This is beautiful, elegant, and I really needed to read it tonight. Thank you for reminding me that "People are wrong to say that we have no heroes left. Just as they have always been, they are all around us, choosing to do the right thing, no matter what."
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
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Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
In Thich Nhat Hanh’s life, which was a very long life, he only named two living people as bodhisattvas. Martin Luther King was one of them. Their relationship was stunning, and something few people know about. It was because of Nhat Hanh that King decided to come out against the war in Vietnam, even though many people in the civil rights movement did not approve. I love what you wrote tonight. There are so many bodhisattvas all around us. Little ones and big ones. I myself, think you’re in the running! Thank you for your tireless work on behalf of freedom and justice! Not to mention, you’re a great writer!💫
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
Agree, whilst wiping away tears this brought. This is for all those who see something & say something, step in and step up to defend others in our daily lives….acts small or large, who stand in support of the common good and fair and just treatment for all….I applaud you! For most, I presume, it is pure instinct to act w/o thought of any “review”….dunno…just do the right thing in the moment I guess.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
The two have in common the brutal, callous disregard for the suffering of others. I will suggest that eating meat from factory farms is spiritually unhealthy. I eat what vegans eat, with a Vitamin B-12 supplement.
I once met a spiritual being who said that the preparation of food should be done with the love of God in our hearts.
What is wrong with our culture that allows us to tolerate institutionalized animal brutality? We've lost our moral compass. The Rev. John Witherspoon (a signer of the Declaration of Independence) taught his students at Princeton (including James Madison) that "love to others, sincere and active, is the sum of our duty." And that was also, in the collective mind of the American Founders, the pathway toward happiness.
Heroes often don’t show up in the public eye. In the more recent occupation at Wounded Knee, there were young Native Americans who belly-crawled out of Wounded Knee every night to bring the true story of what was happening because there was an FBI-imposed news blackout. And people who then drove to the Twin Cities with the facts, and others who took all night to type it up and run mimeograph machines so copies could be distributed. And attorneys who belly-crawled at night, back onto the reservation, to advise. All risked their lives and their freedom, and few people were aware of their actions. Or of the legal team who defended Means and Banks in court until all charges were dropped. In short, those we designate as heroes are only a glimpse of the many who also make commitment and sacrifice. A hero could be anyone…it could be you.
Thank you, KEM. I have similar feelings about the hardworking press during these immensely stressful times. They are heroes. No amount of money pays for giving all one’s time to (truthfully) informing people as you pointed out in the very impressive account of Wounded Knee. Unforgettable!
Yes! I think it's not terribly difficult to do the right thing when no one is looking, but to do the right thing when many hostile to it are watching and ready to harm or kill you . . . well, THAT is much, much harder!
Still . . . doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing is heroism too.
Heros are the extra-ordinary among us, always, I think, ordinary in a past tense. A hero is once and always transformed by an event, a presence, and the inevitability of their act, whether of choice or a command from within them. Do we each stand atop Martin's mountain and were it not for seeing do not venture on the path to extra-ordinary, the acts of heroism that make a difference between what is and what should be and what becomes? First, they must dared to climb the mountain, looked, comprehended, and then, only then, ventured forward toward the possible, the right, the worthy. Their extra-ordinariness becomes the historical record of heros the likes of the Martins and Mandellas and others we recognize as heros in the cause of humanity.
The unsung heroes are far more numerous than those we know. Were they not, likely we wouldn’t be having this discussion. As a reminder of what heroism means, however, it has been priceless. Thank you, Professor Richardson, for starting it.
Thank you, Fred WI! Beautifully explained. We are what we do, We transform ourselves by what we do, and we transform the world by what we do, until the heroic becomes the normal, the ordinary.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
Yes, Budhoo's obituary used to be available online, but now I can't find it. He was born in Greneda of Indian descent, and after resigning he worked as a consultant for India, helping that country slowly free itself from the clutches of the IMF. After less than a decade, he died as the result of "a series of botched medical operations."
