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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Patriotism - Notable American Quotes

The Fourth of July is nearly upon us. Again, we celebrate the birth of our nation. For many, including myself, this will include grilled food, friends and fireworks. In reflection upon our country's history and in light of recent election issues regarding the patriotism of one man or another, I thought it worthwhile to do a search of quotes by notable Americans. Before you read on, I would challenge you to answer this question:

"What is patriotism?"

Got an answer?
Then read on and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the many freedoms and blessings we have as Americans.

“Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.”
~ George Washington

“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is its natural manure.”
~ Thomas Jefferson

“Dissent is the highest form of patriotism.”
~ Thomas Jefferson

“I do not mean to exclude altogether the idea of patriotism. I know it exists, and I know it has done much in the present contest. But I will venture to assert, that a great and lasting war can never be supported on this principle alone. It must be aided by a prospect of interest, or some reward.”
~ George Washington

“A highwayman is as much a robber when he plunders in a gang as when single; and a nation that makes an unjust war is only a great gang.”
~Benjamin Franklin

“We Americans have no commission from God to police the world.”
~Benjamin Harrison

"We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearth-stone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
~Abraham Lincoln

“There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty.”
~John Adams

“It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too often bend the acts of government to their own selfish purposes.”
~Andrew Jackson

“A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled to, and less than that no man shall have.”
~Theodore Roosevelt

“Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.

When an American says that he loves his country, he means not only that he loves the New England hills, the prairies glistening in the sun, the wide and rising plains, the great mountains, and the sea. He means that he loves an inner air, an inner light in which freedom lives and in which a man can draw the breath of self-respect.”
~Adlai E. Stevenson

Monday, June 30, 2008

My mom reminded me of a poem/philosophy that hung within an inexpensive frame on the wall of our home. We moved quite a bit when I was young, but "Deserata," as I knew it to be called, (The word is actually "Desiderata" from the Latin for "desired things.") was always part of our "home" decoration. It's one of the few pieces of decor in our house that I do remember.

The following is a brief history. The longer version, which is interesting, can be found at Wikipedia.

The author is Max Ehrmann, a poet and lawyer from Terre Haute, Indiana, who lived from 1872 to 1945. It has been reported that Desiderata was inspired by an urge that Ehrmann wrote about in his diary:

I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift -- a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods.

Around 1959, the Rev. Frederick Kates, the rector of Saint Paul’s Church in Baltimore, Maryland, used the poem in a collection of devotional materials he compiled for his congregation. (Some years earlier he had come across a copy of Desiderata.) At the top of the handout was the notation, "Old Saint Paul's Church, Baltimore A.D. 1692."

As the material was handed from one friend to another, the authorship became clouded. Copies with the "Old Saint Paul's Church" notation were printed and distributed liberally in the years that followed. It is perhaps understandable that a later publisher would interpret this notation as meaning that the poem itself was found in Old Saint Paul's Church, and that it had been written in 1692. This notation no doubt added to the charm and historic appeal of the poem, despite the fact that the actual language in the poem suggests a more modern origin. The poem was popular prose for the "make peace, not war" movement of the 1960s.

At least one court case has held the poem to be forfeited to the public domain because of distribution during and before World War II, but other cases have ruled that the assignee, through Ehrmann's heirs holds the purchased copyright.

Without further ado ... Desiderata:

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, & remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud & aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain & bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many people strive for high ideals; and everywhere the world is full of heroism.

Be yourself, Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of Spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees & the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you the, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors & aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be Happy.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Caricatures

Fair Warning: This is another of my "deep" posts.

I've been pondering how people caricaturize others.

The most common way is in editorial cartoons.

Physical features are exaggerated in these drawings, but I'm thinking more of how we caricaturize others in our minds. I'm thinking of how we villainize some people and exalt others.

Let's take extremes again:

Who are the 2 most evil people to ever live?
Who are the 2 most compassionate people to ever live?

Did a few names come quickly to your mind? I imagine so. Why, I wonder? My thought is that these people have been caricaturized to the point of representing "evil" or "compassion." They've moved beyond being people and have become symbols.

Now, let's take it down a notch. Think about the people in your life.

Who aggravates you the most?
Who do you enjoy the most?

Did a few names come quickly to mind? Again, I imagine they did.

Now comes my pondering. Do we tend to ascribe more qualities to people who represent the extremes in our lives than we should?

In other words:

"I don't know how he can possibly be a good Boy Scout Troop Leader, he p---es me off and everyone else every day at work!"

or
"I would give her $10,000 in cash to hold for me until I get back from vacation, she's just as compassionate and nice as nice can be."

If the truth were known, the Boy Scout leader might be rigid regarding demands that deadlines be met, which the employee doesn't do well. Notice the words "everyone" and "every day" I used? That's globalizing - taking one attribute and making it true for all circumstances. I am deeply suspicious of the truth of statements from people who use the words: always, never, every.

Likewise, the compassionate woman might indeed be very kind, but finds it impossible to not spend cash in her purse. In fact, she might give it to people she thought were in desperate need of it!

Politicians routinely use the tactic of caricaturizing both people and issues in order to convince the public that the "other guy/gal/leader/issue" is either very good or very evil, very right or very wrong.

I would offer that we also do this in our schools (good teacher/bad teacher), churches ("loves the Lord"/"backslidden"), and work ("she's amazing"/"she's a real b---h").

What caught my attention in all my thinking is that when we caricaturize others, we begin to ascribe to them things that are not true. We also begin to distort their conversations; we hear their words differently than what they might have been meant to convey. We infer ulterior motives to actions they've taken.

So here's my challenge for all of us: The next time you hear something about a public figure, ask yourself if you really "know" that what is being said is the truth, or are you being persuaded to believe a caricaturization of that person. Let's also do the same with the common folk in our lives.

More importantly, when you are speaking about someone else, do you really "know" what you are saying to be true, or are you adding qualities to a caricaturization of the person that you've created in your mind?

I'll close with a comment I heard today from a lady speaking on NPR.

"I've grown more compassionate and understanding over the years since I realized that none of us received a manual on how to get everything right in life."

Monday, June 23, 2008

Religious Tolerance?

Here's the opening paragraph to an article by David Van Biema of Time Magazine:
(The full article is not very long and is well worth the read.)

Americans of every religious stripe are considerably more tolerant of the beliefs of others than most of us might have assumed, according to a new poll released Monday. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life last year surveyed 35,000 Americans, and found that 70% of respondents agreed with the statement "Many religions can lead to eternal life." Even more remarkable was the fact that 57% of Evangelical Christians were willing to accept that theirs might not be the only path to salvation, since most Christians historically have embraced the words of Jesus, in the Gospel of John, that "no one comes to the Father except through me." Even as mainline churches had become more tolerant, the exclusivity of Christianity's path to heaven has long been one of the Evangelicals' fundamental tenets. The new poll suggests a major shift, at least in the pews.

What's your take on this?

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Sunday Prayers and Praises

I pray you a day of rest in spirit and peace in heart.
As is my custom, feel free to post prayers and praises you'd like others to see. I also welcome private prayers via message.

Below is a prayer for us all. It's a modified Call to Worship based on Psalm 86.

Father,
We place our trust in You. Your ear listens to catch our every word - hearing even our unspoken cries for help. We bring You our innermost selves in the knowledge of Your goodness and Your mercy, rejoicing in Your steadfast love which surrounds us and all who call on Your name. Your greatness is evident in the work of Your hands, the creation of which we are a part.
Amen.