In the past, politicians would speak to the people of their
nations about building a great society. The speeches of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and Winston
Churchill are filled with descriptions of what constitutes a
great society and how they wanted to lead their nations in
the building of the great societies they envisioned. Each lived
in a different time, and yet each urged their people to
reach farther.
Today we talk much more about preserving our great societies.
The underlying assumption, of course, is that we have
great societies to preserve. It is that assumption that I think
we need to question. If the assumption is true, then it will
hold up to our questioning. If the assumption is false, then
we will all be better off for being ushered into the light of
truth however harsh that light may be. Then, armed with this
new knowledge, we will be awakened to the task that is before us.
I do not doubt that we have made advances in the past
hundred years in the areas of science, technology, and finance.
These advances have been incredible. However, if we
consider what our children have to face every day at school,
in society, and in many cases at home, I think a cloud of
doubt begins to gather over our great society assumption.
Surely, a truly great society would not submit their children
to so many of the situations and circumstances our children
face on a daily basis?
The danger here is that while we are all eating, drinking,
and being merry in the shadow of such a false assumption,
nobody is out working to make what we have falsely assumed
to be real, a reality. It isn’t until someone stands up
and says “We have a problem!” that the great minds of our
generation will begin seeking out and implementing the solution.
Matthew Kelly
From Building Better Families
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