Is it now more fashionable to be obstructive than optimistic?
In our past, we have come perilously close to being overtaken by negativity and destructiveness. The trends are neither new nor unique. We come from a quarrelsome origin which miraculously found a brief Splendid Summer in 1776 when Reason and Integrity ruled. Men placed in charge of forming a new “best possible” government challenged each other to reach for lofty goals and high ideals. The cry was for All Men to be lifted up to a new standard. The emphasis was on positive possibilities, not negative perceptions.
It was, and has remained, a dream - a purpose - a goal worth striving and even fighting for. We have never quite fully realized its fulfillment, but in coming close on occasion, we have been shown that the ideal is actually within reach and the return on investment worth all our efforts.
Throughout history every society has had a dream of Justice - the desire for goodness to be rewarded and destructiveness to be overcome. It is variously called Nirvana, Paradise, Heaven, etc. Regardless of repugnant conditions, these beliefs have kept dreams alive and championed “good” progressive movements.
Our heroes used to be Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and all the “Super” characters who fought for “Truth, Justice and The American Way.” John Wayne was our ideal American. Gary Cooper was cheered as the brave, honest, Sheriff, willing to stand up for Right even if it meant he had to do it alone. We embraced the principles, even when we understood that the characters were fiction.
Yes, we once fought each other, literally, and almost succeeded in destroying the early hopes of 1776, and we have argued and fought over many issues ever since. Always, however, it seemed that the eternal flame of hope and well-being-for-all survived somehow.
It still flickered after men returned from “The war to end all wars” in 1918 when horror stories were relayed about poison gas-filled trenches and endless waves of men gunned down in suicidal charges through barbed wire.
It burned brightly when barely human frames were finally released from Dachau or other notorious Stalags and an evil Hitler was finally defeated in 1945.
It sputtered dangerously, but was re-lit at Arlington Cemetery when John Kennedy was assassinated.
It raged and demanded justice on September 11, 2001 in New York City.
It burns today, but faces a new threat - a growing, angry mob wishing to replace it with flaming torches.
For some reason, the loudest voices being raised today demand destruction, not improvement. Listen to them. They all have one thing in common - negativity, a “tear-down the barn - damn the horses” cynical negativity - the kind of negativity which calls for a lynching. They march in lock-step repeating mindless memorized chants without having the faintest idea what they really mean or how to justify them. They refuse to be engaged in conversation, and get totally defensive - are terribly threatened - by reasonable debate. This is what we are coming to. This is the O.J. Jury crowd. Reason or Right has no purchase here. It’s “Damn the Establishment!” Nuke ‘em all and let God sort out the worthy.
Where did all the Statesmen go? When did we silence voices of reason and give way to shouting each other down? Not one Republican and only a tiny few Democrats have had the courage to stand up and say, “Whoa! This is throwing away the gold with the pewter.” What happened to honest debate and listening to all sides? Why do we believe we should burn down the field to get rid of the rats? How did the greatest, most educated, most tolerant country in history release its claim to the high ground?
If America is great, then you are great and I am great - the vast majority of our people are great even though we may disagree on many things. We have a great system for deciding differences while remaining civil. We have extraordinary young men and women putting themselves in Harm’s Way, so that we can continue working on the American Dream. They are desperately attempting to convince the countries where they fight that America is the ideal - the place where differences are solved peacefully and without rancor.
Are they wrong?
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