The Miracle that is America By Henry Piarrot

The Miracle that is America
By Henry Piarrot

If anyone has difficulty understanding the miracle that is America, let’s take a look back in time to the first meeting of the House of Burgesses in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619.  Since that historic moment, we have 393 years of organized government in what was to become and is now the United States. With moderate consideration, as it does not require the I.Q. of a rocket scientist to realize it is not an accident that Mankind has advanced more in the years since Jamestown than it had in the previous 5 millennium.

Unprecedented in the history of the world is the increase of social, political and technological events that have occurred and been nurtured on this North American Continent.

In that brief span of time, we have seen the speed of travel accelerate from that of a horse’s gallop to more than the speed of sound. Our ability to communicate has gone from parchment and quill to near telepathy, while control of our personal environment has progressed from gathering around an open fire to almost complete control of every nuance of comfort.

It is true that other countries and cultures have participated in some of these advancements over the past centuries. However, the most dramatic breakthroughs happened right here in America.

Why here? Well, there is no single answer, but the American way of life and the belief that personal liberty and hard work has undoubtedly created an atmosphere of invention and prosperity.

From the very beginning of our American society, this was a land where idleness is held in contempt, while development and progress is embraced. This positive attitude inspired a widespread belief in the rightness of our nation’s goals and aspirations.

Our Founder’s devoutly believed that they and their fellow citizens were the beneficiaries of a special blessing from God, for theirs’ was the “Shining City upon the Hill.” It was easy to become a true believer, as one only had to look around at the evidence of God’s many gifts.

Here in America, was much of the best top soil on the planet, vast forests filled with wild game and oceans and rivers teemed with fish. There are mountains of iron ore and coal, deep reservoirs of oil and incredible veins of silver and gold. Imperfect as the world has always been, this was a chosen land for a grateful people. Still, with all of the abundance and wonder, at the heart of it all, what the people really came here for was freedom.

Some came with fortunes to invest, while others sinfully came in chains. They came here from every land on the face of the Earth. Many came only with what they could carry and some came with only what they were wearing. But still they came. The most important things they brought with them were not material possessions, as they carried their religion, art, music and personal skills in their minds and in their hearts.

They worked, struggled, learned, bled, played and prayed together. With perspectives as different as night and day, their abilities and determination produced miraculous results in a blink of Father Time’s eye.

No single person or event can be credited for the remarkable advances achieved during such a short amount of time. However, the one constant has been our unique system of government.

Our Constitution strikes a workable balance between the rights of the governed and the limited responsibilities of the government. Americans hold fast to the concept that everyone has an equal “right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” as so eloquently expressed by Jefferson in our Declaration of Independence.

Next week, November 6, 2012 is yet another Election Day in America and we will be voting for a president on this important Fall Tuesday.  Many are most certainly voting to preserve the components and traditions that make us Americans.

To insure that our children have the same opportunity to live as they please and contribute to a “free society,” we must all participate in the process. In the recent past, far too many have embraced the dangerous notion that America is our government, when in reality; it is we the American people who are America.

To thoughtful citizens, a frightening string of events have taken place on our watch and it is our responsibility as the parents of our future generations to remember why the world has changed so brilliantly during the lifespan of our amazing Nation. For, it was the freedom and personal responsibility embraced by our American ancestors is really why the miracle happened here.

So, let the world hear from every American man and woman, that if we Americans wanted to live under a government that would treat us as its children, The Boston Tea Party would be remembered today for the crumpets.

Henry Piarrot is a Sevier County resident and hotel manager on assignment in Hattiesburg, MS. Please send all story recommendations tohpiarrot@yahoo.com

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