have become less likely to value religion and have become less patriotic.

For me, that’s disturbing, and gives me an indication of why we’re currently in the shape we’re in.

America needs a revival. A revival of our core values.

We need a rekindling of what it means to be an American and a productive, prideful member of our communities.

I pray we remember what really matters and see where the loss of these values definitely has a cause and effect aspect in our society.

If not, I feel it will only get worse.

See you out there.