As frequent readers know, Ben Franklin is my favorite Founding Father, and I enjoy sharing his insight. Once, Franklin, writing to friends in England, declared, “America is where people do not ask a stranger, ‘what is he?’ but ‘what can he do?’” Status and lineage were not important to Franklin, only talent and skill.
The freedom that Franklin and the others gave us is the freedom to be the masters of our own destiny, to be problem solvers who “do” whatever is necessary with our talent and skill to “secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.”
When I look at my grandchildren, I wonder what they will “do” to contribute to America’s strength. I know they will be encouraged by their parents and teachers to develop the potential they possess.
Above all, I hope they and their friends will help us avoid repeating past mistakes and use experiences of their lifetimes to help find solutions to problems that vex us as a nation. And there are plenty of problems for them to address. Nuclear proliferation, energy independence, illegal immigration, international terrorism, and a crippling recession are but a few.
It is a clich̩ but our children and grandchildren are, indeed, our best hope for preserving this republic. Among them right now are individuals who will emerge uniquely prepared to make a difference Рin the arts, science, education, business and government. Our duty as citizens is to provide them with every opportunity to share their potential with all.
Barack Obama’s election is an affirmation of the sentiment that America is now – more than ever – a nation where the horizon can be seen equally well by every citizen, and where what is discovered just over that horizon is determined only by those willing to travel there.
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