Why are some countries great? What does it take?

“I will make our country great again.” What does that mean? The statement says the United States was once great, but is no longer great. When was the United States great? Why are we no longer great? What makes a country (or a person) great? We often hear the phrase, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” In reality, greatness could also be in that category. If I were to ask 1,000 people the meaning of national greatness, I would likely get 1,000 different answers. With this in mind, I will consider the meaning of national greatness. What I present will not be accepted by all, I am sure of that!

Over history, greatness in a nation was always measured by power. Rome was great, because it conquered and controlled the entire Mediterranean Sea surroundings as well as most of what we now know as West Europe. Later, Spain was great because its navy controlled the oceans, giving it power over new lands as the Europeans discovered them. Then England defeated the Spanish navy and became the greatest empire yet known, with control over vast holdings around the world. The problem with this power-greatness is that it is not permanent. Throughout history, the holder of power 1) became over extended, with increased difficulty with control, and 2) a rebellion arose within or outside their empire. England’s empire began to collapse when an upstart colony became upset with the king and rebelled. A different definition of greatness was presented by Christ (Luke 12:16-21, Matthew 20:25-27, Mark 10:42-44). He said that power does not endure, and true greatness in only achieved through service.

Yes, England’s upstart colony did engage in conquer and enlargement, but the largest land acquisitions were purchased through negotiations with countries which could not adequately defend their holdings. I am not forgetting, however, that we did acquire land in the southwest through conflict with Mexico, although it is a bit difficult to distinguish how much of this conflict was aggression and how much was defense of current land holdings. Certainly, it was Spain that originally laid claim to most of the landscape, but both Mexico and the United States wanted the area. Yes, we did acquire additional land through conflict, but the acquisitions were not because of aggression – most were through successful defense against aggression.  This is a major simplification of national formation, but I am primarily concerned with why the United States became great.

Once the United States was consolidated, unprecedented action was initiated in dealing with all further gains due to conflicts, which did happen. The acquired civilizations were allowed to decide their own future, and they were supported in that decision. In many cases this included preparation for independence. Cuba and The Philippines were given independence. Hawaii was given statehood per their request. Puerto Rico and Guam both remain as protectorates, but have the freedom to request independence or statehood if desired. These are a few examples of the support approach which made the United States great.

The problem is that within our country greed and selfishness has snuck back into existence. While the attitude of servitude does still exist, to many of our representatives and senators do not see themselves as servants to those put them in place. Instead, they see their position as an opportunity to advance themselves - to gain both position and wealth. And this has been true right up to POTUS level.

With these things in mind, has there been a peak of greatness which we have passed and need to recover? Not everyone will agree, but I would place that goal as the United State between about 1940 and 1970 – during and after World War II. No, it was not a good time for many, but it was for the country. We had helped Europe to defeat Germany in World War I, and had little interest in getting involved again. This attitude was changed, however, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The country came together as one in support of our soldiers. We denied ourselves many things to make sure our soldiers had what they needed. Young women headed for the industrial plants to replace their husbands and brothers who had been called into service. Yes, there racial problems were still there “under the table,” but all worked together for the benefit of all. The result was winning a war fought on two fronts, defeating the aggression of both Germany and Japan.

When World War II ended, the United Stated did something unprecedented in the history of mankind. We helped both Germany and Japan to get back onto their feet, and soon both became economic powers. And our benevolence did not stop there. We helped people around the world – mostly those who have been listed as being in “third world” countries. Within a decade problems began to reemerge in Southeast Asia and we answered the plea for help when the newly formed United Nations declared war against North Korea in support of South Korea.

It began to fall apart in the 1970s, though, as war emerged in Viet Nam. In retrospect, entering this war may have been a mistake, but at the time it was thought to be necessary.  The most important thing, however, was that the country was not unified behind our decision, and our soldiers were reviled by many, rather than being given support. The division initiated has turned out to be a crack in our national unity which has greatly expanded during intervening years, until it is now a chasm that may never be possible to heal. Those who desire power and wealth for themselves have jumped in for their own benefit, and have contributed to the turmoil. With the help of Martin Luther King, one serious racial division was addressed and healing was initiated. However, the healing was soon reversed by our national turmoil, and persons with self-interest have initiated more and more divisions to keep us occupied. Power-brokers have stepped in behind the scene to support unrest, with the lofty objective of “World Unification” – with them in control, of course.

Those who believe that World Unity will solve all problems are certainly not in favor of reversing our movement toward this end, but in reality it will not and cannot succeed in anything other than providing wealth and power for a few. Europe has been giving this a trial and their effort is currently slowly disintegrating – but there is a group of people who have benefited. There is no reason to believe a world effort would be any more successful, but there is certainly a group of people who will benefit.

President Trump’s objective seems to be to provide an economic environment conducive to healing of the many divisions which have arisen. Return to the environment of the 1940s, 50s, and 60s would not make us great again. In fact, no return to past period attitudes would make us great again. The whole world had changed and continues to change. The only thing that will make us great again would be the healing of our many divisions, and a regaining of the attitude that we all benefit by working together with the realization that everyone’s beliefs will never be unified, but everyone has the right to their beliefs. Along with this, we must regain the attitude that helping others also benefits the helper.