As it’s Sunday night, I was expecting a beautiful picture. Well, I got a beautiful picture in words, sheer heart-swelling poetry for my heart and soul. I’ve asked myself that hero question and given myself an affirmative answer for at least thirty years. And there is sometimes something so simple about choosing to do the right thing. We will all die. That’s how life goes. And sometimes something will happen that calls for any one of us to to risk our own lives or comfort because it will spare or save someone else, either their lives or their safety or their sense of dignity and self. I loved this Letter.
Yes, what you have written for us today, Professor, is truly a beautiful picture. (Like Deborah, I was expecting a Sunday photo). All of you in later time zones have replied just as I would have, as I'm now waking up to Heather on the East Coast. Truly moved to tears by the images you have provided for us, I thank you for always starting my week with meaningful words. Today, especially, I needed this. You are indeed one of my heroes!
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
Ditto Deborah. Most days I come here to gain actionable facts and our dear Dr. delivers so, so much more, including inspiration among the cornucopia's contents.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
The term hero becomes devalued when it is overused. It should probably only apply to one who has sacrificed his life for that of another. Certainly not one who is doing her job and being paid. I'll bet Heather would agree.
Per Oxford: Hero (n) a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.
"a war hero".
Your sentence is telling: "It should probably only apply to one who has sacrificed his life for that of another." It implies both that males only are heroes and that they also must die in order to become one. I've saved lives, and been told by those people that I am a hero. Yes, I was on the clock. What was my action? Doing my job, above and beyond what was required. What was the action that the 4 and 8 year old victims of traumatic sexual assault who witnessed the murder of their sister by their uncle? Taking them from the house (after the uncle fled) and to the hospital where they got medical treatment. What did they remember? That I fed them my lunch while we were on our way to the hospital. Does it fit my definition of heroic? Not really. Did it to them? Absolutely.
I likely saved 2 lives while on the clock. As a Harbor Police patrolman, rescued a man hanging onto a ships rudder in the Mississippi River in New Orleans (it is a deadly flow at that port). The other was as a psych tech, in New Orleans when I came upon a man hanging by a sheet from a light fixture & held him up by the legs & yelled for help while he was kicking me in the abdomen. Other than this mention, these moments are tucked away in my Work History memoirs, along with boosting from the cash register in a pizza/hoagy joint in Pittsburgh. Not a hero, just a guy doing his job & dealing with an unusual situation.
I just happened to be the person who discovered the need & got help from others. On the wharf I heard the screams for help, saw the guy in the water and ran onto the ship and got the crew. They threw down a rope and the guy could hold onto it while they pulled him up to the deck. He couldn't walk, hypothermia - they carried him below.
In the psych hospital there was just me and one nurse on the unit. We were it. She jumped on a dresser and got the blanket untied while I took the weight off of it. BTW, ppl do piss their pants in these instances. It really showed on her scrubs. But she did her job on scene.
You tell a powerful story, and you make a valuable point: that maybe we're not the best judges of whether what we've done is heroic or not. The better judges may be the ones for whom we've made a difference. Which, come to think of it, might well be what was going on in that interaction between MLK and Ralph Abernathy: King was a hero to Abernathy but he did not think of himself as a hero (and Abernathy may well have been a hero to King).
Having actually read this column, I doubt that Heather would agree. (I can't speak for her, of course.) Perhaps you should read the column again, and this time get your own assumptions out of the way.
I see many comments here labeling Heather a hero. She would probably reject, as Reverend King did, such a label. He is quoted in the article doing so.
From Heather's article:
"After his friend Ralph Abernathy introduced him to the crowd, King had something to say about heroes: “As I listened to Ralph Abernathy and his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about.”"
Bob Dylan penned the song "My Back Pages" in response to his elevation by various persons to hero status. No one wants to be placed upon a pedestal, just as no one wants to be demonized. No man is completely deserving of such treatment.
Release your heroes and your demons from your mind and you will be closer to realizing the humanity in us all.
What you *wrote* was "It should probably only apply to one who has sacrificed his life for that of another." That sure isn't what HCR was getting at. I suspect your "his" was not a slip -- maybe you're considering heroism in the traditional, mostly male, often military sense? Consider the possibility that what MLK was getting at was that he wasn't unique -- there were plenty of other heroes on that stage and in the audience. Pedestals, btw, are optional.
