I watched a documentary about President John F. Kennedy this week. The man was an enigma. He wasn't stuck within a political party mindset. I truly believe that he wanted to represent all of the people and if that meant making controversial decisions, then so be it. That is most assuredly what got him killed. But, he did not live a life in fear.
JFK was a leader, who never stuck his finger in the air to see which way the wind was blowing. He also didn't play the blame game. He was a visionary with a mind set towards accomplishing goals. He realized and communicated time and time again, through words and actions, that those who do not take a stand in life are relegated to a life of insignificance. He road tall and proud on that fateful day in Dallas, because he believed in his cause.
From the JFK Library online: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Dante+Quote.htm
One of President Kennedy's favorite quotations was based upon an interpretation of Dante's Inferno. As Robert Kennedy explained in 1964, "President Kennedy's favorite quote was really from Dante, 'The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality.'" This supposed quotation is not actually in Dante's work, but is based upon a similiar one. In the Inferno, Dante and his guide Virgil, on their way to Hell, pass by a group of dead souls outside the entrance to Hell. These individuals, when alive, remained neutral at a time of great moral decision. Virgil explains to Dante that these souls cannot enter either Heaven or Hell because they did not choose one side or another. They are therefore worse than the greatest sinners in Hell because they are repugnant to both God and Satan alike, and have been left to mourn their fate as insignificant beings neither hailed nor cursed in life or death, endlessly travailing below Heaven but outside of Hell. This scene occurs in the third canto of the Inferno.
In this era of Tumult, does this fit you? For all who espouse themselves to be followers of the Kennedy Ideal, how do you defend your inaction?
There is hope. Today is a new day. You can shed your neutrality today and strive for a life of significance. Ambivalence won't change anything. Contributing to our community can change everything!!!
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
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3 comments:
Awesome commentary and challenge. I love anything Dante. And Kennedy isn't bad either.
Thank You Ant. Ours is a mutual admiration, I can assure you. I like your site alot.
The bottom line on most people's lives is that comfort and approval rule the day. If you ask people directly: what is more important, justice, integrity, truth, love, or personal comfort, almost everyone would be high minded and choose a greater virtue. When it comes down to the actual behavior the sad fact is that most people won't leave their comfort zones and take action.
We all want a more fair, free, equitable world, and mouth these values, but when our jobs, homes, personal comforts, approval of our neighbors and coworkers, or time may be jeopardized then most will yield to the direction of the herd. It's only when the level of distress or suffering become so great that we feel that there is little or nothing to lose that we are prompted to action.
The trick in a democracy such as ours is to get people to take small, daily steps to improve things so that the history making, cataclysmic events do not have to take place. Sadly, this happens too infrequently and I fear that we, in 21st century America may soon face the consequences that stem from not attending to the basic foundations of our society.
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