Americans’ long-held view of ourselves as the “best everything” in the world stands in the way of progress. So here’s my question: Can we internalize our true position and be motivated – rather than demoralized – by learning from nations that are doing better?

Attributing the crisis of our democracy solely to the impact of Trump can blind us to causes of disaffection that are not political but are the daily reality of millions of people.

It’s an urgent matter because America is in trouble…as you probably don’t need me to tell you.

In early January, seven out of ten Americans surveyed agreed that American democracy was “in crisis and at risk of failing”. Here is some alarming evidence that backs up the grim assessment.

Whereas in 1995, one in fifteen of us approved of “the idea of ​​having the army in power”, by 2014 the share had risen to one in six. More worryingly, in December, one in three Americans agreed that “violence against the government is sometimes justified.”

Reading these sentiments, what probably comes to mind for most of us is the violent 2021 assault on our Capitol. But rushing to that scary day requires us to jump over colossal negative changes in our culture that have been building up over decades.

Attributing the crisis of our democracy solely to the impact of Trump can blind us to causes of disaffection that are not political but are the daily reality of millions of people.

It can be painful to acknowledge the chilling truth that we are indeed exceptional, but in many ways not in a way that we can celebrate.

The United States is the 14th happiest country in the world, far behind Switzerland, Germany and the Nordic countries.

We can take comfort in being ranked at least near the top, but for America to be truly “outstanding,” shouldn’t we be ahead of the pack?

From our health and education to our safety and well-being, we have failed to live up to our self-image as “the best in the world”.

We fail to meet the needs of our fellow Americans, even from birth. Forty-five countries have achieved infant mortality rates lower than ours. We are also failing to achieve health equity, as the maternal mortality rate for black women in 2019 was two and a half times higher than for white women.

In our schools, we have failed to give our students the education they need to become the leaders of tomorrow. In a standardized test administered by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to samples of 15-year-old students around the world, the United States ranked 30th out of 79 countries in mathematics.

Our oft-renowned higher education system also fails American students.

We rank eighth out of 46 OECD countries in the percentage of adults with a bachelor’s degree, yet our government invests nearly $4,000 more per student. Add to that skyrocketing student debt to cover the inflated cost of a 4-year degree, and it’s clear we’re not getting enough bang for our buck.

How can the state of our democracy be strong when our people do not receive the care, education and security they need to be “exceptional” in their own lives?

Americans are also being deprived of the safety we all need, as violent crime has been on the rise since the pandemic. The United States has a higher homicide rate than more than 100 countries, including Myanmar and Lebanon, both of which have State Department Level 4 travel advisories warning of crime and civil unrest.

How can the state of our democracy be strong when our people do not receive the care, education and security they need to be “exceptional” in their own lives?

Our extreme economic disparities also speak volumes about our democratic deficits. Why? A fundamental premise of democracy is equal suffrage and therefore equal voice, expressed in the election of representatives to promote our “general welfare” – which is stated in the preamble to the Constitution as a primary objective of our nation. .

At first glance, it is hard to imagine that any political body in which citizens hold power would choose policies that generate the stark disparities of today. Here’s a measure of its depth: Together, 90% of Americans strive to make do with less total wealth than that in the hands of the top 1%.

What about income disparity?

Here it has become more extreme than that in more than 100 countries, the World Bank reports. Our gap between income classes is wider than, for example, in Bulgaria and Haiti.

Now the question: Once motivated by both alarm at our failure and the inspiration of nations demonstrating that positive change in our personal and political lives is possible, what can American citizens do?

Fortunately, an unprecedented surge of democratic reform movements now offers many opportunities. Americans with a range of core concerns — from health care to racial justice and income inequality — understand that the solutions require accountable democracy. So the big push for suffrage legislation that nearly passed last month is not dead.

The Democracy Initiative – a broad coalition of organizations – and our organization, Small Planet Institute, are co-sponsoring a practical tool to find your way to meaningful action. Go to www.DemocracyMovement.US and discover many ways to become a champion of democracy. Now!

As Dee Hock observed years ago, “it’s far too late and things are far too bad for pessimism.”