Just a couple examples:
Thomas Paine: The Crisis
Abraham Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address
George Washington: First Inaugural Address
Patrick Henry: Liberty or Death
These are amazing pieces of literature, I would recommend to anyone that they read them, and if you already have, read them again. Start with The Gettysburg Address and Liberty or Death, the two together will probably take less than five minutes to read.
Many mormons talked about Mitt Romney as if he was something special. Why did his speeches not remind me of the ones above? Because he is not as those men were. In those days men had integrity, they had personal morals, a value system, a code of ethics they lived by. It was different for each one of them, no two were the same, but they all shared a common trait: they all held ideals and personal virtue above anything else. Our world is not that way; baseball is not about the sport, neither is football, it is about the TV ratings and franchise revenue. Likewise, politics is not about serving the people, it is about getting the votes.
I had a very good friend who was a Political Science major. Incredibly smart man. During his freshman year in university he became president of the poli/sci club, first time in the history of the club that a freshman was president. He sailed through school and ended up in the Whitehouse. It was not long before he became disillusioned and left. He was offered and turned down a slot as political commentator on a very popular news show on one of the cable news networks. I had many discussions with him about politics and policy. He knew and was on a first name basis with many people you or I will never meet, even though they dictate so much of the policy in this country. One day he made a comment that has stuck with me, he said: "Politicians who think they are there to serve the people would be considered naive by the ones who understand how things work in Washington".
In David McCullough's book 1776, he suggests that the founding of this country happened at a time which was unique in that the smartest people in this country were also the politicians. No other time in history has a civilization's smartest people also been its politicians, the smart people always seem to find something better to do. The American public has begun to think entertainment is all that matters and expects it in their politics, the politicians have answered the call and the political arena has become a circus. Why watch political debates when we know we can get them summed up for us in less than five minutes on Saturday Night Live? Will a generation of PS3 and Wii be able to wake up in time to realize that life is not about stimulation and entertainment? Will the generation taking the reins take it seriously?
The modern day Thomas Paine is no intellectual, he is a conniver, someone who can quip a phrase and stick it on a bumper sticker, there is no one today who is a deep intellectual thinker, yet a God fearing man, and a politician. Where have they gone, when will they return? This nation can not survive unless we have men and women like these, rise up to be counted. I daresay you will not find a one in the halls of Congress, you may not even find one in the lecture halls of our universities, but they must be out there, and they must come forth. Our country needs them now more than ever, I pray that they will find their calling and fill the void that is collapsing this country.
4 comments:
Every political season brings with it more disappointment. I have had reason to communicate with my representative and senators more often than I write to dear friends. I find the responses to be less than desirable. Sadly, I have come to expect my pleas to fall on deaf ears.
It seems we have a lot that should concern us. It is too bad that our greatest minds are not more interested in leading our country on to greater places. Alas, even if they were, there would be few to vote for them since the general voting public is more interested in the flash and glitz of Hollywood. A close second, it seems, would whatever most benefits them personally and damn the welfare of the country or best interests of generations yet unborn.
This is my comment. Sorry it isn't more interesting....
I'm not certain why I didn't notice this before, or comment on it if I had. The difference between our greatest of men who cram into the capital these days and those who are credited with such true greatness at the infancy of this great nation is this. Today we have an overload of politicians. Yes, a glut of men who are there for the purpose of making others happy so they can get the job or keep it. I view those who worked toward the founding and maintaining of our nation early on as statesmen rather. They weren't gaining wealth through their efforts. Theirs was a motivation of a higher design...
Well put
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