“God has given us two hands – one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing.”
–Billy Graham
Tag Archives: American values
Where we are going…
“If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.”
–Yogi Berra
A New Kind of Living
“It contributes greatly towards a man’s moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate.”
–Nathaniel Hawthorne, Early American novelist
“You don’t think your way into a new kind of living. You live your way into a new kind of thinking.”
–Henri J. M. Nouwen, Christian mystic
Honesty
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”
–Thomas Jefferson
“I am afraid we must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy.”
–George Bernard Shaw
The Trial of Principle
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
–Albert Einstein
“Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Adversity is the trial of principle. Without it, a man hardly knows whether he is honest or not.”
–Henry Fielding
American Crisis – 1
“It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes.”
–Thomas Jefferson
“Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing, and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even.”
–Will Rogers
“If a person gets his attitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.”
–Billy Graham
If Humankind is to Survive…
“The fact is we can only love what we know personally. And we cannot know much. In public affairs, in the rebuilding of civilization, something less dramatic and emotional is needed, namely tolerance.”
–E. M. Forster (Novelist)
“If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life’s exciting variety, not something to fear.”
–Gene Roddenberry (Creator of Star Trek)
Values That Matter
Readers responded last week to my request for thinking about shared values for a genuine American renewal. What values can we agree on, I asked, as a foundation for a unified starting point – a common American “center” that transcends culture, religion, politics?
[This exchange of ideas took place primarily on the blog’s Facebook page, where more than 80 readers clicked post like: http://www.facebook.com/freedomstruth ]
Ideas were offered and important points were made. Values were identified and we heard the deeply felt need for government policies that reflect them. Frustrations were expressed, as well as some feelings verging on hopelessness.
I wrote of my belief that a small unified core of determined Americans could generate a powerful moral presence, if we articulate essential values clearly and project a vision for the future with a compassionate and welcoming spirit.
This would be immensely attractive to a nation desperate for the feel of solid ground beneath its feet.
A dynamic initiative will not require large numbers at the start. It will grow rapidly. I believe the vision of a civil order based on trust and responsibility will draw Americans to it from every walk of life – from every religious faith, from every economic condition and political philosophy.
A signed pledge would make individual commitment very clear. Such a pledge could be added in the back of the book, if you think this is a good idea. Please let me know what you think.
The hard part is this: It will require a willingness to temporarily set aside some of the political differences that separate us – until such time as we have secured the stability necessary to address common problems in our communities.
What is essential is not that we agree on every aspect of personal belief, but that we join with one another to restore the integrity of a civil society that allows for constructive cooperation, engaging with one another respectfully, so that we can secure the safety of our families and the economic well-being of local and regional communities.
If this is our priority we cannot allow America to disintegrate in unrestrained acrimony and hostility. We will have to choose our battles. Some will have to be fought on another day.
My request for your thinking may not have been clear regarding the distinction between government policies and the principles behind them. My intention here is to take the first step in building a foundation on which we can then proceed to structure debate and build policy.
Among genuinely committed Americans, finding common ground in our values will alter perceptions and increase our ability to actually listen to one another.
Stephen Covey wrote that “most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand.” If Americans are to recover the vision of this country as free and fair, this will have to change.
In his best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey wrote:
“Every human has four endowments — self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom, the power to choose, to respond, to change.”
Our challenge is to establish a condition, a mental space, in which we can sustain this freedom and attract our fellow-Americans to it.
Having asked you last week to identify the values that should characterize such a condition, I will share those that I consider essential for a free and just society.
I add these to our commitment to defend the Constitution and respect the rule of law: Justice, equity, truthfulness, honesty, fair-mindedness, reliability, trustworthiness, and responsibility.
There you have it. These values are essentially universal, having been taught by every world religion down through the ages. Unfortunately, many of the followers of religion don’t get it, and so our work is cut out for us.
I would appreciate receiving another round of feedback from readers. Please focus your comments on basic values and the principles to live by – and share the reasons why you think the future of the world depends upon them.
Tom
In the coming weeks: Economic reconstruction and a future built on fairness.
Note to readers: You can support this blog and the book project by suggesting that your friends and associates take a look.
A Foundation for Renewal
I cannot imagine an American renewal without a meaningful dialog concerning values.
Can we rise above our differences as Americans to agree on the most basic of shared values? Will a courageous few stand together to agree on a unified starting point – a common American “center” that transcends culture, religion, politics?
Will the center hold?
It is difficult to visualize how this can happen, yet I believe we can do it and will do it. I believe it possible in part because it is not necessary to begin with large numbers. A small unified core of determined Americans can make this happen, citizens with the tenacity and open-minded compassion necessary to assert a powerful moral presence.
If we are willing and able to present a vision for the future with a generous and welcoming spirit, it will be immensely attractive to a nation desperate for the feel of solid ground beneath its’ feet.
I believe the vision of a civil order based on trust and responsibility will draw Americans to it from every walk of life – from every religious faith, from every economic condition and political philosophy.
And, yes, this begs a question. How can we agree? We have substantial differences. This is the hard part.
What is essential is not that we agree on every aspect of personal belief, but that we join with one another to restore the integrity of a civil society that allows for constructive cooperation, engaging with one another respectfully, so that we can secure the safety of our families and the productivity of our communities.
