2/12/2024 We Must Disenthrall OurselvesWe Must Disenthrall OurselvesForthcoming Labor Day Holiday 2023 — Saving American Democracy John Winthrop's famous “City Upon a Hill” sermon has been referenced and quoted by many U.S. Presidents throughout history to support American core values as a classical liberal democracy and the idea of America as a beacon of hope and a shining example to the world. These presidential references to the ideal of America as a “City Upon a Hill” reflect a belief in American exceptionalism, the idea that America is a unique and exceptional nation with a special role in the world. This view of America has been used to support the idea of America as a pluralistic society where different faiths and religious beliefs, or no religious beliefs, may coexist. In the remaining months of 2023 and into 2024 let us take time individually to reassess the value of good journalistic standards that aid democracy instead of inflaming our politics and the culture wars. Entertainment news models and politicians who inflame our worst fears for profit and contributions must stop. As citizens, we must not allow this model to manipulate us further. Instead, we must heed the concluding words of Abraham Lincoln from his 1862 - Annual Address to Congress. We must disenthrall ourselves from this pattern of self-destruction. “We can succeed only by concert. . . . The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise — with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country. Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest generation.” — Abraham Lincoln's, December 1, 1862, Annual Message to Congress Many people have seen the cultural wars and extreme politics in the United States as contributing to the erosion and dismantling of American values and ideals and a threat to American democracy. Our “cultural wars” refer to the political and social conflicts in the United States over academic freedom, education and history, immigration reform, abortion and women's healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, race relations, and religious freedom. Unfortunately, these conflicts have too often been characterized by intense partisanship, polarization, and a lack of compromise or cooperation between political factions. Many have argued that the extreme rhetoric and political polarization associated with the cultural wars have contributed to a breakdown in civil discourse and a loss of trust in democratic institutions. The rise of conspiracy theories and disinformation campaigns has further eroded confidence in the democratic process and the ability of citizens to make informed decisions based on reliable information. America has become a dysfunctional democracy because too many people do not value our plurality or diversity of belief, and our different worldviews and philosophies, which have always existed. We must protect the rights of humanity and being human as a democracy. Many have argued that the extreme politics associated with far-right and far-left factions within both the Republican and Democratic parties have contributed to a lack of consensus on important policy issues, and a failure to address some of the pressing challenges facing the United States, such as immigration reform, climate change, economic inequality, and healthcare reform. Many have argued that the rise of authoritarian and anti-democratic movements, illiberalism, and anti-intellectualism within and abroad has been facilitated by the erosion of American values and ideals and the failure of democratic institutions to address the needs and concerns of all citizens. But something else is taking place that we must address. America's global adversaries, authoritarian and autocratic governments, actively interfere in our society and politics to reduce our influence in the world as a democracy. Democracy matters - it matters a great deal, What will we see and hear in the 2024 election cycle? Which candidates will remember and invoke once again Winthrop’s metaphor of America as a shining city upon a hill or individual Americans as shining points of light? Who will you look toward in American leadership to end this disunity and remind us of who we are as a people? Who and what do you value? Where do you look for leadership that fosters efforts and governs in a bipartisan fashion and model? We might do well to remember these words from Carl Sandburg’s poem — The Long Shadow of Lincoln: A Litany. The refrain “We must disenthrall ourselves” echoes Lincoln's call for a new way of thinking and acting in his 1862 message to Congress. Sandburg uses this phrase to urge readers to break free from dogma and tradition and to embrace change and progress. The poem ends on a hopeful note, with the image of a “whitesmoke ghost” representing Lincoln and the dream of a world where all people are equal and free. “The Long Shadow of Lincoln: A Litany” is a moving tribute to those who sacrificed for a better world while acknowledging our ongoing challenges and difficulties. Sandburg's vivid imagery, repetition, and call-and-response structure create a powerful sense of communal remembrance and solidarity. “with the low healing song of time, / the hush and sleep murmur of time. / Make your wit a guard and cover.” “There are wounds past words. / There are cripples less broken / than many who walk whole.” Ron Starbuck Publisher - CEO Saint Julian Press, Inc. Houston, Texas Saint Julian Press Suggested Readings & Books
Echoes of Barmen Hope Over Fear An American Experiment: A Saint Julian Press Retelling We Must Think and Act Anew America: Blest Be the Tie That Binds From Dogma to Democracy: How Enlightenment Ignited the American Spirit The Radical Love of Jesus: A Call for Compassion We Are Citizens of the World We Must Disenthrall Ourselves A Threat to American Democracy The Shining City Upon the Hill Citizen — C. Andrew Doyle (Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas) And There Was Light — Jon Meacham
Joseph Castagliola
4/29/2023 09:46:11 am
Until such time that people eschew ignorance in favor of learning, fear in favor of bravery and the concept of race in favor of “shades of brown”, we will tread the waters of the current whirlpool that threatens to pull us down to suffocation. Those looking to the mainstream media will be stuck because those outlets that seek to please both sides betray us all and keep us hoping for something that they themselves enable to endure, because it is profitable. However, the biggest threats appear to be local to communities where school boards, local leaders, religious leaders and others in positions of influence are either propagating the harm or actively working to dispel it. In any case, it comes down to what Sir Francis Bacon wrote in “Meditationes Sacrae” in 1597: “knowledge itself is power”. We may also look to the words of someone who embraced the esoteric: "Ignorance is the cause of all mistakes, of all crimes and of all the evils tormenting humanity." -- Eliphas Levi (1810-1875) Comments are closed.
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Publisher's BlogRON STARBUCK is the Publisher/CEO/Executive Editor of Saint Julian Press, Inc., in Houston, Texas; a poet and writer, an Episcopalian, and author of There Is Something About Being An Episcopalian, When Angels Are Born, Wheels Turning Inward, and most recently A Pilgrimage of Churches, four rich collections of poetry, following a poet’s mythic and spiritual journey that crosses easily onto the paths of many contemplative traditions. Archives
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