Too busy for the good life.

As Americans, we are some of the busiest people in the world. We rush through our days, passing by all the people around us simply so that we can end the day with more on our to-do-list than when we started. We think that busyness is equal to productivity. We sincerely think that the busier we are, the more important we are, and the more that we will have to show for our lives.

Terms like neighbors, community, and Sunday dinner have been replaced with meetings, network groups, and luncheons. I admit that up until this Sunday, I had no problem with America being busy. Over the three day weekend, my wife and I decided to go grocery shopping Sunday afternoon. I figured that we would have the market all to ourselves, as people would be spending time with friends and family, picnicking and barbequing. To our surprise, the market was packed with people piling up their carts like they had not been to the store in months. Once we finally made it to the checkout stand, the cashier looked at me and stated that she was surprised that people were not with friends and family. She said that they were telling her they were all too busy and needed the three day weekend to catch up on things. The statement got me thinking. Are we really too busy and what does that statement mean for the future of our country?

As I pondered the question, it dawned on me that if America loses its sense of community, working ourselves out of friends and family, this one error could be more devastating to America than any politician or political movement. In fact, the realization that America is too busy answered a much deeper question that I had been asking myself. How did America get to this point, the point where freedom is an afterthought or a tagline rather than an actual state of being? The problem is that we are simply too busy to care. We don’t converse about issues. We don’t have time to care about what is important to those around us, and we don’t share a community bond or identity. We simply go about our lives believing that if we are busy enough, all our problems will go away. Let us stop, just for a moment, and think about what is really important. America’s structure and success is built on a foundation of local ties, local government, and local involvement. If we become too busy, then the state and federal governments have to step in and take charge. Ask yourself: do you want D.C. deciding what is best for you? Do you believe that they will have your best interests at heart? If not, then your only option is to slow down and care about what is around you. Your community, your friends, and your family should be your responsibility. Some have argued that America is simply lazy and that is why we do not care, but I do not see this being the problem. We are not lazy enough. We need time to sit back and relax, to build relationships, and to create local bonds that can tie this county back together. What are we working for, if not to build a good life? How can we assume to have a good life without the protection of a strong community to insure our local freedoms and ways of life are preserved?