Questions, questions, questions.
Do I have an answer to all our questions
and problems? Nada!
The equation which describes the
answers we are all looking for is way too complicated for one person. But I
continue to point—point toward the questions and help us think about what
solutions might look like. And encourage
us to work on this calculus with love and compassion for all.
Our great American colonial
patriot Thomas Paine wrote in his pamphlet The American Crisis.
These are the times that try men’s
souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine
patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he
that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily
conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict,
the more glorious the triumph.
What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too
lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how
to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so
celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.
Freedom yes. We all cry out for
our freedoms—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Then we fuss over
whether Your freedoms infringe upon My freedoms and how do we
reconcile these infringements.
It is our SHARED values which
hold us together—yes, even the values of universal man and woman. They are the
values for which we fight and the values about which we hold common agreement which we hold in common with our nation, church and community; dignity,
thoughtfulness, fairness, commitment, diversity, teamwork, harmony,
flexibility, patriotism, leadership, and cooperation. But of course, the devil
is in the details. One person’s fairness is another’s injustice; one’s
patriotism is another’s betrayal.
To say that America is a country
divided is a enormous understatement. Even where our values agree there is
little common agreement on what those values mean to us. I think we have
carried our libertarian interpretation too far and allowed our frontier
heritage to overpower our clear thinking.
We seem to have abandoned the
rule in favor of shouting fire in a crowded theater when no fire is burning. We
seem to first claim our right to free and unfettered individual expression guaranteed
by Jefferson as the sole purpose of life. The pursuit of happiness is no longer
seen as our gold standard, to be practiced by society because we have the license
to do and say what we want, where we want, when we want, and to whom we want.
And if we offend or disagree—we will just agree to disagree—even where facts
prove otherwise.
We are eroding our own world by
failing to recognize and agree upon basic principles and values—human
values. If the United States of America
is to survive as a nation we must show a willingness to overcome our selfish desires
to place our wants and desires ahead of the wants and desires of all other
people. We need to engage each other where we disagree to rediscover the real
meaning of these basic human rights, which are the basis of our common life
together.,
Our values are the common
principles that constitute our moral union as a people, as a nation, and as a
world. If these things which we hold to
be self evident are to be so for us, why not for ALL?
