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United We Stand
(Continued from Page 4)
In our darkest hours, Americans have always
managed to unite. Even when we don’t agree.
Even when a virulent pandemic pours gasoline
on the flames of the stresses and injustices of
this last year. It will be a long time before the
economic havoc it caused will recover, while
those of us who lost loved ones will never be
the same.
Despite the fact 2021 is off to a less than
auspicious start, we must strive to remember
we are extraordinarily fortunate to live under a
republic that celebrates and permits our first
amendment rights. We are granted freedom
of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of
assembly, freedom of the press, and the right
to petition. We are a country entitled to elect
our own representatives. Precious liberties,
indeed.
But with these rights comes responsibility. The responsibility for people and their administrations to reject
violence, to come together. We must therefore demand a peaceful transition of power. We must once again feel
confidence in our institutions. We must move forward or risk remaining stuck amidst the smoking cinders of the
past.
Here’s to Our Future
At the end of the day, we have an obligation to future generations as well as to our own. How are we to spend
our time on this earth? Battling or achieving? Destroying or creating?
In the words written by Lin-Manuel Miranda for his Broadway juggernaut, Hamilton, about a fledgling country,
“Legacy, what is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see. I wrote some notes at the
beginning of a song someone will sing for me. America, you great unfinished symphony.”
Yes, we are unfinished and will always be a work in progress. But what is the legacy we leave our future
generations? As expressed by the prolific Miranda, we may not get to see the final outcome of our endeavors. But
that’s no reason not to be our finest selves and ensure some success for those who will follow.
Think back to our forefathers and mothers who rose up and fought for the freedoms they believed in. They
didn’t have Twitter or cell phones. Yet they rallied constituents on horseback and distributed articles laboriously
churned out with manual printing presses. They gathered in the backs of stores and in secret hideouts to hatch
plans on how to break free of imposed tyrannies. They sacrificed with their lives. They won. Then they elected
officials to speak on their behalf.
May this beautiful country forge ahead and continue our grand tradition of trying to be the best we can be. We’ll
never be perfect, but long may we wave anyway.