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Citizens of the Republic,
When one finds oneself embarking upon the great endeavor of building a city upon a hill, it can be difficult to fathom quite where to begin – for there is no blueprint.
Moreover, with each, and every generation we tend to build upon the accomplishments of our forebears – brick by brick – so the tasks taken up by our ancestors might not necessarily be the same challenges we face today (although, then again – sometimes they are).
So, where to begin? Two thoughts.
Firstly, let us go back to the beginning. Now, to be sure – the America of today is decidedly different from the land that a puritan pilgrim sailed to nearly four hundred years ago. Times change. The world turns. Nevertheless, it does beg the question of whether there are any general principles – pearls of wisdom shall we say – that can be gleaned from a study of the original text? See, John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity (1630).
Secondly, a fundamental premise of this blog is that “the true strength of our Republic lies…within the hearts and minds of the American people.” As such, whilst we can look to our representative government to express the will of the people – in actuality, democracy begins at home. Therefore, it is incumbent upon each, and every one of us – to rise to the challenge – and try, as best we are able, to live our daily lives in a way that promotes the furtherance of this vision.
With those two thoughts in mind let us now turn to the text and ask ourselves are there any pearls of wisdom that we can glean from it – for a modern pluralistic society? Are there any general principles we can adopt as we go about our daily lives? How can we avoid Winthrop’s divertingly vivid warning of the ship-of-state ending up as a literal “shipwracke” so that we can press forward with “provid[ing] for our posterity”? Id.
General Principles:
- “…to doe justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God.” Id.
Analysis: A person should go about their daily lives acting justly, showing compassion and empathy. Arrogance rarely wins friends or influences people – and it stands in the way of making substantive progress.
- “Wee must be knitt together, in this worke…” Id.
Analysis: For our ship-of-state to sail smoothly, we must all man our posts– and paddle together: “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” See, Mark 3:25 (King James).
- “Wee must entertaine each other in brotherly affection…” See, Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity.
Analysis: Most societies in this world have developed some version of the Golden Rule – treat others as you yourself would desire to be treated. For “if all men are created equal,” you can treat people equally well, or poorly – choose to treat them equally well. See, The Declaration of Independence para. 2 (U.S. 1776)
- “Wee must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of other’s necessities.” See, Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity.
Analysis: Castaway what is nonessential – and focus on the essential. Clear the noise. Focus on what really matters in life. Moreover, human beings are neither wholly individual nor communal – we are both. Ergo, the individual has a duty to care for their society and vice versa.
- “Wee must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekeness, gentlenes, patience and liberality.” Id.
Analysis: Engage in commerce but do so in a humane way – be tolerant, be kind, be patient, and give generously.
- “Wee must delight in eache other; make other’s conditions are oune; rejoice together, mourne together, labour and suffer together.” Id.
Analysis: We are all one crew aboard this ship. All our joys and sorrows – trials and tribulations – triumphs and failings – are shared and shared alike. We must support one another – through both the good times and the bad. If one of our shipmates is ailing, then we must do what we can to support them.
- “…allwayes haueving before our eyes our commission and community in the worke.” Id.
Analysis: We are all together – in this great endeavor – just aim for the moon.
Regardless of whether you identify with a particular faith or not, the general principles discerned by John Winthrop, nearly four hundred years ago – provide us at the very least with a signpost – pointing towards our hill.
That is not to say that Winthrop’s writings provide us with a non-exhaustive list of principles (for sometimes it is only once you get stuck into a project that you develop best practices) but they do provide us, as builders of this city, with tools to raise our vision to greater heights.
Yet if we are to “be as a citty upon a hill,” where the “eies of all people are upon us,” how can such a vision become reality? Id.
More on this topic – in Part V: The Reality of a City
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