Heartland values can traced directly to their agricultural roots. By sheer geography and climate, this area of the country we define as the “new Heartland” was designed to feed the country. From oranges, cotton and wheat to beef, milk and corn, the food and fuel that comes from the Heartland is crucial to our health, economy and way of life.
Pre-cotton gin, combine and herbicides, the crops were tended by hand. For a family to survive, much less thrive, they had to work the land, eat what they needed and sell or barter the rest. The work was brutal, dependant on the weather and the hope that insects or disease didn’t ruin the crop.
Today we talk about living pay check to pay check but our ancestors lived crop to crop. Out of pure necessity Heartland families learned the value of working hard everyday if they wanted to sustain their livelihood. There were no bail outs or subsidies, just hope that their hard work was enough.
It’s hard to image the adversity even today’s farmers face and how this way of life has been diluted. We’ve lost the edge that formed the resolve of our country. We’ve become soft, obese and lazy. Ironically, we still identify with the toils of our ancestors, especially in the Heartland where farming communities remain as a pillar of our economy.
Hard work today doesn’t come near the backbreaking work of the generations of farming families among us, but the value of working hard is not lost in the Heartland. The opportunities to choose a career as a farmer have been greatly reduced, but the expectations of working hard to better your way of life remain.
While many Americans know the value of working hard to obtain their objectives, many among us never get their hands dirty.
We live in a world of instant gratification driven by the massive technological advancements in the last 15 years. I sound like my parents, but they were right. The only way to return to our roots of working hard for what we want is to instill this virtue in our families. We can’t rely on government, schools or churches. It’s got to start at home.
If you teach a man to fish…