Something ain’t right and we all know it.
Are we just gonna give up on the greatest country in the history of the world?
Or are we gonna fight for freedom and a thriving future?
They always tell us we’re at a once-in-a-lifetime pivotal moment.
But this time, they're actually right.
You know it.
I know it.
You know that I know it.
I know that you know it.
And they know that we all know it.
So, what are we going to do about it?
Well, I’ve got a few ideas…
First off…
Be an individualist.
The American Heritage dictionary defines an individualist as “one that asserts individuality
by independence of thought and action.”
If that sounds self-centered, it is.
But why is that bad?
Everything in your life starts with you—your attitude, how you project yourself to the
world, whether you take responsibility for your own actions.
The Founders of America sought to create a government whose primary purpose was to protect
the freedom of the individual.
After that, as far as George, Ben, and Tom were concerned, you were on your own.
Nobody saw this more clearly than the 19th century French writer, Alexis de Tocqueville.
He came to America to see what all the commotion was about and was absolutely blown away.
This new American democracy—what he called, “the equality of conditions”—was not
merely a new way to govern, he realized, but a new way to live.
For de Tocqueville, American individualism was not about being self-centered, but about
being self-reliant.
Government can’t guarantee your happiness, but it should guarantee your right to pursue
it.
This is the only way to make progress on a national level and still be authentically
inclusive.
Because where true freedom exists there will be individualism, and where individualism
exists there will be true freedom.
But being an individualist is just the start.
You must also…
Be a Family.
There are lots of ways to measure the strength of a society.
But family has to be at the top of the list.
This hit me very deeply one night during Jordan Peterson’s worldwide lecture tour in 2019,
which I hosted.
Jordan and I were leaving the theatre after our show in Dublin, Ireland.
Two men ran toward us.
Wiping tears from their eyes, they told us their story.
They were a father and son.
Several years ago, they had a huge falling out.
On their own personal timelines, they had both bought Jordan’s book, 12 Rules for
Life, and began fixing up their lives.
Separately, they had attended the show.
As thousands of people exited the theater, they saw each other in the crowd and—right
then and there, after so much time and so much heartache—they embraced and made amends.
The family bond was restored.
So how important is family?
According to a 2019 American Enterprise Institute survey which asked participants to rank attributes
of the American Dream, a good family life ranked number two, right behind freedom of
choice.
It’s no surprise.
It’s within the nurturing bonds of family we learn to deal with the world.
Once you have your head screwed on straight and you’ve made things right with your family,
then you’re ready to move on to the next level of real social improvement….
Be a Community.
There are all kinds of communities.
It’s your church or synagogue.
It’s your neighbors.
It’s the girls you meet for brunch, or the guys you play basketball with.
It’s the group of people that know you and care about you.
And you care about them.
Next to breathing and maybe a couple of other things, I don’t know what’s more essential than that.
When George Bailey’s brother toasts George at the end of the classic movie, It’s a
Wonderful Life, “to the richest man in town,” we know exactly what he’s talking about —George’s community.
Are you catching the theme here?
When individuals are healthier, the family is healthier, and in turn, so is society.
It’s obvious...
We know it.
Which is why those on the left oppose all of it—every piece.
They despise the free-thinking individual; they denigrate the family; and they have no
true understanding of community.
For the left, your identity group—your skin color, your sexual preference—determines
who you are and how you think.
Defy this identity at your peril.
If you’re black and you’re conservative, well, as one elderly gentleman put it, “you
ain’t black.”
Before they scrubbed it from their website, Black Lives Matter bragged that they were
all about deconstructing the “nuclear family”—you know, mom, dad, and the kids.
As for community, it’s too independent and too traditional.
The Left demands you be part of the collective—a hive mind where everyone thinks the
same.
Anyone outside the hive must be shouted down, harassed, or canceled.
Is that the world you want to be part of?
How about this instead?
Be an individualist.
Be a member of a family.
Be part of a community.
You know what that sounds like to me?
America.
I’m Dave Rubin, author of Don’t Burn This Country, for Prager University.