By David Stanczak
I’m looking forward to my third sigh of relief in the last three months. The first came on November 8, when the nastiest presidential campaign between the two nastiest candidates in recent memory came to a conclusion. The second came when the Electoral College formally decided the outcome of that election. The third will come Friday when the presidential transition is complete. The last sigh comes with the hope that, once the Inauguration is over, we can all be Americans again.
For perspective, I re-read the best Inaugural Address in my memory: John F. Kennedy’s in 1961. Although the world was a far different place than it is now, the address yielded some insights worth pondering.
The first insight relates to the Inauguration itself, and would be good for those who are either boycotting the address or stirring up protests to meditate upon. Kennedy began his address by declaring, “We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom.” That celebration of freedom, the peaceful transfer of power, is an American tradition that goes all the way back to Washington. The celebration is of the event, not the outcome of the election. The event is far bigger than the persons involved in it, and transcends personalities and identities.
Later in his speech, Kennedy urged, “Let us begin anew-remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness.” Applied to the present, this would entail pulling in the horns of the Twitter account and flushing the crap about the illegitimacy of the president.
Finally, Kennedy focused on what was ultimately important. He said, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.” You get what you focus on whether you want it or not, so let’s focus on what we can do together, remembering as Kennedy said “that here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own.”
David Stanczak, a Forum commentator since 1995, came to Bloomington in 1971. He served as the City of Bloomington’s first full-time legal counsel for over 18 years, before entering private practice. He is currently employed by the Snyder Companies and continues to reside in Bloomington with his family.
The opinions expressed within WJBC’s Forum are solely those of the Forum’s author, and are not necessarily those of WJBC or Cumulus Media Inc.
