STEADY
For those who know me well, this word “steady” has been a mantra by which I have tried to live my life. And as the events of the last few days have unfolded, I find myself repeating “steady”, in my mind, and to all who will listen.
STEADY
No doubt, the ideal of steadiness today feels under intense strain. That’s why we need to rally to not let the forces of chaos swallow this nation. The sheer audacity of the rushed and cynical tax bill which shatters so much of our legislative norms feels like an assault on the workings of our republic. The brazen hypocrisy of all those Republicans in Congress who used to sanctimoniously lecture the nation on the danger of deficits is enough to fuel a slide into despair. The lies, after lies, after lies, coming out of the White House – and normalized by Congressional allies – gives our age a feeling of being adrift from truth. And as the Mueller investigation grows ever closer to the President and his family, one wonders whether our Constitutional framework will hold. And then there’s Roy Moore, and health care, and climate change, and science, and education, and, and, and, and…
STEADY
I reach once more for the word. I guess the perspective of my long life allows me to reflect on the dark days of the past, where the world felt very unsteady. I remember Edward R. Murrow’s dispatches from London during the Blitz of Nazi warplanes. I remember the assassinations of President Kennedy and his brother Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. I remember that terror of teenage Americans on patrol in the jungle hell of Vietnam. I remember the Red Scare, and Watergate, and 9/11.
STEADY
I have been pleased to hear that the chapter “Steady” is a favorite of many readers of my book WHAT UNITES US. In it I write:
“When a nation sits atop the world order — and no nation in modern history has grown to become as powerful as the United States — that position comes with great responsibility. Yet danger lies where, as with Watergate, there is a reckless and impetuous hand at the helm. While we have a reputation as a young and sometimes brash republic, our greatest leaders have been men and women of prudence, wisdom, and composure. They have not been afraid to act boldly, but in most cases they have done so with discipline. They have been able to absorb shock and disappointment with resolution, steadfastness, and endurance. Our United States would never have survived against the incredible odds facing its birth and maturation without this sense of equilibrium, this steadiness.
As schoolchildren we learn of how George Washington held together his ragged army in the cold and forbidding Valley Forge on the road to independence. The grace and poise with which he established the precedents of the American presidency are equally remarkable. Without the brilliant determination of Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, which cost hundreds of thousands of lives, could have ended the American experiment forever. And while Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is often remembered for his passion and the soaring rhetoric of his speeches, in covering him I was always struck by his calm and strategic mind as he carefully planned out his campaign for justice.”
STEADY
I firmly believe that the majority of Americans seek steadiness. And the example of Dr. King is a reminder that, especially when our elected leadership fails, we need new leaders to rise up among the citizenry. That is the power of a democracy. We as Americans are not quitters. We get hit, but we get back up. I for one will not let this nation I love roil and toss without doing whatever I can to help return it to a steady path.
On my book tour, I am meeting so many of you. I feel your energy and your determination to fight for the country as you love it. Do not give up. Please keep your thoughts and comments coming.