An old history teacher at age 94 teaches one one more lesson
George Santayana's
quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat
it”
Here
are but three bits of history I find fascinating at this time and
want to share with young people
Listen to our 39th
president (1977 - 1981) Jimmy Carter. The speech was given after
three years in office and has been derisively referred to as his
“Malaise Speech:. Here is a brief 2 minute introduction
But hear him out in his
33 minute speech. The last half is directed at solving the (then)
perceived major problems of inflation and energy, but there is
attention to the greater problems that have remained unsolved.
From the ssecond
inaugural of President Obama, the sermon given by Reverend Adam
Hamilton at the National Cathedral where I was fortunate enough to be
in attendance.
The
Rev. Adam Hamilton delivered the sermon, telling the stories of
biblical and modern day figures, calling for leaders in the room to
care for the less fortunate and to have compassion “for the least
of these.”
Rev.
Hamilton also urged political leaders to find common ground and a
unifying vision to bring the country together. The entire service is
available at
And from another era, the
words of a traveler from France, Alexis de Tocqueville, who saw the
United States as “exceptional.”
I personally have found
these three views as particularly pertinent at this time:
- Religion (at that time he saw omly Christianity) is encouraged as a curb for excessive freedom
- A nation where volunteerism encourages people to work together to solve problems.
- There is separation of church and state
An internet summary of his
main ideas may be found at
AS A FORMER HIGH SCHOOL
HISTORY TEACHER I FEEL THESE ARE THREE IMPORTANT EVENTS THAT ALL
AMERICANS SHOULD STUDY & ANALYZE
