We ought to be ashamed! All of us, Republicans, Democrats, and
Independents should be ashamed that we have allowed presidential politics to
descend to such a lowly and despicable level.
We should be ashamed that we apparently accept the sordid state of
political affairs without protest.
America deserves better. America
is better than this!
Great
leaders lift people up and inspire ordinary citizens to accomplish
extraordinary things by appealing to our best qualities. Inspired leaders help us realize that we are
part of something much greater than ourselves, that democracy depends on the
altruistic contributions of each citizen as we serve and sacrifice for the
greater good of liberty and justice for all.
When
John Adams was asked to compose a written “Declaration of Independence,” he
deferred to his younger colleague from Virginia, Thomas Jefferson. Adams recognized that his writing style was
“ponderous,” while Jefferson’s pen was “graceful and eloquent.” He told Jefferson that while he (Adams) was
“obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular, you are very much otherwise.” And he added, “You can write ten times better
than I.”
John
Adams recognized that Americans needed rhetorical eloquence to lift them out of
their petty squabbles, territorial posturing, and egocentric debates. One must be elevated to the mountaintop to
see the grand vision of liberty. Someone must touch the hearts of the people to
empower them to dream great dreams.
Jefferson did this with his majestic and eloquent words, “When in the
course of human events . . .” “We hold
these truths to be self-evident . . “ “We
mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
The
grand vision of a free and independent union almost disintegrated with the
American Civil War, but once again a noble and visionary leader galvanized our
nation with words that would ring in the hearts of Americans for generations as
he proclaimed that “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people
should not perish from the face of the earth.”
Abraham Lincoln spoke words of reconciliation and grace to all Americans
when shortly before his assassination he appealed: “With malice toward none, with charity for
all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive
on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds. . . .”
Franklin
Roosevelt lifted Americans from the despair of the depression with his words
that riveted a nation, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” John F. Kennedy inspired a young generation
to selfless service with his words, “Ask not what your country can do for you,
but what you can do for your country.”
Ronald Reagan’s confident leadership inspired Americans to believe in
the greatness of our country again.
Where
are the inspired leaders? Where are the
eloquent wordsmiths? Where are the noble
visionaries? Rather than inspiring us to
greatness of the mountaintop, today’s politicians want to pull us down to the
gutter. They speak to the dark side of humanity, planting seeds of distrust and
doubt in the hearts of Americans. They
speak of conspiracy rather than commitment: of fear, not faith; of hatred
instead of honor. They focus on tearing
people down, not building people up.
They appeal to every negative and weak element of the human soul. As a result of this character assassination
on the American public, the great majority of citizens will go to the polls to
vote against someone. This is not the
American dream. This is an American
nightmare.
The
Apostle Paul, a gifted wordsmith, said: “Let no corrupting talk come out of
your mouths, but only such as is good for building up.” In Colossians he
exhorted us to put away all anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy
talk. In Proverbs we read: “Speaking
recklessly cuts and maims, but the words of the wise bring healing.”
I
believe in the greatness of our nation. There
are noble and visionary leaders of integrity who will step forward. My prayer is that all of us will live by the
words of the Psalmist, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord.”
