A lesson from my father...

My father is a smart man who likes to make jokes and be silly with his children and grandchildren, but he also tosses out the occasional pearl of wisdom that on reflection can knock you for a loop. The latest occurred on Thanksgiving weekend when I went up to visit him.

My son and I went to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell on a day trip to Philadelphia. Ian loved it, asking all kinds of questions and generally keeping his hand up in the air while on the tours to get them answered. I don't know if the guides thought it was a welcome change or that he was a pain in the butt. He told my dad all about it when we got back to his place and my dad said something profound. He said that the more he found out about the founding fathers, the more he admired them because they were highly imperfect people who were committed to creating something better than themselves. I had to stop and think at that one.

Picture the founding fathers as a group. There were native born Americans and ones who came here from other places. There were old and young. There were experienced and jaded men in the group, as well as ones who had a lot of years before them but were enthusiastic and full of the grand visions of youth. There were those born well to do and those born to poverty. That this group of such different men were able to agree on a single vision is remarkable enough, but that it was such a sweeping and revolutionary vision really shows that something very special and rare occurred in those rooms. Men like Benjamin Franklin, who had seen it all, was an established businessmen, and of a very practical mind, combined their vision of what a nation could be with men like Alexander Hamilton, who grew up poor in the Caribbean but had youthful idealism, ambition, and vigor. They all cared passionately about what they were doing and said to themselves that if they were going to create the government of a nation from scratch, then they were going to sit down and do it right. It was not enough to piece something together from what had been done before.

Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were originally supposed to be mere adjustments to documents and relationships already in place. The Declaration was to have been nothing more than an official complaint letter to King George and the Constitution a revision of the Articles of Confederation. But once those men got into a room together and started talking, they all came to the mind that it just wasn't enough. They wanted to draw their line in the sand and create documents that aspired to the best in us and manifested the higher ideals of humankind in a workable way. They knew that it would not be easy and that their work would not be perfect, but darn it, they were going to give it a try and do the best they could. Their best try has lasted the better part of 250 years and are documents that have been models for similar ones the world over. While we are still a relatively new nation, our Constitution is the oldest one still in use. I'd say they were successful, don't you?

When you look at the stories of these men, their imperfections are there for anyone to see. They were no angels. Ben Franklin left his wife behind for years at a time, had at least one illegitimate son (who inherited his legacy), and died of a venereal disease (syphilis). Alexander Hamilton was an illegitimate son of a woman who was drummed out by her husband for having the affair which resulted in his birth. He was brash, had a quick and nasty temper, and caused quite a few scandals. Thomas Jefferson was a slaveholder who fathered many children with one of his slaves, Sally Hemmings, yet never recognized her status in his life or freed her. John Adams was a back stabber who was moody and vindictive. James Monroe was an opportunist that betrayed Hamilton, his lifelong friend, for political gain. Thomas Paine, whose work Common Sense was an impetus for these men, was in and out of debtors prisons during his life. Not the nicest bunch of guys, but they saw the opportunity to rise above who they were, to imagine an ideal form of government that achieved what had until then been impossible, and to make it happen.

The next time you think to yourself that you aren't capable of doing anything truly inspiring, idealistic, or admirable because you are flawed, you are less than, think about these men and what they accomplished. They were no better than you, but they left a great and lasting legacy that is more than any one of them. You have the ability to do that too. While you may not have the opportunity to form a nation, there are chances to do wonderful things and make a difference all around you. Some are in concert with others, some are individual. Some are big, some are small. But all are within your grasp and allow you draw your line in the sand, say enough, and do something about it. Whatever good you achieve is that much more good than the world had before your efforts.

What are you waiting for? Stop, look, see, and, most of all, DO!