No doubt we all remember that famous line, spoken at his first inaugural, set against the backdrop of the Great
Depression…our nation at her lowest.
We memorized it in grade school; we're well familiar with the footage. I was poised and
waiting to hear it in the context of the story that held my grip and --there it was:
“The only
thing we have to fear is fear itself…”
( Sadly, this clip of historic brilliance was followed by some
critic who basically called the line a throw away, saying it made no sense...that it wasn’t that great a line, etc, and I’m thinking “I’m sorry. What was your
name again?”)
In truth, it was a line great then; and it is a needed line today. Not only was the line great, the entire speech was great. It was hopeful, it was uplifting. It was downright spiritual, embodying a leadership sorely lacking today.
To be clear, this is not a commentary
on Democrats vs Republicans, for here of late I'm finding most people draw their lines less between Rs and Ds, more between “us” vs. “them”. Still the observation hits home more than ever
as I watch newscast after fearful newscast ranging from ISIS threats to Ebola outbreaks and with every other usual fear still packed in between. (Typical for this time of year
being flu season’s upon us, artic blasts returning
and a stock market way over inflated...backed by nothing but our belief that we can keep stretching it.)
It may make for heavy turnouts come November elections, but that is not because we are for
anything, but because Americans are notorious for getting out the vote
when there’s something (or someone) to be against. So add to this mix the
mud-slinging ads, the latest antidepressant ads and everything else that silently
poisons our minds into thinking there is precious little (if any) hope and you start to understand why the America is losing her sleep as well as her dream.
While it is
clear why FDR’s quote is so memorable, what we tend to forget are the words
that came after...Words not just spoken, but lived up to. FDR did restore hope
and he did show great leadership by helping Americans regain faith in
themselves as the only hope for our future. In the rest of his speech are some of the
most inspirational words ever uttered by a president (or a preacher or a philosopher for that matter)...I personally long for a leader who would dare remind of us this today:
“Happiness lies not in the mere
possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of the
creative effort… These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach
us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto, but to minister to
ourselves and to our fellow men.”
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