Are these still the times that try men’s souls?
This summer has been filled with celebrations of our country’s 250th birthday anniversary. My heart has swelled with pride countless times. I know we are not perfect, but the USA is still the best place on earth to live and I thank God for that privilege everyday.
As some of you know, I am in the process of publishing my memoir, People Like Us. There is a piece in the memoir that I wrote in 1970 in high school., over fifty-five years ago. As I reread this essay, it struck me how applicable it still is. It could have been written today! Oh, perhaps I would use a bit more sophisticated language in a few spots but the basic concepts are still there.
Substitute terrorists for communists, change Southeast Asia wars into Mid-East Wars, follow the battles in the courts and the current administration’s attacks on the Constitution, our national parklands, environmental protections, and consider the racial tensions still present, and not much is different these days.
I daresay we are still our own worst enemy. Also not much different is the same conclusion I proposed in 1970 – a return to God. That can’t be legislated, mandated, or enforced. It must happen in the hearts of people. Here is the essay as it was written by my sixteen year old self in 1970.
THESE ARE THE TIMES THAT TRY MEN’S SOULS
These famous words may just as well apply to today’s America of 1970 as they did to the struggling nation of 1776. Today it is not the British who threaten us. It is the communists, racists, militants, pollutants, and most of all, ourselves.
America has a great defense system. We could easily stage a war against communists, but only if we would use our resources wisely. I do not think it wise to keep a continuous drain flowing from our military system into Southeast Asia. Yet we continue to waste money, supplies, and human lives. This is our fault.
America is a free land. It has a constitution which provides for the equality of all its citizens. Then why do we have court orders, riots, and racial inequality? We have these problems because of petty human jealousies, narrow-minded politicians, and a grudge held against today’s generation for the faults of its ancestors. This is our fault.
America was once a land of many natural wonders. Within its boundaries there were more open spaces, free wild animals, and all types of geographical regions. But we, the citizens of America have polluted these areas. If we have not done so directly, we are just as guilty for not having spoken up against pollution. Many people say we must continue with progress. Fine if we progress, as long as we replace what we use up. Nature cannot do this alone. We have begun to tear down the physical America, and this too, like the destruction of the American ideal, is our fault.
These are the enemies of America. What can we do about them? I do not feel the answer lies in the constitution. Our constitution provides for change, and it seems to be satisfactory in its function. Our constitution provides for many things, but does not seem to hold the answers to the problems we face today.
The only possible answer I can see is for the nation to turn back to God. When the first settlers came, they depended on God’s help. I do not believe they would have made it without his help. A nation can only progress to a certain point in materialistic aspects. Americans are the wealthiest people of the world, in a general way of speaking. There is much more room for expansion in the field of material objects.
I feel the only solution at this point in our nation’s development would be a return to religion and spirituality. I can see no other answer for the questions which face us, and this possible answer, to me, seems the most likely to be correct.
What do you think? Have we made progress since 1970? Do we face the same issues or are there different ones today? What do you think are the most serious challenges our nation faces? What are your proposed solutions? PLease share your thoughts in a comment.
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