“We Americans are the peculiar chosen people—the Israel of our time; we bear the ark of the liberties of the world. God has predestined, mankind expects, great things from our race, and great things we feel in our souls. The rest of the world must soon be in our rear. We are the pioneers of the world; the advance-guard, sent on through the wilderness of untried things, to break a new path in this New World that is ours.” — Herman Melville, from White Jacket
Melville was clearly optimistic about America and how it would be a light unto the world, as he used biblical metaphors to describe our country. His awe and admiration for our mission was so inspiring. Today, however, I wonder how he would feel about the disdain so many direct toward America. He died in 1891 before the popularizing of Progressivism.
Like the Torah describes G-d in ancient times, Melville likens Americans to be the light of the world, leading the way as a testament to freedom and a new form of government. Whether or not other nations are capable of adopting our Western values and establishing a democratic republic, they can at least observe what a successful one looks like, in spite of the turbulence of our times.
Today, the Progressives see no relevance to those roots and those traditions. They have no appreciation for the joy that comes from living without tyranny, the profundity of our Bill of Rights, and the importance of saving our legacy.
We may be in a struggle for our survival as a free country. Whether we can turn the ship around, only time will tell.
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