In our nation, we are proud to say that nobody has any right to tell us what to do. No foreign power is superior to us; no outside body dares criticize us. We will take under advisement comments from our allies, but as the world superpower we are the ones who will advise others, not the other way around.

This is also true in our personal lives. One of our chief values is self-reliance, the ability to take care of ourselves rather than asking for help. No matter what mistakes we may make, no matter how chaotic our lives may be, no matter how tense we are, "nobody tells us how to live."

Not even God.

Sometimes, it seems we would rather be wretched, stressed out, self-centered, even mean, than turn over our lives, our political decisions, our spending habits, our recreational activities, o…