Social Bonds

President Obama relayed to the American people that the only way this country can become better is through Americans working together for a common good. While this statement is certainly true, it is important to qualify his statement. The way that Americans work together is through the pursuit of their own individual desires. Adam Smith once wrote, "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest." Like Smith's philosophy, the desires of bettering a community for gain is what makes a nation progress. This of course is self-centered but the pursuit of anything is by definition self-centered. Even the pursuit of humility and servanthood is an act of self-centeredness - the person is trying to become better through selflessness. Being self-centered is not necessarily wrong, it is how that self-centerdness is used that makes it either wrong or right.

America was built through the rugged individualism that was a hallmark of its western expansion. But at the same time, the American way of life was forged through the belief that America as a whole was an exceptional nation. A collectivist sense of responsibility was instilled on the people, particularly at the lower levels of community. Whether in small towns or in large cities, ethnic, social, and cultural ghettos brought people together. Whether under the banner of a "melting pot" or a "tossed salad," the diverse people that make up this land has come together under the banner of America. The collectivist mentality has always been a part of the American experience and that mentality has been brilliantly forged with the desires of the individual person.

The American spirit is at its brightest when a governing body acts as passive referee, allowing the people to live as they choose (within reason, of course). The people are bound in a Social Contract, promoting community and direction for the group. The government must enforce this contract as the embodiment of the people's will. By the individual seeking to promote their own interests they will also help others in the process. President Obama is correct when he said that Americans must work together for the common good, but the collectivist mentality must be paired with the individualistic spirit that helped build America.