In the past several years post-9/11, the values of our country-- freedom, opportunity, justice, mercy-- almost seemed to be turning obsolete. A variety of pressures seemed to be saying the ideals of our country were trite, naive, nonrelevant, or had to be sacrificed, in times of terror, war, or economic downturn. But we elected to the presidency a candidate who stands for those values, and with the inauguration just days away it feels like the original values of our country are being reignited and reaffirmed. At least for this moment, however long it may last, it's proud to be American again. The Styles section of The New York Times has declared that irony is out, and hope is in.
Despite the fact that values are, if they are genuine, supposed to be carried through all circumstances, there are always circumstances that come along that make us as a country forget or ignore them. Despite being widely characterized as torture, waterboarding was still retained as an interrogation tactic by the Bush administration in case it could be used on terrorists with information that could prevent a future attack. The practice is now being moved to be barred by Attorney General-designate Eric Holder. "We are going to have to come up with American solutions," he has said.
If we as countries forget our values from time to time, you bet that we as individuals do the same. Who can forget Christian Bale tightrope-walking the line on Batman's values with every increasingly chaos-inducing attempt by Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight (the best movie of 2008 in my opinion). Morgan Freeman, as Lucious Fox, tells Bale that if certain practices continue, he will have to submit his resignation from Wayne Enterprises-- and he does.
We all need to be challenged, taught, and be changed by the circumstances we encounter and the people we meet in our lives. I am reminded fondly of the quote of a father to his son, "I hope you meet people who think differently from you." We also need to remember that our most cherished values are not fads, not fashions (as much as The New York Times Styles section might think), and they are not means to an end-- sometimes they are the ends themselves. After all, if we forego our most treasured values as means for a different end, what are we coming back to after all has passed?
Despite the fact that values are, if they are genuine, supposed to be carried through all circumstances, there are always circumstances that come along that make us as a country forget or ignore them. Despite being widely characterized as torture, waterboarding was still retained as an interrogation tactic by the Bush administration in case it could be used on terrorists with information that could prevent a future attack. The practice is now being moved to be barred by Attorney General-designate Eric Holder. "We are going to have to come up with American solutions," he has said.
If we as countries forget our values from time to time, you bet that we as individuals do the same. Who can forget Christian Bale tightrope-walking the line on Batman's values with every increasingly chaos-inducing attempt by Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight (the best movie of 2008 in my opinion). Morgan Freeman, as Lucious Fox, tells Bale that if certain practices continue, he will have to submit his resignation from Wayne Enterprises-- and he does.
We all need to be challenged, taught, and be changed by the circumstances we encounter and the people we meet in our lives. I am reminded fondly of the quote of a father to his son, "I hope you meet people who think differently from you." We also need to remember that our most cherished values are not fads, not fashions (as much as The New York Times Styles section might think), and they are not means to an end-- sometimes they are the ends themselves. After all, if we forego our most treasured values as means for a different end, what are we coming back to after all has passed?
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