May

13

Vision

Posted by Little Miss Know it All

May 13, 2007 |

Its not the nation with the best natural resources and people that succeed; its the nations that have grasped collectively a driving vision that moves them in a common direction.

 Look at the times that the United States has had a common vision, faced an enemy with a common goal or fought together to drive this nation towards a new day.  The Revolutionary War, when the nation came together to fight an imposed tyranny that no longer served the dreams of a nation; the Civil War, when two sides locked in opposing visions fought bitterly, until one vision of unity prevailed; the Depression, when our country lost its golden, rosy hue and found a common vision–survival.  FDR, WWII, the Cold War, they all had their driving visionaries that joined Americans together.  After the WWII, and especially during the Korean War, we started to lose the common vision, but held enough of the American Dream to keep us moving together in the same direction, until the late 1970’s.

Reagan and his undying fan club mystifies most liberals.  They understand Reagan was a great communicator, but what they miss is that what he did best was communicate a vision for America that people could grasp and they bought in to.  He sold us a vision of who we were, of who we could be, and after the turmoil of the 1960’s and 1970’s, we wanted desperately to believe that vision.  That’s why he’s so beloved, why as things were falling apart we continued with our rose-colored glasses.  However, the foundation was crumbling because it was a superficial vision, one that only some, not everyone, could grasp.

Kennedy and his Camelot days stymie many, but again, it was a vision of bright, shiny America, a nation that wasn’t scared to dream of better days that had America hooked.  Clinton, with his line “I come from a place called Hope” did the same thing.  He failed to develop it into tangible actions, which dissapointed many.  But for awhile, we believed and shared that vision as a nation.

Today, what is our common vision?  Typically we face a crisis and our common vision of a great America rallies us to respond in unison and strengthen ourselves.  But six years after 9/11, where is our common vision?

Candidates, you want our votes?  Forget platforms, 8 second soundbites, policy statements.  Give us a vision we can passionately embrace.

Listen to Martin Luther King Jr’s I have a dream speech.

He did not act out of political aspirations, with a personal political motive in mind.  He had a vision of God's kingdom, of all believers, all people, equal and together.  King communicated that with a power that enthralled millions and changed our nation.  To this day his vision continues to challenge us and change our nation.

Political leaders who stand out in the memory of history have one thing in common: they inspired us with a common vision for our nation, for our lives, that motivated us beyond the mundane and into a passionate life that drove us to something more than we thought we could have before.  What's driving us now?


Comments

1 Comment so far

  1. James on May 14, 2007 12:42 pm

    What about John Edwards and his vision of one America from the two? Or is this too close to people’s pocket books, or it doesn’t offer an outsider to be against?

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