Innovation Nation

At a time when innovation in this country is at an all-time low, I can't help but stop and wonder why that is. What happened in the past 100 years or so that has caused America to fall behind? More importantly, what can we do about it?

For my entire adult life, I have been surrounded by discontent and dissent. The first year I was able to vote, George W. Bush was elected to a second term in office. That election alone created a deep rift between the people of this country. It was virtually a requirement that you chose a side and fought bitterly for it. Then, during the course of his second term in office, Bush's approval rating fell so low that people on both sides were fed up with him.

I see a similar situation unfolding with President Obama. Everyone is so hyper-critical of every single move he makes, every word he speaks, that it is impossible for him to do anything right in their eyes. Some people are so adamantly opposed to anything he suggests that they disregard his proposals outright, without giving any consideration to the positive aspects of it or even offering an alternative.

On Facebook, on Twitter, and on virtually every other platform for expressing one's opinion, everyone seems to be complaining. They complain about health care. They complain about taxes. They complain about government spending. There is always something new for them to complain about.

But not one of these people offers any alternative. Not one of them looks for a solution to the problems facing our country. Everyone expects someone else to take care of it.

As a nation, we've become so pessimistic that we are becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Many of us don't see a bright future ahead, because we are so focused on the problems at hand. We can complain all day long until we are blue in the face, but when it comes down to it, we fail to take any action.

This brings me to the heart of the issue. We are lazy.

LAZY!

We expect everyone else to take care of our problems. In our minds, there is always someone else who will figure out how to fix what's broken, and frankly, most of the "innovations" of the last several decades have only served to perpetuate and encourage our laziness.

We don't have to walk anywhere - we can ride a Segway (or drive a car, take a taxi, ride a train, fly in a plane...). We don't have to exercise to lose weight - we can take some pills or follow a fad diet or just have plastic surgery. We never have to leave our homes at all, thanks to online shopping and delivery services, not to mention online degree programs.

So, where does that leave us? The bottom line is, if we want to see America as a leader again, it's not going to happen through brute force and it's definitely not going to happen by itself. We need to make it happen! The future belongs to all of us, so why not invest in it? The next time you have something to complain about, why not try to think of some way to fix it?

If you want to fix America's innovation crisis, you're going to have to get up off your ass first.