You are being somewhat presumptuous of my intentions. The word "his" is the traditional generic reference to any human. I prefer not to change our language on the latest whim. That includes the overuse of the word hero. It dilutes our language.
If you chose to believe that Reverend King wanted to be called a hero, that is your divine right. I'm offering my opinion and respecting your right to yours.
Mike, not all heroic acts are large and obvious. Some are not recognized, even by the giver, and sometimes not by the recipient except in retrospect. I suspect that you have at some point done something or said something that made a difference in someone's life. Something you didn't need to do, but did anyway because it was needed by someone else.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
Beautiful piece, thank you. I wonder if any generation came of age in a time of such hope and then faced such disappointment in the end as mine. (I'm a boomer, 76.) We had the post WW2 economic boom, well funded public schools, vaccines, the peace corp, the moon, voting rights, civil rights, marriage equality . . . We also saw our leaders shot before our eyes, JFK, MLK and RFK, unlike any other generation, and the horror of Vietnam. It wasn't all a cakewalk. But we had hope. If we put our shoulder to the commonweal we could make a better world.
It feels like Chutes and Ladders to me. We got so close to the top with Obama, only to have the Trump card played, sending us back to the bottom rung.
Chutes and ladders was invented in India and called Snakes and Ladders. It was to teach children about morality, and how one misstep could send you to the snake pit. And here we are.
And you know what shocks me? After all you note above, I’ve read that the preponderance of MAGAts are 65+. How can so many of us who lived through such turbulence embrace MAGA and what it stands for?
Good question. We were to learn from Dr. King and his messages. But there were haters then, there are now and will be forever. We just need to be louder, more persistent, live longer and out vote them.
But I hear you and feel the same about many subjects. I am incredulous that so many people are abandoning science, democracy and just plain decency. Perhaps there are just too many of us. Maybe it is something in the water or our food that is dulling us to reality. Maybe the species is devolving rather than evolving because we are over-populated.
I have no idea. But something ain't right. Expecting a straight up trajectory is unrealistic. But this is getting ridiculous. I believe that if there is a rational world to look back on this era, the name George Santos will be the title of many chapters written about our time. Someone tell me why there are not 10's of thousands of people surrounding the Capitol demanding his resignation?
I lived through and participated in that turbulence, and I have ZERO trouble understanding it. It was a-brewing at the time: did you ever go to, or even watch on TV, one of the Rev. Carl McIntire's "Rallies for America"? The over-65 MAGAts are overwhelmingly white, and I'd say that the worst of them are mostly male, even though I'm very aware that 53% of white women reportedly voted for Trump.
Maya Angelou famously said "When people show you who they are, believe them the first time." The white Christian right (including the current Republican Party) keeps showing us who they are and a scary lot of white liberals still don't believe it.
I suppose I just learned yet more reasons I so deeply relate with you Susanna. We survived and blinded ourselves with greater hopes in that era through all that we lived through. Speaking strictly for myself, I'm deeply disappointed with myself - but I am not going to allow myself 'the pass' to surrender, and I ever hope so solemnly that you and others of like mind will not either. Small i am nothing; a mighty 'we' is 'the' force to reckon with. As you surely recall of that era, there were powerful forces - near insurmountable, arrayed into coalition, who's operative tool was to 'divide' the more powerful 'we.' Inside their well funded tool box was sowing hatred, discrimination, bias, and so much more. Those same forces, killed Abraham, Martin, John, Bobby, and more. I know this more certainly today - so many years later, than I merely suspected. That exact same coalition of forces threatens us still, and again today - along with the meek, fearful, and resentful; and they've learned well from their past failures, seeming unlike the we who survived. I pray not.
Susanna. The most dangerous animal on planet earth is the middle aged Christian white lady. Now that she has the Indigenous population under control it is time to heel the Democrats. Richard my Flathead co-worker on fire would remind me on the long night mop ups. She hasn’t gone anywhere just refocused her target.
How can my Mississippi uncle, deacon of his Southern Baptist church be a member of the KKK? How can those terrorists call themselves "Christian?" The asswipe who shot Reverend King likely thot himself a "Christian" while killing a real one.
