Fr. Frank Majka, SJ – The Bridge

A New American Story

The American story has often been told as one of progress: Pilgrims come to a New World seeking freedom and, over the course of decades, America grows to be the strongest and richest nation in the world. Other nations regard it with jealousy and envy for its spiritual and material achievements. It’s a story of achievement, with a large dose of triumphalism added in.

Today, a different narrative is gaining ground, in which America, over-reaching itself and letting its unchecked materialism and arrogance run rampant, starts an inevitable downward slide. The narrative is no longer one of progress but of decline as America moves to second place (or lower) among nations, surrendering its claims to moral, economic, and political leadership in the world.

But there’s another story, which I find more realistic than either of the two above. In this story, America embraces the realization that, when it comes to matters moral, material, or economic, it isn’t the best or the worst of nations and has as much to learn from others as it has to contribute to them. It is a story of a nation learning to be wise, acknowledging not only its potential but also its limits.

In my opinion, this last story fits a complex world where no person or nation has a corner on truth, goodness, or economic savvy. When you come right down to it, it’s more in touch with the way things really are.