Happiness, Is Often, A Trivial Pursuit.

    The United States Constitution guarantees  all Americans,  the right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness.While I understand that the founding fathers wanted all Americans to be free to follow their dreams as it were so that every American as an individual could pursue their own happiness as they saw fit, in recent years I have observed that for many American searching  for happiness is often a trivial pursuit.

    I am often, perceived by some, as being somewhat out of touch basically because I don't follow many of the cultural trends in American society..I could not tell you for example who won the World series last year. or who one American Idol.I couldn't  tell you who won the Super Bowl last year and I don't have the slightest idea who is still in the hunt for this years Super Bowl. As a general rule,  I don't watch the Oscars.in fact, I couldn't even tell the film I paid to go and see in the first place I can't afford it and in the second place no film that Hollywood has  produced has impressed me in recent years. I guess that means not much worth seeing,  comes out of Hollywood or perhaps, I'm just not easily impressed take your pick. No reality show that I have ever seen reflects any part of the reality in my life. I don't know who Honey Boo Boo is and I'm pretty sure my life will most certainly go on if I never do.I do realize that everyone needs time for rest and relaxation, I suppose going to see a film or going to some sports event or watching  a reality show is often an tempt to escape some of the more pressing realities in everyday life

    The problem that I have with much of  American culture today is simply this,America, as nation is in a  cultural crisis.A recent class of forty  high school seniors were asked to name America;s first five presidents in order for anyone who may have forgotten  they are as follows, George Washington, John Addams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. One may may find it hard to believe but when when forty high school senors were asked if they could name America's first five presidents in order out of forty seniors fifteen, did not even know that George Washington was America's first president.Ten of the remaining twenty five high school seniors were able to name America's first three presidents and out of the fifteen remaining high school seniors eleven were able to name America's first four presidents but only four out of forty high school seniors were able to name America's first five presidents in order. The same class of seniors were asked how many amendments were in the constitution and out of forty high school seniors only three knew there were twenty seven. The same senior class was asked if they knew the number of states that were once American colonies and out of these forty high school seniors only four knew that there were thirteen original American colonies and only one knew they were represented by the number of stripes on the Us flag and none of the group of forty seniors could name all of the thirteen original colonies.

    Here is the point I am diligently trying to make America's next generation will have to solve the inherited  problem of a staggering national debt a turbulent middle east on the brink of all out war. and a sluggish economy as well as a weakened US dollar on the verge of collapse and it appears very possibly that a large number of high school seniors all across this country don't know the answers to even the simplest questions in basic American history questions my daughter knew the answer to by the second grade  yet they can tell you who won last years supper bowl or who won American Idol last year and most of them will all know who Honey boo is but twenty years from now will  knowing this trivial knowledge help in anyway to solve the  pending problems facing America's next generation? Perhaps Americans should think about things that really matter I am indeed in favor of every American having the basic right of the pursuit of happiness but I do think that perhaps, Americans pursuit of happiness should be more substantive especially when America's future depends on what Americans feel is import and thus chooses to concentrate on. As always, my friends, these thoughts remain, just, some words, to think on.