When Dumbledore spoke to Harry, uttering the words penned by JK Rowling, “These are difficult times. The challenge will be to decide between what is right and what is easy,” they could have not been any better suited for an American audience.

In the United States the concept of balance, the feng shui of life, has been displaced with a far-flung indulgence and mediocrity that has so misshapen our current state of affairs, that it leaves a gruesome mutation that borders on inanity, insanity—or both.

In feng shui, there there is a continuous interplay between opposing forces; opposing forces, that in and of themselves, are comprised of elements of each other. Balance is achievable and balance is pursued through an ongoing interaction. Through balance comes good fortune and health; conversely, life out of balance breeds destruction and death.

At the core of balance is the engagement of thoughtful and corrective action: the give and take, amongst the inevitability of change.

For some time now, the United States has allowed the continuous interplay of opposing forces for the good of the people and the country, to morph out of control. So extreme is the vitriol, avarice, gluttony and wrongheaded focus, the American situation resembles a boomerang, soaring toward a black hole rather than returning to its thrower—corrective action is needed if we are to continue the path the founding fathers set for us.

This is the same path many have worked and died for, all to uphold the potential and evolution of values enshrined in key American documents, like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

For 200 years, America made amazing inroads, growing its economy, enfranchising larger numbers of people, creating opportunity and fostering creativity. The United States amassed great wealth and it was looked upon as a model for how people of different backgrounds, with different ideas, come together to solve problems and steer a course for a better tomorrow, in a generally non-violent and democratic manner.

 Today, a different picture exists.

The wealthiest nation in the world is far from a shining example for its own people or the people around the world. Yes, blowhards proclaim our preeminence but if one looks behind the curtain, the real America has too wide of a stance.

When it comes to infrastructure, the United States simply doesn’t match up. On an international scale, the U.S. receives a ‘D’ grade from its own independent, professional assessors. Everywhere from aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, inland waterways, levees, public parks and recreation, rail, roads, schools, solid waste, transit to wastewater. The largest economy in the world ranks 24th in infrastructure where barely two percent of it’s gross domestic product (GDP), is spent annually on maintenance and improvements.

Our roads are on par with Malaysia and the overall infrastructure of the U.S. has been characterized as on par with Barbados. According to the congressional budget office, the U.S. would have to spend $80 billion more a year into the foreseeable future to reverse the trend of decline and crumbling infrastructure. Do you cross your fingers when you drive across a bridge or fly on an airplane?When it comes to infrastructure, the United States simply doesn’t match up. On an international scale, the U.S. receives a ‘D’ grade from its own independent, professional assessors. Everywhere from aviation, bridges, dams, drinking water, energy, hazardous waste, inland waterways, levees, public parks and recreation, rail, roads, schools, solid waste, transit to wastewater. The largest economy in the world ranks 24th in infrastructure where barely two percent of it’s gross domestic product (GDP), is spent annually on maintenance and improvements.

Should you?

Internationally, the United States is one step from bankruptcy; we are the single largest debtor nation in the world.

The U.S. currently owes foreign investors and its own institutions, all of whom have purchased American debt, $15 trillion, roughly $48,000 per person—the U.S. owes nearly as much as it produces in goods and services in a year. The interest payments in 2011 were over $211 billion alone.

An individual or a business seeking a loan with this liability sheet would not even be considered, yet, the U.S. continues to lobby and believe others will support it’s insatiable desire for more credit. How much longer can America get away with it? And what happens when it cannot?

A Harvard Report found that: “Children in Latvia, Chile and Brazil are making gains in academics three times faster than American student,s while those in Portugal, Hong Kong, Germany, Poland, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Colombia and Lithuania, are improving at twice the rate.”