Freedom is not free.
This statement has become timeworn, perhaps even trite. But its use, perhaps overuse, hasn’t diminished the fact that it is still fundamentally true.
In what was then colonial America, a group of restless idealists decided that after decades of mistreatment by Britain, enough was enough. After countless hours of fractious, even combative debate, they published their intent to break from the Crown and form a new country.
This was an incredibly bold and courageous move against what was then the most powerful empire on Earth. They were, in fact, committing treason, the punishment for which was death. Also at risk were their families, homes, and everything they had earned and built. The risk was enormous, but they did not hesitate.
The war resulting from that Declaration of Independence was long, brutal, and costly. The army suffered bitter cold, hunger, and sickness. Desertions were common. The war was almost lost on several occasions but for the dynamic presence of a Virginia planter, George Washington. His inestimable leadership, strength, and tactical brilliance kept the army together and allowed him to execute a series of bold, brilliant attacks that eventually drove the British out of America.
Even after such an improbable victory, the internal struggles continued. What kind of government would it be? A republic with a strong central government and subordinate states? Or a confederacy characterized by a weak central authority and autonomous states? Some of these questions were addressed in the Constitution, which required 13 more years of arguing. Other questions would take a costly Civil War to find the answers.
What is most wonderful about this entity we call the United States of America is that we have not yet reached our final form. It has been a continual experiment in freedom and liberty, constrained by responsibility and accountability. This is why the Constitution was never intended to be a final product and would be amended repeatedly. Many ideas have been tried and accepted. Many others have been considered and cast aside. We have made mistakes, yes. But we have not, nor will we ever stop trying to get it right. Today, we are still asking tough questions and seeking difficult answers. Debates go on with the same passion as they did in that hot, humid summer of 1776. We are still a young country compared to the history of this world, and we will always seek a better way, a better life. We continue to challenge expectations, even accepted assumptions. We remain convinced that no matter how magnificent our achievements are, we can always do better.
As a tour guide aboard the USS Missouri Memorial, I talk to people from all over the world. They have told me that what sets Americans apart is our absolute refusal to accept average. As a culture, as a people, we are driven by excellence, and not just the hope but the expectation that we will not only succeed but even exceed the goal. We compete to be the best. We hate losing. Even coming in second causes us to grumble and grind our teeth. It has been that unrelenting drive for excellence that has resulted in our supremacy in so many fields: science, technology, engineering, math, bioscience, medicine, and the arts. We won the race to the moon, to Mars, and the rest of the planets. Today, Voyager I, Voyager II, and Pioneer X, three technological ambassadors built and launched by America, have left our solar system and started their journey into the galaxy. There, they will travel for millennia, carrying a message from humanity to intelligence far beyond that we were here and that our restless, questing intelligence led us to the stars.
It takes courage to challenge the unknown. But America has never lacked that courage. Our willingness as a country to accept that challenge does not come from government mandate. It comes from us, from how our nation was formed: Of the people, By the people, and for the people. President John Kennedy once said, “For in a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, 'holds office.' Every one of us is in a position of responsibility.” We who are here today and those who will follow us will be the ones who determine if we will continue to reach beyond the stars or look only downward and dig our own graves. We are a restless people. Let us always be restless. Our unwillingness to accept the present as permanent will always propel us upwards. In that soaring journey, none of us can afford to sit quietly on the sidelines.
We had a granddaughter named Zoe, who was born with a serious birth defect, missing a part of her fifth chromosome. Now, there are 46 chromosomes in each human cell. Cells are microscopic. Chromosomes even tinier. One might think that missing such an infinitesimally small thing might not be that big of a deal. But in fact, it left her severely disabled. We lost her at the tender age of five months.
Each of us is only one of over 330 million people. Like a chromosome within a cell, that may seem small and inconsequential. But in a representative republic governed by the will of her people, there are no small parts, no insignificant people.
Nora Jones sang a song, “American Anthem,” in which were these words:
There’s no magic wand, no Jedi hand wave that can make that happen. It is too easy to look in the mirror and decide we have nothing to contribute. However, each individual American is a collection of unique gifts, talents, and abilities that can spring to life in the fire of passion and possibility. The individual must open the door and choose to turn those gifts loose upon the world.
However, for this nation to live, we must decide to live together. We have differences, yes. However, each individual has walked a separate path, a unique journey that has shaped their life and their feelings. We don’t have to agree on everything. But we must respect each other’s journey. Instead, let us look at things we have in common that can unite rather than divide us. Remember those remarkable days after 9/11 when we as a nation stood together, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder. And remember that an America thus united cannot be defeated.
There is no better example of this than the passengers and crew of Flight 93 on that terrible day. If you had been in the airport that morning and encountered one of them and asked later for a description, you might have used the word “ordinary.” As events unfolded, we know now that they were anything but ordinary. In the face of grave danger, they decided together, stood together, and acted…together.
John Wayne once said, “All battles are fought by scared men who’d rather be someplace else.” The actions of those people on that day were called valorous, brave, and heroic. Undoubtedly, they felt fear. But that did not stop them. The biggest difference, after all, between the courageous and the cowardly is how one reacts to that fear. Fear can be allowed to collapse into mindless, paralyzing panic. But at that moment, we must realize that something needs to be done; step up and act. That defines courage, the willingness to push fear aside and do what must be done. Once again, President Kennedy: “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it.”
We live in perilous times in a dangerous world. Once distant and indistinct, the drumbeats of
war are now beating loudly. We hear them
from the West, from China and North Korea.
We hear them from the East, from Russia and Iran, and in seemingly every
direction from terrorist groups all over the world. It is a time when our greatest courage and
strength is needed. But it is also a
time when we face serious divisions from within. After 9/11, we recognized and embraced that
we were Americans first, last, and foremost.
We found that unity at a moment when we truly needed it. And we can find it again. It was an impassioned Patrick Henry who
proclaimed, “United we stand, divided we fall! Let us not split into factions which must
destroy that union upon which our existence hangs."
The future of The United States of America ultimately depends on what we choose to do today, how we choose to act, and if we choose to stand together. This is our choice and our responsibility. Abraham Lincoln was speaking to Congress, but his words should resonate with us during these divisive times: “Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the latest generation. We, even we here, hold the power and bear the responsibility.”
The freedoms we possess and the freedoms we desire completely
depend upon our willingness to pay the price and endure the cost of those
freedoms. The world is watching us, and
as long as we continue to ring that great bell of freedom, those clear, strong
peals will be heard beyond our country, the sound of hope for those who have
none. A desperate world has thrust
leadership upon us. Let us rise and face that challenge. Let us accept that
responsibility. And let us lead with
intelligence, strength, and compassion.
In our nearly 250 years, the United States of America has accomplished much. But before us is a future fraught with peril, a steep, rocky, and treacherous path over which we must walk, a mountain we must climb.
We must face that mountain in the same way we always
have, with courage, strength, and unity.
This is truly what we are as a nation and who we truly are as a people. This is America! We are Americans! Nobody else can do this. Nobody else will
do this. Let us rise together, work
together, and succeed together. And
together, we will bring humanity into the light of freedom!
No comments:
Post a Comment