America the beautiful?

America is the only country in the world that...how many ways can you finish that sentence?


Too many to count.


Some of the possible ways to complete that sentence are fabulous, but others...not so much.

Don't get me wrong I LOVE our country, it's people, and what it represents to the world - countless freedoms and equal opportunities. Americans are leaders. Americans are innovators. Americans are rebels, patriots, and free thinkers. But let's be honest, Americans tend to be egocentric, and many in the U.S. live their lives in disconnect with the sufferings in the rest of the world.

Our innovative spirits have served us well in so many areas, but there are some in which our attempts to re-invent the wheel have failed us miserably.

While walking with a girlfriend this morning I was told about the book, "The Economy of Love," by Shane Claiborne. The premise behind the book is this: the U.S. is the only country in the world where our lives, and work are structured around the individual instead of the community.

In a sincere effort to be the best in whatever we chose to pursue it's become all about the "me" and the "we" has been forgotten about. So many people share the notion that "if it doesn't affect me it doesn't matter," or "if I help you what's in it for me?"

Now I'm not saying we should get some families together and live in a commune as parts of the book may suggest. (I'm sure that could be very entertaining though.) But I do feel that the sense of community, that so many cultures around the world depend on, is lacking in the U.S.

There are moments when I see a glimmer of this spirit of brotherhood, when the humanitarian heart is awakened across the country. It's a beautiful thing to witness. Neighbor helping neighbor. A person comforting a complete stranger simply because they're hurting and it's the right thing to do. It seems that it's only in the dark times that we experience this change of heart. In the face of tragedy it somehow becomes easier to put the "we" in front of the "me."

I can't help but wonder what our country would look like if we maintained this "community" through the good times. It would be revolutionary - to have individuals come together to solve issues that may not involve them directly but serve a greater purpose.

I'm not talking about giving those in need a hand out, but rather a hand up. I'm not talking about social justice or redistribution of wealth. I'm not talking about creating some government program that would give a forced sense of community. I'm talking about a change of heart.

What would it look like if Americans reoriented their hearts and minds to care as much about others as we do ourselves?

What would we see?

America the beautiful?