In a wonderful monograph entitled “Exceptional Utah,” published a year and a half ago by the Sutherland Institute, author Paul Mero makes the point, in the subtitle, that Utah is “Leading America in Faith, Family and Freedom.” Mero, the president of the public policy think tank, also shows how these Utah values positively impact the quality of life for all of the state’s citizens.
“Utah exceptionalism is not about what Utah has. It’s about what Utahns give,” writes Mero. “It’s not about what Utahns acquire. It’s about what we sacrifice (and why). Sacrifice is the basis of Utah exceptionism. And it is exceptional not only in modern America, but throughout the modern world…
“Our culture of sacrifice permeates these three pillars of life [faith, family and freedom]. It is revealed in our charitable service and giving, in our family structures and intergenerational bonds and in how we understand freedom as an ideal.”