If this is our priority we cannot allow America to disintegrate in unrestrained acrimony and hostility. We will have to choose our battles. Some will have to be fought on another day.
James Madison fought to have slavery abolished in the Constitution when it was first drafted in 1787. It was painful for him to walk away from that vision, but he realized it threatened to kill the entire project. It took decades of determination for abolitionists to finally get the job done.
Today, however, agreement on certain principles will be immediately necessary. What must these be?
What are the core principles that will put America on the road to a dynamic future? Not the core principles held dear by each of us personally, but the essential principles required to pull a diverse people together as a nation.
Each of us will have to decide what we can accept in a healthy, diverse, pluralistic American society. Each will need to consider the extent to which we are prepared to engage in meaningful dialog and debate concerning this question.
I have suggested several principles in these blog posts that I consider essential. In addition to a firm defense of the Constitution, I have written of the necessity for trustworthiness, for responsibility, and the concept of constructive action – action based on the principle of refusing to hurt or do harm, whether by impatience, dishonesty, hatred, or wishing ill of anybody.
(See especially September 26, Foundation of Trust; October 12, Bringing Light to Darkness; October 17, Finding Courage in Crisis; and December 12, First Principles.)
Now I would like to hear from readers. What principles would you ask your fellow Americans to commit themselves to? Please contribute your comments.
And, what of those who remain hardened in attitude, closed-minded, or confused? What of those who simply refuse to accept any kind of responsibility?
We must stand firm in the midst of chaos and not be moved from our choice of principles or our determination to rise above our differences.
A fully American vision can only be reached through thoughtful consultation – by discussing our hopes and beliefs with one another in good faith, exploring the fault lines where we can find common purpose and a higher calling.
A valid vision of the future will require genuine engagement and understanding. Only then can we start working together on real problems and real needs.
We are either all in, building a free, fair, and productive society, or we are each on our own in a devastated world.
Tom
A note to readers: Please share your thinking about principles and fundamental American values in your comments.
Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize
“An attempt to achieve the good by force is like an attempt to provide a man with a picture gallery at the price of cutting out his eyes.”
–Ayn Rand
“They say ‘means are after all means’. I would say ‘means are after all everything’. As the means so the end.”
–Mohandas Gandhi
Reuters image
Principled Means, Principled Ends
There are two reasons why political violence will never get Americans where we want to go. One is tactical. The second is strategic – and far more important.
I do not believe foreign powers will ever seriously challenge our national integrity. 2015 is not 1776. Rather, the danger lies within. The fight involves ideas, and the sincerity of our relationships with one another.
Yet, we seem to hear implied threats of armed rebellion. One hopes the partisan will read the Second Amendment very carefully. (Please see January 2 post.)
Any patriot of today preparing for armed resistance in the tradition of 1776 will pit himself against an extraordinary opponent. He will be outmaneuvered and outgunned by fully militarized police possessing the most advanced surveillance technology and backed by massive firepower.
The mythical ideal of the citizen soldier remains deeply engrained in the American psyche. But the plain fact is, if we imagine a heroic Star Wars scenario in defense of freedom and justice, we are in la-la land.
I am not interested in arguing about this, because there is a much more significant problem with this kind of thinking. And it is this:
American police agencies and the United States military are served by Americans.
As I wrote here last week, violence committed by Americans against Americans would contradict the rationale behind the impetus to violence itself. It would be self-contradictory, pitting us against one another and subverting the integrity and viability of the American Idea as a guiding force for the good.
These are our people, our sons and daughters, friends and neighbors. They are working people. They may be working for deluded or destructive political and economic forces, but they are Americans who should be approached respectfully and won over by persuasive argument and compassionate example.
Our views on government overreach, threats to the integrity of the Constitution, or the loss of liberty in any form are serious matters that must be addressed. But, public servants, police officers and bureaucrats are not the problem.
We must respect these people, not just as a matter of principle, but because we need them. They are essential to a constructive solution.
Any resort to violence within the American community will tear the fabric of the republic and threaten the safety of our families and communities. And, it is simply not necessary.
Some may think the financial elite are our opponents or some dark conspiracy, but it will be our own people, Americans from our own communities, who serve on the front lines arrayed against the self-styled patriot-hero.
Americans will not be persuaded if we are attacked. When people are confronted with hostility we close ranks in self-defense.
Even the misguided rebellion of tiny splinter groups will be destructive to the cause of liberty. This can easily lead to cascading consequences in which violence begets violence in a downward spiral, endangering everyone and threatening the progress of constructive action.
As aggravating as our neighbors may be, it is really not necessary for us to agree about everything. Our differences must be respected, yes. But, if we want to rebuild the foundations of the republic, the American people must rise above our differences to resolve practical problems, define shared values, and together assert the moral center of the nation.
I did not say it would be easy.
The essential question to ask ourselves, and the question by which to judge constructive action, is the spirit and quality of the future we wish to secure. This is not a theoretical nicety. It is a necessity.
Going to war with our fellow citizens would make no sense. Indeed, the ends we seek could be delayed by decades and possibly destroyed by an impractical or intemperate course of action.
Tom
Next week: A Foundation Based on Values
Ends and Means
“The principle that the ends justify the means is in individualist ethics regarded as the denial of all morals.”
–F. A. Hayek
“He who chooses the beginning of the road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determine the end.”
–Harry Emerson Fosdick
Liberty and the American Idea 