Today we celebrate the birth of the United States of America 234 years ago.  

 

Who likes the idea of being mediocre?  Not me.  But I do like the idea that the millions and millions of average people are the deciding factor in whether a nation is great.  Yes, it’s wonderful to have fantastic leaders and great managers and genius artists and fabulous engineers who lead the way.  But most of us don’t live in a world surrounded by fame and greatness every day. We live in our neighborhoods with average folk.  Who they are, who you are, that is what defines America.

You can read my post from yesterday on how I test myself to see if I am living up to what I consider to be American standards.  

Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman

“What makes a nation great is not primarily its great men, but the stature of its innumerable mediocre ones.” – Jose Ortega y Gasset, 1883-1955, Spanish author and philosopher