William J. Bennett - Strength for Your Future: Principles That Can Secure Your Success

Y OU HAVE REACHED A TIME IN LIFE when youll begin to ask yourself some important questions: What am I going to do with myself? How am I going to make a living? How will I be successful? What do I find fulfilling? How do I live a good life?

Youre not going to figure out the answers all at once. It will take a while. Some of the questions may change over time. Its a long process thats a big part of adulthood.

There are lots of places you can look for advice. Start with adults you know and trust your parents, most of all. Grandparents. Teachers. Coaches. Clergy. Members of your house of worship. They have traveled the road you are on now, and they can help you along your way.

Great books starting with the Bible are loaded with clues about how to live a successful life and how to avoid trouble. The classics you may have met in high school (like Pride and Prejudice or Macbeth) are full of insights. Theyre definitely worth second and third looks. Biographies of great lives like Abraham Lincoln and Mother Teresa will help guide you. Some of those bestselling advice books on the shelves at the library or bookstore can be useful too.

There is one source of guidance thats often overlooked your country. The United States is one of the greatest success stories in history. It didnt get that way by accident.

At the core of this nation are some ideas and principles that have made it great, principles that are worth studying and knowing for many reasons. One reason is that, just as those principles have made our country good and successful, they can help each of us live good, successful lives.

So heres a word of advice about success: study, know, and love America and its principles. The United States is an unparalleled model of achievement. Any such model is worth studying. Its worth asking, How in the world has it achieved so much? What has it done right? How can I put those same principles to work in my life?

Its easy to forget this countrys greatness. Mostly we seem to read and hear about whats gone wrong. Thats partly due to the nature of the news media, which often focuses on the negative. Bad news sells. Its partly due to the fact that we Americans are a self-critiquing people. Were problem solvers, always driving to make things better. We draw attention to our nations problems so we can fix them.

Theres another reason its easy to overlook Americas greatness. Unfortunately these days, some people take the view that America is a severely flawed place. They see its history mainly as a long series of injustices: stealing land from Native Americans, fouling the environment, enslaving Africans, withholding rights from women, exploiting laborers, discriminating against people of color, and waging imperialist wars against the third world. Being proud of America and praising it as an incredible place is viewed as unsophisticated.

Shortchanging the American record is a shame because, first of all, its simply wrong. Yes, the United States like any other nation has committed some grave wrongs and has some dark chapters in its past. Those chapters should of course be studied and their lessons learned. But a country, like a person, should be judged by the totality of its acts. In any honest assessment, Americas record stands tall tall enough to be called great.

Its also a shame because in focusing so much on the negative, a lot of people are casting away some real pearls of wisdom. Theyre losing sight of some great lessons and principles for building successful lives.

This book examines some principles on which America was founded, principles that conservatives admire and hold dear. (More about what the word conservative means a bit later.) These principles have made America great, and they can give you a running start in your own life.

Of course, a short book like this cant cover this topic completely. But we hope it will inspire your own study of America and the principles behind its achievement. Armed with that knowledge, youll have some good tools to make your own unique contribution.

The American founders recognized the link between the life of this country and the kind of lives its citizens lead. A nation governed by the people depends on the wisdom, values, and choices of its citizens. As James Madison observed, democracy depends on virtues like industriousness, self-reliance, and respect. Republican government presupposes the existence of these qualities

The success of this country depends on people like you. And in many ways, your success depends on the strength and greatness of this country. Your chances are all the better if you know what has made this country great and good. Its principles can help you make your way in the world of academics, work, family, and citizenship. They can help you take advantage of your liberty to build a life that is good and dedicated to high purpose.

F ROM ITS BEGINNING, the United States has been one of the most amazing countries in history. If you step back and look at the broad picture, you see just how remarkable the American record is.

• The United States was the first nation in history created out of the belief that people should govern themselves. The US Constitution is the oldest written constitution in operation. It has been a model for country after country as democracy has spread around the world.
• The US military is the greatest defender of freedom in the world. From the Revolutionary War to World War II to the fight against terrorism, American soldiers have stood for freedom. They have brought more liberty to more people than any other military force in history.
• No other country has done a better job of establishing equal rights for all citizens. Certainly there have been times when the United States has fallen short of its founding principles. But especially in recent decades, no country has worked harder to eliminate discrimination and protect the rights of minorities. Simply put, this is one of the best countries in the world if not