The Last Gathering
“We'll talk of sunshine and of song,
And summer days, when we were young;
Sweet childish days, that were as long
As twenty days are now.
________________________
STAY near me--do not take thy flight!
A little longer stay in sight!
Much converse do I find in thee,
Historian of my infancy!
Float near me; do not yet depart!
Dead times revive in thee:
Thou bring'st, gay creature as thou art!
A solemn image to my heart,
My father's family!” William Wordsworth, “To a Butterfly”
America is poised for her last gathering. We sit astride an era of extreme change, where the values and manners of one generation, rather than being passed as a torch to the new, are discarded and forgotten. This is a dangerous development, and many who remember wistfully the halcyon days of their youth are still young enough to resist the present iconoclasts who seek to remove all of our ancient markers.
You see the desire for reawakening in the political reactions to some of the most egregious attacks, all of which blithely use seemingly innocuous acronyms as symbols for these radical changes, thereby dulling the senses to the radical nature of their aims: CRT, DEI, ESG. We are also seeing a significant percentage of our youth push back on such changes, as evidenced by the growing failure of our volunteer military to recruit.
I was long ago struck with the wisdom of Edmund Burke on the influence of manners. “Manners are of more importance than laws. Upon them, in great measure, the laws depend. The law touches us but here and there, and now and then. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in. They give their whole form and color to our lives. According to their quality, they aid morals, they supply them, or they totally destroy them.”
We, as a society, have forgotten our manners and lost our moral compass, yet there exists a significant segment of our society which resists our slide both into amoralism and radical political change. That segment is finding their voice, and they are perhaps finding it with unlikely bedfellows.
As recently captured by The Hill in an article on the book, “RFK: A Memoir,” Mr. Budowsky wrote this: “Newfield brilliantly captured, in his timeless memoir that is super-relevant today, how Robert Kennedy championed progressive causes and ideas in ways that mobilized and united Blacks, Hispanics, working class whites, young voters, seniors and veterans.
RFK’s politics were the ultimate Democratic vision of taking bold positions while seeking a society that is unified, healed and respectful. He championed civil rights and voting rights and was instrumental in getting Martin Luther King Jr. released from jail in 1960.”
Predictions are fraught with unknowns and based on glimpses, insights and assumptions. Here are mine. First, Americans want and yearn to be united again in common purpose. Second, a significant number of Americans are not willing to quietly accept the moral and political changes being foisted upon them. Third, Americans see the rot that has crept into virtually every facet of their government, and they demand change. Fourth, there is to be found someone who can symbolize that change, help us find common ground in our differences, and inspire us to achieve great common goals.
I have had some quizzical looks at my RFK Jr. for president buttons. I have also had it engender some conversations, some of which actually moved beyond party branding to more existential issues affecting our constitutional republic. As I got the buttons well before he announced exploring a campaign, perhaps some thought it simply strange or eccentric behavior rather than a deep desire for some glimmer hope for our nation’s future. As he has yet to officially announce, there remains only a spark waiting for a full throated appeal to our nation, articulating his vision and appealing to our desires for perhaps a last gathering of those yearning for that “solemn image” to their hearts; our United American family. Can “dead times revive” in a Kennedy presidency? Can we regain our common decency? Can we restore truth? Can we value respectful discourse and disagreement? Can we eschew demagoguery? Can we rid our halls of government from the corruption of corporate crony capitalism? Can we seek peace? Can we have a common hope for great achievements as a nation? Can we cease to be ruled by fear?
The gathering has begun. Will you join us?
Rural and Red
ruralandred.com