This morning I was in a meeting with three professionals who were as young or younger than my eldest grandchild. Lest you think I am heading to a derogatory comment about today’s youth, hold on to your age-based cynicism.
One of them is a military veteran from our involvement in Afghanistan; one is a VA director in charge of two National cemeteries in Colorado, and the other is absolutely dedicated to making it easier for veterans and their families to transition into civilian life.
Very quickly, we got through questions about the potential effects on their jobs because of today’s political environment, and I replied with, “No offense to anyone’s age here, but when I turned 18 and enlisted in the Air Force, Vietnam was not over and Richard Nixon was in his second term.” And the response from one of them was, “So you’ve seen this before.”
Certainly I’m concerned about the unrest in the world today, but my faith (and that is not in the religious sense) is there is a better world destined for our future, and what we are now experiencing are the evolutional changes necessary to get us there. So, let’s get philosophical for a moment.
In mythology, the Greek Titans fought with the gods of Olympus; the Titans lost and were punished in different ways. Atlas, for instance, was condemned to eternally carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The great strength of Atlas came from his size; the strength of America, however, is more internal. America has always been strong: strong willed, strong ideals, and strong values. However, some believe today this isn’t enough to keep us on top. These doubters loudly cry out that proof of America’s weakening state is a faltering economy, a pared down military, an inadequate educational system, and questionable leadership at all levels of government.
Yes, it’s true some other countries have stronger economic systems, but they often neglect their working classes. Others might appear to have a more powerful military, but their private industries suffer. A few have superior educational systems, but onlookers question what they might be doing with their children (we should ask what they are doing “TO” their children). Last, we know there are outstanding leaders in other countries, but many are there by force, birthright, or because their systems do not limit their terms in office. Conversely, one source of our strength is our wealth of capable leaders in the business and private sectors.
Certainly it would be wrong to hide our heads in the sand and hope everything gets better, but trust that our democratic values have gotten us through similar times past. To ignore the beliefs on which we were founded would do the United States a grave injustice; they are the source of our strength, the wellspring of our future.
Probably the biggest step to keeping America strong is to have the insight to recognize we are already there and always have been, and if we keep things in perspective, we always will be. A military leader of the 20th Century, Omar N. Bradley, had this to say about our country: “The strength of a nation is not to be found in its treasury statements but in the people’s character and their willingness to sacrifice.”
Maybe I’m over-simplifying the issue, but I see our way forward is to BELIEVE.
Believe: believe in our freedoms, in the Nation’s youth, in our ability to weather our problems and to adjust the weight of the world to a more manageable level. We must continue to believe in our democratic system, and accept the responsibility to correct its flaws, for without this belief, power and strength can easily be misguided.
Atlas was punished for wrongly using his power, but with wisdom, our inner strength and democratic system will keep us from misusing ours. Our overt desire for freedom that started with the struggle against our own Titans will surely nourish America’s strength and direct our course to the continued betterment of humankind.
Referring to my posting in November 2024, D.H. Lawrence said: “You cannot insure against the future except by really believing in the best bit of you.”
Thus, best to all, and be safe out there.
