Benjamin Franklin’s words when asked what the Founding Fathers had just created deserve all the repetition they get:
“A republic, if you can keep it.”
The soberingly realistic assessment of just how fragile a representative form of government can be still sits with us today, but unfortunately, in some circles, it sits with us for the wrong reasons.
Another oft-repeated adage is “Those who don’t learn their history will be doomed to repeat.” Despite its frequent misquotes and misattributions, the meaning of the phrase still resounds for all the right reasons.
Put these two ideas together and you can basically draw pretty accurate pictures of two Americas today: one in which people cling to history as if it’s all they have left, and another where people eagerly toss history in the trash in pursuit of new ideals.
Modern liberalism and conservatism can have strong suits in certain areas, but a no-holds barred attempt at tossing out tradition for nonconformity is, in our humble opinion, doing more harm than good.
The reason why Benjamin Franklin stipulated that we might not be able to keep our republic is because he knew that people would eventually become fatigued from politics, elections, and the common range of hot-button issues that in today’s world seem more intent on dividing us rather than solving actual problems. We’re pretty certain that some of these talking points have been engineered solely to divide the electorate into an “us vs. them” mentality, rather than identifying common enemies and necessities, with one necessity being retaining the republic.
The nuclear family, the Electoral College, certain aspects of election integrity, Congressional decorum and procedure, common societal values, personal responsibility, and facing the consequences of personal action are all mostly unpopular ideals within certain strains of the American electorate. It’s not that all people opposed to us ideologically subscribe to these ideals, but if you meet someone who identifies as moderately to largely liberal, we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they would vote against these values if given the opportunity.
The schools haven’t done their parts in educating the American public accurately for decades. With the formation of the Department of Education controlled mostly by whims of ever-powerful teachers’ unions, the subject of civics has been sorely missed.
Furthermore, public perception of a constantly self-gratifying, consequence-free, “feels so good, how can it be bad” lifestyle has resonated with an increasingly godless, irreverent, “take only what you need and save the Earth” group of younger voters. Why campaign on personal responsibility when it’s become such an unpopular idea?
The problem is that people now largely prefer their own benefits and gratification rather than understanding the purposes of our republic and how it was designed. It’s the cheapest form of selling out we’ve seen in recent memory, and the problem only stands to get worse and campaigns are largely formed on countering the counterculture.
Only to add a squeeze of lemon juice over the paper cut is the grave insult trying to fundamentally alter our nation is to those who have served and often made the Ultimate Sacrifice by trying to protect it. They have understood Benjamin Franklin’s words for decades and they fought to keep the republic, because with them, there was no question of keeping the republic. There simply was and has been no “if.”
For that, they deserve our utmost respect. This Memorial Day, be sure to thank a member of the service, even though Armed Forces Day already passed. Be sure to check in with your local VFW, AMVETS, or American Legion post to see if there’s any services or goods they need. If you are a Veteran who requires any form of service or commodity, understand that the County has made it their utmost priority in being accessible to you. There’s no shame in admitting you need help, especially since you displayed no shame whatsoever in keeping the republic.
And above all, remember those for whom we observe Memorial Day. For them, it is imperative that we keep the republic.
We here at The Messenger remain optimistic that our republic can and will be kept. With Veterans like those of the United States, there’s no “if.”
Only “will.”
