To Believe in a City

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Citizens of the Republic,

Myths matter. Legends last – and one should never discount the significance of a symbol.

I have always been fascinated by the relationship between belief and reality. How stories can have an indelible impact upon our development – and how sometimes in life it those truths which appear at first blush to be the least tangible, which ultimately end up mattering more than anything else.

Let us take two examples from literature.

In ‘The Aeneid,’ Virgil crafted an epic saga for the ancient Romans – which told the tale of how the Trojan Prince Aeneas, carrying his father upon his back from the burning ruins of Troy, led his refugee nation across the Mediterranean Sea to found the city of Rome. See, Virgil, The Aeneid, Book II (1995).

In Le Morte D’Arthur, Malory penned the legend of King Arthur and described how a young man pulled a sword from the stone, and in so doing, united his people, becoming “rightwise king born of all England.” See, Sir Thomas Malory Le Morte D’Arthur, Chapter V (1998).

Whether these legends have a basis in fact – or are simply fantasies – it is hard to say.

Nevertheless, for the ancient Romans, and the medieval Britons, a belief in these legends served a function – it provided them with a sense of purpose, a belief in their own destiny – it acted as a bulwark against trying times, and darker days. For such images as these stir the blood, strengthen the sinews and transmogrify one’s daily monotony into the everyday extraordinary.

Yet what happens when one stops believing? When the bedtime stories that we are told as children gradually dissipate in the mind’s eye over the course of life’s rigors, and realities, eventually fading into nothingness? What happens when a jolly man in a red suit stops coming down the chimney?

Simply put, the magic disappears.

Like the ancient Romans, and the medieval Britons before us, our nation has its own myths, legends, and symbols – John Winthrop’s vision of a city upon a hill is but one of them.

Moreover, it is certainly understandable as we look back upon two decades of war, two economic downturns, and an ongoing global pandemic – that many of our fellow citizens find that their belief system has been shaken, whilst others have simply stopped believing altogether.

So how can one keep the faith alive? To answer that query, we must go back to those childhood stories and ask ourselves a rather diverting question: Do you believe in fairies?

I imagine that was not a question you expected to be asked today. Nevertheless, please bear with me, and let’s take another example from literature.

One of the most powerful stories I have ever read comes from the scene in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, where Tinkerbell, having drunk of a poisoned chalice to save Peter’s life, is moments away from death, when Pan calls upon the dreaming children of the world to “clap” if they believe in fairies.

 

“‘If you believe,’ he shouted to them, ‘clap your hands; don’t let Tink die.’

Many clapped.

Some didn’t.

A few beasts hissed.

The clapping stopped suddenly; as if countless mothers had rushed to their nurseries to see what on earth was happening; but already Tink was saved.”

 

See, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, Chapter XIII.

J.M. Barrie understood the relationship between belief and reality. If one has faith, believes in something enough, and acts upon it (i.e., “claps.” Supra) then belief can become reality.

Therefore, if we wish to build a city upon a hill – we have to believe in it, and then act upon that belief.

More on this topic – in Part IV: To Build a City

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