Careful now.... a day or 2 ago, I ran into trouble for pointing out that India had a female Prime Minister, whilst the US did not yet have a female President.
Let's define everyone by the errors and limitations. Let no one stand up unless they are perfect. No ideal shall move the world unless that ideal is untarnished.
To hell with freedom. Let Cynicism, Skepticism, Self-Rigthreousness, Resignation and Despair be the core ideals of the world. They come factory installed so it will be less work and less risk.
Let the woman of Islam be forever oppressed because the US has never had a woman President.
Or, maybe, we can interrupt the natural drift of history and offer the world a new possibility for the future. We're not perfect, so we know you won't be perfect. However, we never let our personal flaw stop our quest for these ideals. These ideals have toppled slavery, jim crow, woman as partial citizens, extreme poverty. These ideals our more powerful than the most powerful person, the most powerful party, the most powerful company. Over time, all sources of power bow to these ideals.
This is the possibility America has to offer the world. Or, America could stop now, draw up a list of it's many failings, feel guilty and ashamed and deny the power of these ideals. That would be the arrogance. It would assume they are American ideals. They are not. They are human ideals. They are not currency for Americans to trade for political expediency.
The crime of the century would be for America to accept anything less the full and complete liberty for all people everywhere.
Paul |
