Do you ever wonder what happened to the spirit of America? I do.

I’m not going to rehash what we already know about the disaster of 2005. Yes, I’m talking about the Katrina disaster and the mess that followed – the same mess that we’re still dealing with even now and probably will continue to hear about for years to come. I only bring up Katrina so I can use it as an example of what the American spirit has become. I don’t want to get into the semantics of Katrina here other than to say that it served as a stunning insight as to how helpless Americans have become and how much we rely on the government to hold our hand every single time there is a rough spot in our lives. And that is all I am going to say about that.

Now back up to 1951. In July of that year, Kansas was hit by a devastating flood. Heavy rains caused the Kansas, Neosho, and Marais Des Cygnes rivers to swell and crest 11 to nearly 15 feet above flood levels. By July 13, 1,074,000 acres were underwater in Kansas and 926,000 acres were flooded in Missouri. 24,000 people were evacuated from Topeka and 15,000 were evacuated from Kansas city. The resulting damage to the area totaled nearly $7 billion in adjusted dollars and resulted in 28 deaths.

While this may seem insignificant next to the 2005 Katrina damage, it is important to look at this in perspective. In 1951, there was no FEMA or MARC. There was no large-scale government response to the disaster. Instead, the response and rebuilding of the area was handled by the residents and the businesses. In fact, one group of construction companies and trade unions formed a non-profit organization named Disaster Corps, Inc and donated 16,000 man hours and 375 pieces of equipment towards the rebuilding and cleanup effort.

The people set to work rebuilding their area and economy with great determination. There was a sense of solidarity and people were still willing to help out their neighbor. After the flood waters fell, the first thing out of people’s mouths was “what can I do to help” as opposed to the 2005 response of “who’s going to help me.” The spirit of the 1951 response was the inspiration for Norman Rockwell’s painting above, which he aptly titled ‘The Kansas City Spirit.’ The man who is rolling up his sleeves and getting to work is not a mayor or governor or FEMA worker. He is a citizen of Kansas who is getting ready to work for his city and his neighbor.

That is the American spirit that I speak of and that I lament the loss of. While there are still pockets of this spirit around, the overwhelming attitude has diminished greatly. While some people offer to help their neighbor when disaster strikes, more people stick their hand out and demand help (or money), or worse yet they loot their neighbor. What has happened to the American spirit that drove common people to greatness back 50 years ago? I can’t believe that the American people have turned in their work ethic and determination in lieu of entitlement, but that certailny seems to be the case these days. Every time there is a hiccup from the norm, the masses turn to the government and expect a bailout. Before ever turning to helping themselves and their neighbors, they assume the fetal position and wait for the coddling hands of government to come and and fix everything… And when that help doesn’t fit the preconceived notion of what they expected, they complain that the government doesn’t care about them or doesn’t do enough for them.

While I understand that people need some assistance getting back on their feet in the wake of a massive disaster, but where how far should that assistance go? I am a firm believer in community and helping your neighbor, and as such I cannot condone the current mentality that hard work and community should take a back seat to government assistance. Simply sitting back and doing nothing while you complain that the government isn’t working fast or hard enough to fix your situation is not the American way. It is not the American spirit.