The Crossroads That We Find Ourselves

One of the things I continue to witness is that America is today at a crossroads and in a nutshell it is all about the individual.

That question is being explored in a range of places today. It is not s much whether the individual is the foundation of our system. Most are in agreement that it is the individual. Rather, it is more the question of what does the individual look like? What freedoms and liberties does the individual have in the United States today?

The question has already been answered in part regarding abortion. Today, where an individual lives in the US now decides that option. One’s state and local authorities decide how much say an individual has in that decision. The individual might arrive at being able to decide but such is not the default. In short, in regard to abortion, the individual has been given some say, contingent to where they live, which is far from having exclusivity.

This, however, goes beyond abortion. I would suggest that abortion facilitates something that Americans have told themselves for generations — You can can have it all. An individual, man or women, can have it all-career and family. Whether you are a man or woman, we are told, you can have both a career and a family. We continue to tell ourselves this despite our birth rates dropping, our continued higher divorce rates, despite the fact that marriage and family continue to be postponed till our mid 30s or even our 40s! And lastly, can a couple today thrive and likewise raise a family? Can one have a nice home, save for retirement, and put their children through college? Is all of that really doable?

I suggest that many are frustrated that they encounter these facts again and again, and yet are told that you can have it all. Perhaps one can achieve this and have both a family and career but at what cost? It can be done but it is a challenging and tenuous path and it is a path that each individual today must chart. A bit of ‘buyer’s remorse’ perhaps. This is one of the places where we were and are encouraged today to create our own paths and we are less sure of those paths today then we were.

The idea of creating one’s own path can especially be seen in the debates over the LGBT community, and especially being transgender. Choosing to be “trans” is the height of the individual will. Of course the question is whether such is a choice but many do perceive it as such. To declare one’s self the other sex is seen by many as an abandonment of the customs, norms, and mores of society. It is seen as a defiance of traditional faiths, the bible, etc. Many can simply not comprehend how one can attempt to refute physical reality.

And do note, this is but one description of being transgender. My point is to illustrate that this is very much being debated and sorted out today. Some believe that the transperson is attempting to will reality. Others claim that it is in fact an acknowledgement of reality. Most will at least agree that one is free to do what they want. The question is regarding who is to suffer the consequences of those choices and actions, whether this be regarding the use of restrooms, who participates in our sports and athletic events, and whether employers and businesses have any say in such matters. These are the challenges — determining how large the domain of one’s private space is. What are we willing to allow the individual to actually pursue?

That is the crossroads I point to above. You can see the same issue in the Twitter and social media debates. Can an individual tweet what is on his or her mind without worrying about being removed from the platform Can an individual purchase and carry a firearm wherever they choose? Does a state legislature have the right to overrule their voters— can they overrule my vote?

I guess no one will dispute it is the individual but the question is what are the freedoms that the individual has in our nation? And it is not as simple as pointing to the Constitution, that simply frames the issues.

And it is not like this is a new question. We have been debating this forever, but things have evolved. Our technology today does effect the equation. There was no Twitter, though there was the printing press. It is technological innovation that has largely allowed for careers choices. There were always small populations of trans people, typically shunned, and on occasion seen as a knowing sect, but through our media they are much more visible today. And again, their options have simply grown.

With all of that, I suggest we do arrive at the crossroads I point to. What does an individual look like in the world, or rather in the US today? What are the options actually open to the individual? What are the options they actually can pursue, and what are the options we want to allow them to pursue?