One of my favorite authors, Poul Anderson, made an observation about America I’ve cherished since I first read it. It was in the novel Orion Shall Rise, which recounted the struggles of humanity recovering from a global thermonuclear war that destroyed our civilization. It was just a single sentence, voiced by a viewpoint character (who happened to be a poet who often drank too much):
In this rainy land I have seen the old Merican spirit rising huge from where it lay centuries buried, and the foundations of the world are atremble…
The Democratic National Convention brought that sentence, and what it means to me, back with a vengeance. For two different, but closely intertwined, reasons.
First, there’s been a conscious embrace of the need to build a better future for all. That need was central to my switch from the GOP to the Democratic Party many years ago. I strongly believe one of the most important roles of government — at least in a dynamic, growing society — is to be the guardian of the future. To realize the enormous potentials the future offers we must avoid binding it to the past.
But as important as guarding the future is, there’s something above and beyond it that’s been on display at the convention. It’s based on a simple concept that’s been shunted aside for most of my adult life: in order to build a better future for all, we have to all work together. And to do that, we have to believe in the potential of our national community.
Which is another word for patriotism. Not the kind of jingoistic patriotism all too often idolized by the right. But a patriotism that acknowledges the mistakes we’ve made and the horrors we’ve perpetrated — Remember slavery? The forced displacement and destruction of native American cultures? — while still striving1 to make things better for all.
For all the time I’ve been a Democrat it’s saddened me so many of my fellow party members rejected patriotism as being somehow dirty or unclean. In doing so they gave conservatives sole ownership of a very powerful organizing and motivating meme, which proved particularly useful for right-wing idealogues.
I am, and always have been, a patriot. And I refuse to cede ownership of patriotism to those who would pervert it for selfish ends.
It may not be true, as some have said, that the US of A is the last, best hope of humanity on Earth. After all, I suspect all humans know, deep down inside, that we can each do more as individuals when everyone in our community prospers.
But America can help light the way. When we are at our best that’s exactly what we do.
That’s the clarion call I’ve heard throughout the Democratic National Convention: respect and help your neighbors, even when you disagree with them, granting them the freedom to live their lives as they wish, even as we look to them to extend the same support and privilege to us.
That’s the huge Merican spirit…and it very definitely has the potential to make the foundations of the world tremble.
USA! USA! USA!
One of the greatest things Christ taught was that you can always be forgiven for your mistakes, if you honestly and diligently strive to help the people you’ve hurt and do better going forward. ↩
2 thoughts on “The Old Merican Spirit”
One must first ask God to forgive us. Then seek forgiveness from those directly harmed.
Regarding Democrat policies: they seem to push for bigger, more intrusive government. Many policies are increasing dependency on government…another form of slavery. Take the money, here are the new rules.
Hi Professor Logue,
I suspect you’re right regarding seeking divine forgiveness being part of Christianity. Being a rationalist rather than a believer I tend to skip over those parts of the doctrine.
I completely disagree with your comment about Democratic policies and slavery, for several reasons.
Your reference to “take the money, here are the new rules” is a reflection of how federalism works, not an attempt at enslaving anyone. Our federalist system requires, in many cases, the federal government use carrots rather than sticks to get states to adjust their political choices.
If accepting money makes someone a slave, then you’d have to define every employee in every organization as a slave and every hiring entity as a slaver. That isn’t the case because our legal system puts strict limits on employment contracts.
Those limits exist because, sadly, human self-centeredness would drive many hiring organizations to >>actually<< enslave people...if they could get away with doing so. Witness what the Slavers of the old Confederacy did, and their intellectual European forebears did when they sought a way to maximize profits from agriculture under difficult environmental conditions. Helping those who would most benefit from assistance does not enslave them. It could, theoretically...but doesn't in practice. The vast majority of people don't like being dependent on anyone else because they are quite aware it limits what they might wish to do. The stale, invalid old argument of the "welfare queen" was a reflection of racism blocking personal ambition, not a sign of creating dependency on government.