Every few years I visit Disneyland and find myself being talked into the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln show. It’s not my favorite. It was cool 50-years ago, but today the technology just seems quaint. Still, I go if for no other reason than it’s a nice place to relax for a few minutes.
On my last visit we arrived early and I wandered around the waiting area. I noticed something I had never seen before: twelve statues indicating the Twelve Spirits of America. They are:
– Individualism
– Innovation
– Tomorrow
– Independence
– Compassion
– Discovery
– Freedom
– Heritage
– Pioneering
– Knowledge
– Self-Reliance
– Adventure
Normally I’d brush this off as more corny 1950’s idealism from Disney. But as I reflected on these twelve attributes I was struck by one thought and one question.
First, they really are a pretty good description of the twelve things that made America. I’ve traveled throughout the world and these attributes are not always evident in other nations.
And second, are they truly reflective of us today?
In some ways they certainly are. Americans are an individualistic lot to be sure. And we can be incredibly independent. But the underlying values of these spirits … are they still part of who we are?
I watch 24-hour news and think we’re just a bunch of violence-addicted knuckleheads lacking compassion (and that’s just the news anchors!). I watch the Presidential campaign and question whether we value our heritage, a sense of adventure, or a passion for discovery. I read about the silly things Silicon Valley is “innovating” and wonder if we’ve gone from putting a man on the moon to putting latte pictures on Instagram.
We invest a lot of time and creativity into the Big Me, as author David Brooks called our self-centered culture. And something gets lost in the process.
Now I’m not trying to bash our country or be the angry old guy here. I’m not naively nostalgic about an earlier era in American history. Truth is I think the spirits listed above remain part of our core, and the “good old days” had plenty of problems we conveniently forget.
But I do wonder if we spend enough time reinforcing these values among ourselves. There are enough things we can argue about. Let’s find things we can agree upon. Good healthy things that will raise our character and lower our self-centeredness.
Perhaps we could spend more time embracing, developing, and talking about the traits we value so deeply rather than the things we want so badly. The world, and our nation, would be a better place.
The Spirit of Freedom