The Secret Sauce of the American Way

Don’t just do a thing, do the right thing. This is America. We don’t care about whether you come from a royal family, we care about results. Can you deliver?

 

We may fantasize about the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but more than anything we care about the facts of life for ordinary people. We like to watch movies, but we don’t like to be taken for fools. Real people want the real deal, with or without Hollywood special effects. How things look is secondary. 

 

Without being dedicated to the welfare of the whole family, positive affirmations work on a superficial level. Affirming the good for oneself alone is a superstitious practice that can only have limited results, like an obsessive compulsive tic. 

 

You may feel better if you say a prayer before your meal, but nothing real will happen unless you include others in your prayers. Actions taken on behalf of the whole family provide opportunities to participate in a permanent revolution of hearts and minds in which no one is excluded.

 

The idea that any one of us is exceptional is an impediment to realizing our potential for the future. Every government in the history of the world has had to struggle with the problem of rebranding itself to maintain its legitimacy. America is no exception. 

 

Our culture has shifted in the past two hundred fifty years. Political parties have completely changed directions in that time, standing for opposite things they once stood for. Laws that were made to protect our liberty from the collusion of forces that would subvert the will of the people go by different names today.  

 

This is already bigger than the billions served under McDonald's golden arches. It's time to think again about who we are, and what it is we're buying and selling.

 

Before modern times and the American Revolution, people generally accepted the idea that royal families had a divine right to direct affairs of state with the authority of the church behind them. Separation of church and state was an idea for protecting us from the tyranny of religious fundamentalism. 

 

In the course of a handful of short lifetimes, separation of church and state has gradually come to legitimize the notion that the Almighty Dollar has a place in politics that the Creator does not. Having secured legal rights that have been denied to the land forms and trees who are the oldest living beings on the planet, corporations control our political system with a doctrine of economic fundamentalism.

The tradition of American ingenuity is one that has given the world hope in the power to achieve great things from small beginnings, and make a little go a long way. Given the ways we have tried and failed so far, there is no stopping us from trying again. 

It is possible to withdraw our support for a government ruled by the tyranny of petty personalities who revel in power for its own sake, and pay lip service to the protection of religious freedom at the expense of God in Nature.

The self-correcting nature of a selfless act works on a deep level to infuse every action of the individual with trademark elements that build greater brand awareness for the entire human family. Each of us becomes a franchisee of the human spirit. If you want to do the right thing, this is how you deliver. 

 

Notice how right actions follow our imperfect efforts to do the best you can for others without seeking permission from an external authority. Meditate and access wisdom that exists independently from false necessity for quick fix solutions. 

 

Recognize there is no separation between the spiritual heartbeat of our family, and the actions of each one of its members. The strengths of our family members are the foundation for transforming our family Learning Stories, and moving from hopeless circumstances to hopeful action for the future. 

 

Respond by developing the capacity to serve others and overcome the objections and effect of past causes by conducting market research. Ask questions to understand what people are struggling with. Make adjustments to address the real life concerns of the people you serve. 

 

There is a sense in which the American secret sauce never belonged to America. Our guarantee of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is based on results borrowed from the rest of the world in the first place. The secret to success belongs to anyone with the heart to continue practicing the principles of self governance in an unfinished dream.  

 

The more consistent we are in our self-devised efforts to serve others without anyone telling us what to do, the more we test what works through trial and error, the more trials and possibly more errors, the more we develop our capacity to help in the struggles of our families and communities. 

 

God is in Nature. People are not disposable. And everybody needs help sometimes. 

 

The ratio between what limits us and what is possible changes with our willingness to give in relation to what we are willing to receive. If people are not buying what you are selling, repackage your offer. Give away secret sauce with every order. It doesn’t belong to you. 

 

    

* GODSPEED stands for “Gather Only Data in Sync with the Purpose of Every Excellent Deed.”