Modern American is an ancestor of the frontiersman

Modern American is an ancestor of the frontiersman. People never really escape from their origins.

So, to understand an American you should focus for a moment not on the modern American, but on his ancestor, the 17th century settler who, having survived the grim Atlantic crossing, found himself with his back to the sea facing a vast and hostile wilderness that had to be tamed and conquered if he was to survive. conquer it he and his descendants did, in a struggle so epic that its memory lingers on in countless Western movies. Many of the basic attitudes and characteristics formed in that struggle persist in Americans today.

You may find some admirable, and others less so. The point is, they are. Everywhere he looked, that early American was surrounded by problems. To this day, by tradition, by training almost by instinct Americans are problem solvers and solution seekers. In some parts of the world, uncomfortable or unpleasant circumstances are endured because they have always been there and people see no alternative.

To an American, a problem is not something to be accepted it is something to be attacked. Adaptability, ingenuity, raw physical energy these made up the frontiersman s survival kit. To these qualities his descendants have added enormous confidence in their technology and a kind of invincible optimism. No matter what the obstacles, whether they set out to conquer polio or land a man on the moon, Americans are convinced that initiative, intelligent planning, and hard work will bring about the desired condition sooner or later.

A problem-solver is an achiever, and you will notice that once how greatly Americans respect and value achievement they have even invented a whole industry called public relations to make sure that achievement doesn t go unrecognized. They are happiest when accomplishment can be measured specifically. A businessman wants his charts and graphs kept rigorously up-to-date. A book tends to be judged by the numbers of copies it sells.

In sports, American s obsession with statistics often amazes non-Americans. No fuzzy theory here no guesswork. The American wants to know exactly who is achieving what and if he can t measure it he s inclined to wonder if it s any good. To be an achiever, one must be a do-er, and it will soon be apparent to youthat Americans are much better at doing that at merely being. In fact, you ll notice that if they re deprived of doing for very long, they become miserable. Some Americans grumble about their jobs, but the truth is most of them think they should work hard and most of them like to work. It is this national characteristic more than natural resources or any other factor that has made the USA so productive.

In modern American life, the non-worker is regarded with a certain scorn based, perhaps, on the conviction that in pioneer days he would not have survived. These attitudes have produced a highly kinetic society, full of movement and constant change.

If you re accustomed to a more leisurely pace, you may find the American tempo exhausting. Or you may find it exhilarating. Most Americans enjoy it it s a high compliment when they say of a person, He has a lot of drive, or He knows how to get things done. Almost invariably, the 1st question an American asks about a newcomer or stranger is, What does he do He s interested primarily in the person s main achievement, his work or his impact on his environment, not his personal philosophy or inner world.

Restless and rootless, the frontiersman had no time to be philosopher or a theoretician, and his descendants still take a pragmatic and straightforward view of the world. you may feel that Americans are much more concerned with material than with spiritual things. You re probable right. Religion is woven into the fabric of American life but most people have little taste for metaphysics. Man is seen not so much as a passive part of the schemes of things, but as a re-arranger of that scheme.

When the pioneer needed a waterwheel for a grist-mill, he built one, and his great-grandchildren still have a unique genius for inventing machines that can dominate or subdue their environment. Americans think nothing of moving mountains, if the mountains are in their way. They simply combine their own optimism and energy with unlimited mechanical horsepower and push. Until recently, it s true, Americans have been prodigal with natural resources, because they seemed to be limitless, and careless about ecology, because the traditional American way was simple to move on when an area had been exploited.

Now they are beginning to realize that it s better to cooperate with nature than try to overwhelm it. A European or Asian could have told the Americans this long ago, but he would not have listened. He learns more quickly from his own mistakes than from the accumulated wisdom of the past. Regardless of where you come from, it will seem to you that the American is usually in a hurry.

Because of this, he is extremely time-conscious. He has a strict sense of punctuality and hates to waste time by being late or having others late for appointments. If you ask an Englishman or a Frenchman how far it is from London to Paris, you ll get an answer in miles or kilometers. Ask an American and he ll probably tell you in hours with his calculation based on the fastest available mode of transport. Partly because of this time-obsessions, Americans are impatient with ceremony, which is time-consuming, and with protocol, which they view with suspicion as a dubious relic of monarchist days when they were rigid social distinctions between people.

Americans are taught from the cradle that all men created equal, a phrase enshrined in their Declaration of Independence. They don t really believe that this is true in terms of ability, but they accept it politically. One man, one vote, with the will of the majority prevailing and the rights of minorities safeguarded.

This is the American s political ideal, and it puzzles him greatly when it is not accepted or admired abroad. In everyday live, in a kind of a tacit acknowledgement of this official egalitarianism, Americans tend to be informal, in most parts of the country breezily so. Visitors from abroad are often astonished to hear secretaries in American offices call their employers by their first names. The American is also gregarious he likes to join clubs or other organizations where the backgrounds and thought-patterns of other members do not differ too much from his own. He is likely to have friendships compartmentalized those he sees only at social gatherings.

He enjoys the companionship of such friends, but doesn t offer or expect to receive deep intimacy or total commitment. The rapid pace and enormous mobility of American society make lifelong friendship difficult, although in small towns and settled communities they do exist. Some visitors to the USA say that the thing they miss most of all is the emotional support that comes from close, sharing friendships.

When a Spaniard or Greek or Brazilian has some acute personal problem, he turns to his best friend. An American is more likely to turn to psychologist, or a marriage counselor. Americans have great faith in the expert, a reflection of their conviction that specialized training and knowledge make problem-solving quicker and produce better solutions. Most old societies are firmly rooted in tradition.

You will find that, while they often have a sentimental attachment to the past, Americans are not true traditionalists. To the forward-looking American, established ways are not necessarily best. Unless your visit takes you to older parts of the country New England or the Deep South you ll probable find that people regard adaptability as more important than conformity with ancestral ways and customs. In many countries, persons tend to think of themselves primarily as a member of a group, or community, or sect, or a clan. The American sees himself as an individual, and this individualism makes him wary of authority in any form. He will accept military discipline in wartime, but only reluctantly.

He believes in maintaining law and order, but he also believes that he is the best judge of what is good for him. In recent years he has been forced to the conclusion that only centralized government can deal with certain massive social problems. But his basic concept of government remains unshaken that the State exists to serve him, not the other way round 4.