I would say that last year was a particularly turbulent and transformative year for us as a country. On the heels of such a year, and in the early dawn of a new presidency, I think it is a good time for some national introspection. There are some competing narratives among different groups in this country about what our national identity is and what our proper trajectory should be going forward. I think it is important for us to discuss and evaluate these competing perspectives, for we will never be truly unified as a nation as long as we are working with completely different assumptions regarding our national identity. So this week, let’s think about this question: What is the story of America, and what should we think about it?
Two major perspectives on this question include those who think that America has lost its way and long for a bygone time that we have long since left behind, and people who see our past as a list of mistakes that need to be corrected and have no intention of looking back. In other words, people who look back on our history with nostalgia versus people who don’t.
Is the American story one that starts off with a great beginning or a disgraceful one? Have we strayed off course and lost our way, or are we beginning to work towards reconciling and healing the scars that our ancestors inflicted? Should we look back to former America with pride or shame? Should we consider ourselves lost today or enlightened?My intention in bringing up these questions is not to tell you what the right answer is or what story is the best one. I would suggest there is no right answer here. America has always been a fluid concept that has been interpreted in countless different ways by countless different people throughout the generations. It would be impossible to pin down the static, objective America. Yet, while acknowledging that we will always be a work in progress, it is still beneficial to ponder these questions and think critically about our answers.
The only part of this discussion that I wish to really emphasize is this: Tell the truth. Whatever your story of America is, tell the truth. When you think about our nation’s history, tell the truth. When you think about where we are today as a nation, tell the truth. We all have our biases, but that does not mean that all perspectives are equally relevant. It is the lazy, irresponsible American who never thinks twice about his assumptions and refuses to question his beliefs.
So, what’s your story for America? What do you think our true national identity is? As you think about your answers, I challenge you to also consider how a different American might answer these questions. How compatible might your answers be with others? I think it is unrealistic to think that we can all unify around a singular American story, so a more reasonable goal might be for each of us to make our stories a little more accommodating to others. Let’s look for the common ground that we can all agree on in our stories, and maybe we can build
