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Citizens of the Republic,
All nations rise and fall in history. Only dictators, tyrants, and despots boast to the multitudes that their regimes shall last for a thousand years.
I make no such prognostications for our people. For all stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Nevertheless, I have often wondered (for we are not the first nation in history to go through trying times such as these) what distinguishes one nation from another when it comes to who will rise, and who will fall? What distinguishes one boxer from another, when up against the ropes, one refuses to concede under a hail of blows whilst another capitulates?
I believe the fortitude I am speaking of exists within certain people, as it does within certain countries. One must only identify that common thread of resilience – woven into the intricate tapestry of a nation’s story – and rouse it to the fore.
As a thirteen-year-old boy, it was a vision that was hard to articulate – for it was more of a feeling than anything else. As a man, I found this vision originated in our country’s history – in a phrase penned by a puritan pilgrim who landed upon these shores, nearly four hundred years ago: “For wee must consider that wee shall be as a city upon a hill. The eies of all people are upon us.” See, John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity (1630).
Moreover, and most importantly, this vision exists as a common thread throughout our history.
It is a vision that crosses party lines – it has been discerned by presidents past, ranging from President John F. Kennedy, in ‘The City Upon a Hill Speech,’ to President Ronald Reagan’s ‘Farewell Address to the Nation.’ See, President John F. Kennedy, The City Upon a Hill Speech (1961); See also, President Ronald Reagan, Farewell Address to the Nation (1989).
It is a vision that stirs the blood.
It is a vision that summons each, and every one of us, as citizens of this republic, to a higher calling, a greater purpose – and whilst we can differ on the definition of the phrase – that feeling, that driving factor, that primary motivator, is something each, and every one of us can call upon whenever we are in need – for it is a beacon of hope and light that shines within every one of us – and reminds us of that great idiom – “It is always darkest, before the dawn.”
So, whilst I cannot predict how long our nation will last – I can say this:
Our race is not yet run.
Our song is not yet sung.
Our final chapter has not been written.
For we have not yet begun to build our city – but do so – we must believe.
More on this topic – in Part III: To Believe in a City
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