Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. –Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tomorrow we honor Martin Luther King, Jr. It was not clear in the years following our Revolutionary War that the thirteen separate ‘countries’ (as they were called) would choose to meld into one country. For many the linchpin in this struggle was George Washington. Supporters of a stronger central government were perplexed by Washington’s insistence that he would return to Mount Vernon and take no part in government.
A number of folks during the following years, when the idea of disunion was truly possible, not only pleaded with Washington to use his name, his influence, and if necessary his ‘power’ to help tip the balance in favor of the union they also accused him of deserting a sinking cause.
Washington believed that the nation would “work its own cure, as there is virtue at the bottom.” [Note: My quotations come from James Thomas Flexner’s four volume biography of Washington] Washington embraced the Romantic doctrine that man was not basically evil and in need of being controlled; rather man was basically good and could be trusted.
However, Washington, being Washington, added a twist to this when he also stated that even though man was basically virtuous the best government would not be the one that would impose the fewest constraints. He believed that their very virtue would make the American people impose upon themselves, via republican means, the governmental restraints which he considered necessary for a society/nation to be strong, just and prosperous.
However, Washington did not expect the people to find their way simply because of their ‘goodness.’ He wrote: “I am sure the mass of citizens in these United States mean well, and I firmly believe they will always act well whenever they can obtain a right understanding of matters.” Washington did not expect that this ‘understanding’ would come easily nor quickly. The knowledge required for ‘understanding’ did not come primarily from books; for Washington this ‘understanding’ came from experience plus reflection – this was the knowledge that was most important. Experience, he knew first-hand, was a slow teacher and people at some point need to be ‘jogged about a bit’ before they will give up ingrained habits. As he wrote: “The people must feel before they will see; consequently, are brought slowly into measures of public utility.” And later on he noted that: “[It] is on great occasions only, and after time has been given for cool and deliberate reflection, that the real voice of the people can be known.”
Washington believed in us and he offered us a way to ‘understanding.’ How well have we, who have been entrusted with his legacy, truly sought understanding and all that understanding implies? Have we lost the desire and ability for ‘cool and deliberate reflection’? Is what we have put in its place truly serving us as a ‘Union’? As I prepare to remember and celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. tomrrow I vacillate between hope and doubt (if not near-despair). I know in many ways, I AM important in all of this for it begins ‘in here’ within me and I believe that Washington (and King) knew this – and believed in me-you-us. Do I share their trust and do I believe in me-you-us? This is a question I will consciously hold today and tomorrow.
Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience. –George Washington
Searcher-Seeker 