America lost its moral way years ago. It bounced on the aimless avenue of ambiguity like a dazed child springing on her trampoline. This is not surprising, because nobody knows the future; one is always on the avenue of ambiguity, especially with morality. Nevertheless, America seems to have more than lost its way. It lost the map.
One can flip through America's historical monikers: transcendentalism, the Enlightenment, the Great Awakening. The 1960s paraded its hippie power, the 1980s its Christian conservatism. Today is not easily divided into the tidy decades so beloved by historical hacks; we are era-less.
Today is difficult to categorize. No new cultural swill has sewn itself into America's fabric. No national theme has emerged. One could argue national security has icily inched its way in America's belly, but it has yet to clip itself to the hearts of all Americans. Indeed, American leitmotifs like homeland security are of great consequence. Attention to these issues will hone America's status as a G8 nation.
America is forgetting something. It stored an eminent matter in the attic years ago and swallowed the key. It must now address an issue stored in the hearts of all its people: values.
Switch on the radio. Hear anti-musical and anti-art sonic abuse. Rappers recall sesquipedalian terms concerning their shocking sins. Turn on the television. Fox News and MSNBC dehumanize the Sept.11 disaster by replaying sickening videos. Open the business section of the newspaper. CEOs are betting blackjack with billions of blue-collar workers' dollars. Sports have sunk into the sinkhole of vice. An NBA player is accused of manslaughter. Politics is no better; three words: Bill and Monica.
Many people blame the medium, "24/7 news channels supply scandals to succeed." Yet here blaming the medium is too easy because it ignores the message. The fault is not in our machines, but in ourselves.
America's current map has led to sundry successes. But the current map will do us harm now. If we attempt to solve our problems with the old map, we will become more lost. We need a new map. We need new mapmakers.
America's founders built their country on values. They chose mapmaker George Washington to lead their nascent country. His leadership provided the winds for the United State's sails during the early years. President Washington charted America's path to America's values.
We now need mapmakers of a different kind -- moral mapmakers. Hundreds of thousands of people are returning to their churches, mosques, synagogues and temples. Americans are as concerned about the moral welfare as they are about their economy. How can such a prosperous country be spiritually unfulfilled? The low rumblings of America's Third Great Awakening are resonating.
Leaders are addressing our moral misgivings. President George W. Bush elegantly crafted an education agenda that addresses family values. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" program promises to educate all the country's children. He believes educating every child is the greatest moral challenge of our time.
Former Vice President Al Gore spends his political pause working on his Family Centered Community Building curriculum. Last year, Gore spoke at the Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Community Partnership Award Ceremony in Atlanta. He outlined his curriculum that teaches family values to children, which Fisk and Middle Tennessee State Universities have adopted.
Secondary and tertiary mapmakers are many. Few leaders serve as primary moral mapmakers. Primary mapmakers carry the moral torch and light the way for Americans to follow, illuminating an honest path. President Jimmy Carter and President Ronald Reagan were the last two moral mapmakers in the executive branch. The senate has recently seen Sen. George Mitchell and Bob Dole, both moral mapmakers.
Our economy uneasy and morals astray, who is the primary mapmaker serving today? Who is our moral cartographer? One beaming beacon of hope surfaces -- sen. Joseph Isadore Lieberman. Sen. Lieberman offers a megadose of monetary magnificence and munificent morals. He has all the makings.
Sen. Lieberman's morals enable him to hew legislation empowering parents to monitor what their children watch. The senator understands that schools ought to have curricula based on values. He dedicates himself to collective piety: he respects the Sabbath by dutifully resting. Americans respect a statesman who values his faith.
Equally as impressive is Lieberman's willingness to act independently. He supported George W. Bush on the Gulf War. He broke party ranks. He supported slashing the capital gains tax. He broke party ranks. He castigated President Clinton's moral ineptness.
Sen. Lieberman moves forward into America's past. He energetically engages in forward-looking legislation. He has offered clairvoyant solutions like in 1996 when he required the Pentagon to look at what America should focus on so it could be ready for terrorist strikes. He supported the Clean Air Act; he built consensus with then Senator Dole to stymie Slobodan Milosevic's awful actions. Sen. Lieberman connects his innovative agenda with vintage American values of perseverance and prayer.
We are quite fortunate to have a moral cartographer in the Senate. Funny and fatherly, Sen. Lieberman is in touch with our times. America's quivering values need a strong dose of leadership. Is he the man of the moment? Perhaps. One of America's most marvelous mapmakers? Precisely.
