Over the years my appreciation for my father’s lessons has grown. He was born just after the turn of the twentieth century. He grew up on a backwoods farm in rural Tennessee with six older brothers who were all over six feet tall. He was only a few inches over five feet and called himself “the runt of the litter”. He did not finish high school. He left the farm and migrated west – ending up in Texas.
In my early teens, he said to me: “Robert, you and I are going to rebuild this engine.” He was referring to the motor of our nineteen-thirty-five Chevrolet. And we did. A year later he said to me: “Robert, you and I are going to build a trailer to haul our household goods.” And we did. Then, when I was fourteen, he said: “See that uneven piece of ground over there. You and I are going to smooth it out and build a first-class croquet court.” And we did. The lesson was simple: If you put your mind to it you can do anything.
I have never been sure about the “anything” part. But I am certain about the “put your mind to it” part. I can take a motor apart with the proper tools. But I can’t put it together again without the know how.
Since my venture in Vietnam, in the year nineteen-sixty-eight, one of my primary devotions has been distilling the meaning of democracy and understanding why it has been such a fragile form of government in global politics. Why does it seem to be so difficult to institute and maintain? My commitment to the answer is heightened by my conclusion that it is the most rewarding form of government ever invented.
My concern at this moment is that America appears to be in a pivotal crisis in its relationship with democracy. Its future seems bleak with continuing inroads being made by the minions of economic imperialism (robber barons, crony capitalists).
To say this another way, democracy is being taken apart like my family’s old 35 Chevrolet. The issue is putting it back together again. I am not so concerned about our commitment to do so. But I am concerned about whether we have the know-how.
Here is my question: How do we put our democracy back together again? I have shared my answer with you in past blogs. I am wondering what your answer might be.
I invite your response.
Robert
mythinglink.com
I believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few. I want a democracy powered by everyday people. The economic imperialists tell us that we are powerless, but, together, I believe, we can take back control.