Be a good man and American, son
Be a good man and American, son
Last year, Missouri’s dishonest, demagogic, shameful and seditious Senator Josh Hawley wrote a book. Incredibly, the legislative weasel, who hid in a closet while the insurrectionists he incited stormed the Capitol, picked masculinity as his subject. He titled his dreck as “Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs.”
I thought about the book today because Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and many others, stand as totems for what I hope my son will never become, nor ever will be. Raising him — and his (step)siblings — has been the greatest joy of my life. I have tried to instill in him the importance of honesty, integrity, kindness, toughness and decency. More than anything, I have raised him in the American faith — what John McCain called “Faith of My Fathers” to believe in freedom, liberty and justice.
According to the law, my son is a man today. He is celebrating his 18th birthday, and will register to vote and fight for his country, should it ever become necessary.
A few years back, I took my son to Normandy for the 74th anniversary of the invasion. While he was there, he shook the hand of a 98-year-old paratrooper who had jumped into France in the early hours of D-Day.
I deeply believe all Americans are connected to each other through all time. There have only ever been 700 million of us who have lived. In fact, half of all Americans who have ever lived are alive right now. The actuaries say that my son should live into the early years of the 22nd century, which will be a point in time 155 years from the events that remain — for at least a little while longer — within the lifespan of human memory. When he is an old man, he will be able to tell a young American that he looked into the eyes of a man who jumped into France on D-Day. It is remarkable, and the equivalent of meeting an elderly man today, who had shaken hands with a civil war veteran who fought at Gettysburg where the traitorous Robert E. Lee never said, “Never fight up hill, me boys. Never fight up hill, me boys.”
Here is what I have told my son about life, and what’s ahead, along with some basic things a man needs to know:
A man needs to know when to stand up and when to sit down.
A man needs to know when to draw a line, when to step forward from the line, and when to back up from that line.
A man needs to acknowledge when he is wrong, and say, “I’m sorry.” He also needs to hold his ground when he is right.
A man needs to know that it’s okay to cry, care and say, “I LOVE YOU.”
An American man must be a patriot, and service to the nation is expected.
A man stands up to the bully, and protects the weak and vulnerable.
When I look at the state of our culture and politics, and look at people like Trump, Cruz and Hawley, I don’t see opponents and honorable people with whom I have disagreements. What I see are some of the greatest examples of what I hope my son will never be, or become. I see some of the most loathsome examples of masculinity imaginable, and I see dishonorable men.
Americans are the luckiest people in the world. I’ve tried to teach my son that, and I’m sending him forward today with simple advice:
Be a good man. Be a good American.
I love you.
Your son is very lucky to have you as a father. Wishing him well on his birthday.
“I thought about the book today because Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and many others, stand as totems for what I hope my son will never become, nor ever will be.”
Happy B-day to your son, and very sage advice. Unfortunately, these politicians have been corrupted by power as they rot and contort themselves in their own hubris and arrogance.
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power,”
—-Abe Lincoln (although some say it was mistakenly attributed). Either way, the adage or quote holds true…:)