We have become very negative in our view of life. Instead of celebrating life, we fault it. The author recommends stopping and smelling the roses.

There’s a serious disease going around these days. No, it’s not a physical disease. It’s a disease of the attitude.

People today decide what they have is no good if it falls short of perfection. It does not matter what the possession is. It may be a car that no longer runs as it did when it was new. Why, it’s time to trade! No matter that they could spend only a fraction of the cost of a new car on service for the car and bring it back to acceptable levels. They’re ready to toss out the old and bring on the new.

Sadly, the attitude is also applied to their opinion of their homeland. If it falls short of perfection, then it is to be criticized, mocked, and ridiculed. Why do people expect their homeland to be perfect? Are the people who live there perfect? Probably not, since they are human beings, and we all know that human beings are nothing if not imperfect. Therefore, how can the country be perfect?

A country is made up of the people who live there. Yes, it is popular to relate the country to its leaders, but if it were not for the people who lived there, who would the leaders lead?

I say it’s time to start looking for what is right with what we have, whether it be our old Tin Lizzy (That’s a Model T Ford for those of you who haven’t read up on the history of automobiles) or our homeland. There are many good qualities, many of which are to be found among our imperfect citizens. Here are a few admirable Americans, but you create a list of admirable citizens of your own homeland. Every country has admirable citizens, you know.

• Henry Ford invented the assembly line for producing the Tin Lizzy and, in so doing, made automobiles available and affordable for the common man.
• Jonas Salk invented the polio vaccine. Today, polio has been eradicated from nearly every country in the world.
• Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, which has done more than probably any other invention to bring the citizens of the world closer together.
• Dr. Michael DeBakey invented the artificial heart valve, which has saved many lives, from the blue baby to the old geezer who smoked too many cigarettes.
• Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. You’ve surely heard the old joke, “If it weren’t for Edison, we’d all have to watch TV in the dark.”

Yes, a joke. Let’s lighten up. It has been said that we will find whatever it is that we are looking for. If we look for everything that’s wrong with our homeland, we will find it. But if we look for everything that’s right with it, we will find that, too. And there is so very much that’s right with it.

Now, let's look closer home. After all, everyday people are national treasures, too. Consider these:

• The woman down the street who somehow knows when a neighbor is having trouble, be it illness or a death in the family, and springs into action, ready to help
• Those who volunteer for worthwhile causes, such as the food kitchen or homeless shelter
• The person who notices money floating from another person's pocket and runs to return it
• Those who teach our young and care for our ill and aged

How many national treasures live in your hometown?