George Santayana's
quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat
it”
comes to my mind as I ponder the exciting future that the present
protests promise. And I marvel that it seems to have been nourished
and sustained by young people,
Here
then are but two bits of history I find fascinating this time.
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 problem of inflation and energy, but there is
attention to the greater problems that have remained unsolved.
And from another era, the
words of a traveler from France, Alexis de Tocqueville, who saw the
United States as “exception.”
I personally have found
these three views as particularly pertinent at this time:
Religion (at that time he
saw 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
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