Not a bad prescription for a good Thanksgiving
In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln still saw fit to issue a Thanksgiving proclamation to the nation. This is some of what he said, after listing the many blessings the nation had enjoyed despite the awful conflict: “No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these […]
But does anybody thank me?
Over the last few days, we’ve considered the ways and circumstances in which we should give thanks. But there’s another way that we should be thinking about Thanksgiving, and that is by asking the question: Does anybody ever thank me? Teddy Roosevelt, paraphrasing the gospel of Luke, once said: “Let us remember that, as much has been […]
“Bless you prison”
The apostle Paul instructs us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” Can he be serious? All circumstances? Really? Alexandr Solzhenitsyn was arrested and thrown into a Soviet, Gulag prison. Even though at the time he was a committed atheist, a loyal Marxist, and a captain in the Red Army, he had criticized Joseph Stalin, the leader of […]
The “tell” of a thankful heart
In a game of cards, when someone cannot hide the fact that they have a good hand—by a smile, or the way they hold their cards, or where they fix their eyes—it is called a “tell.” They’ve basically told everyone at the table they have a good hand—they just can’t hide it. Well, that’s what a genuine […]
Gratitude: Virtue or Illness?
This is our last week before Thanksgiving Break, and so it is a good time for us to reflect on what it means to give thanks, to have gratitude. Cicero said that “[g]ratitude is not only a virtue but the parent of all others.” I think he said that, because a posture of thanksgiving requires […]
Created equal by God…or not equal at all
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….” Do you really think that’s true, let alone self-evident? It certainly wasn’t obvious to mankind for most of human history. Men are born with all manner of different talents and abilities—they seem to be self-evidently unequal. Some of you are great artists, others […]
The pursuit of virtue-ness
Yesterday we noted that the consent of the governed—the principle of democratic government—can be based on two very different foundations. Which one we believe, matters. The Declaration’s famous claim that our Creator has endowed us with a right to “the pursuit of happiness” also can be understood in two very different ways. Today, many Americans […]
The true foundation of democracy
The Declaration of Independence says that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. Have you ever wondered why the people of a nation should have a say in their government? After all, for most of history, they didn’t. C.S. Lewis said that he believed in the consent of the governed because he believed […]
A Declaration to Die For
Yesterday was Veterans Day, a day honoring those who have fought to defend our freedom. And over the last few weeks, some of the upper school scholars have recited portions of the Declaration of Independence—what might be called the founding charter of our freedoms. This week, we will consider a few of the essential parts […]
Our Veterans and Their Virtue
Ronald Reagan said that “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Reagan’s words echo those of George Washington, 200 years earlier, who—as perhaps our nation’s greatest veteran—recognized […]