I’ve always greatly admired John McCain. There have been (many) times I’ve not agreed with him. As an example, his repeated support of spending vast amounts of American blood and treasure on foreign entanglements. One thing he always preached however was that our shared values go beyond policy disagreements. Disagreements over foreign policy are very much a serious thing. So, we argue our positions with passion. But end of the day we are all still Americans. One nation under one flag. That’s what John McCain was always about. It’s an ideal he personally suffered the unimaginable for.
John Sydney McCain was not a perfect man. He was the first to admit. More emphatically as he grew older and wiser. He possessed the sort of self-awareness that used to be an American hallmark.
I carved out time today to watch the memorial. I’m utterly moved. My wife and I don’t have cable so I tuned into Facebook to watch a stream. I turned off the comments on the feed. As I read so many completely ignorant and small comments from folks who seemingly turned completely to identity politics to fill some void I feel nothing but sadness.
Our nation has always honored self-sacrifice. Service. Integrity. honesty. Humbleness. American virtues are being showcased today in our capital. These are things John McCain exemplified but unfortunately, have fallen to the wayside as values. There was a time, when something like this brought us together. For many, we have that today.
It doesn’t always seem like that’s the case now. America remains wounded in that way. Patriotism and nationalism are not one in the same. Patriotism is grounded in the principles of our American democracy brilliantly laid out by our founders. Nationalism is entirely different. Something mired in tribalism. Factional elements are to blame for this as they always have been. In fact, the founders themselves were the first to warn us. Those who promote divisions are two sides of the same coin. I do have faith we will turn this around.
The American Greatness that has existed since our inception in our shared values will again prevail.