Maybe it's because I'm a little younger than you (b. 1951, will turn 72 later this year), I came of age in different circumstances. The assassinations of 1968 were major, as were the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the melee around the Democratic convention in Chicago. I experienced it as a time of turmoil and possibility, which is why I jumped into the antiwar movement and and the women's movement as a college freshman. I had a crash course in misogyny -- not just from the right wing but from by my alleged compatriots on the left. (A few years later I ran into similar misogyny among gay men, which is why to this day I'm skeptical of anyone who talks about "LGBTQ" as if it's one community. It's not. At best it's a coalition.)
I don't see Obama's election as the top of any ladder. A milestone for sure, but "So close to what?" I ask. It did reveal the deep faultlines that had been papered over before, which rose into a flood and led to the election of Trump. That did wake a lot of people up, and plenty of them have stayed "woke," but I shake my head when I hear anyone talking as if the U.S. was on the upswing in 2016 and Trump's election was an aberration. I think of it as part of a reaction or even counter-revolution that started with Nixon's "southern strategy" and really got rolling with the Reagan administration.
Obama's election ripped the scab of the festering wound of racism that we naively thought was healed, and revealed the lingering infections underneath.
Yep. Not for nothing did the dark-money crowd go into high gear in 2009. (Funny how "dark" money is almost entirely white.) Citizens United was, not coincidentally, argued in 2009 and decided in 2010. Voter suppression techniques, esp. the suppression of Black, brown, and young voters, have been rolling along ever since.
Who sees Obama´s election as ¨the top of any ladder?¨ For many of us it was a small step forward towards what a potential far off future, free from racism, sexism, add your isms. My husband recently said that he does not believe a woman would win an election for U.S. President in 2024, although Hilary won the popular vote in 2016. The U.S. (collectively) sees itself as being the best of the best, yet you will not find it listed in any of the ¨10 happiest countries in the world.¨ The U.S. is made up of 50 different ´countries,¨ each with an ideology, a history, social, economic, and political ethics with varying levels of consciousness., but ¨having things¨ is the driving force of almost everyone. If not, ethics would still be taught in schools. Quality, free education for all would be #1 priority, and someone like Donald J. Trump would never, ever, ever been allowed in OUR HOUSE. He was there because of the millions of Americans who identify with his psychosis. President Obama was a ray of light that made it through the growing dark storm. That he and Michelle are both still beloved by millions is testament to hope for America's future.
Amen. Fwiw, I'm not at all sure that "'having things" is the driving force of almost everyone." It's a powerful force for sure, but I believe it's partly a function of our economic system, which specializes in promoting uncertainty and insecurity about essentials like food, housing, and health care.
Susan, we haven’t slid back down all the way—just contrast the number of white George Floyd protestors compared to the few seen in the civil rights protests of the 1960’s. Back then, there were many “all-white” middle-income subdivisions. As Martin Luther King said “ The Arc of the Moral Universe is Long, But it Bends Toward Justice.”
The starfish story is one of my favorites - I had never heard it before until someone else involved with the whole Wild Horse controversy said it. It applies - always. "To that one lone starfish (or wild horse) being saved did make a difference".
I am also a Boomer, and I share your hope, disappointment and memories, as we see everything we fought for being dismantled by the demagogues who are working to establish fascist rule here.
We get a lot of blame from the younger generations, and deserve some of it, but we can't just rest on the good we DID accomplish. We now have to help the younger generations not only to keep the gains we made, but to progress further. The goal? True Liberty and Justice for ALL.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
Thank you for your helpful words. As we honor Dr. King tomorrow let each of us pledge to do what we can to work to make this a country where all can thrive.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
Morality used to mean doing what is good for society is actually what is good for the individual. (Foundations of Morality by Henry Hazlitt. 1964, 1988.). This missive is indeed a life changer. Do you connect it to our involvement in the Ukraine if you replace money with military?
Tocqueville back in 1835 reported the ubiquitous American moral philosophy, preached from the pulpits, of "self interest rightly understood" including active concern for the well-being of the community. :-)
American involvement with Ukraine is intertwined with the fact that Ukraine was enslaved by the IMF in 2014, with the demand (which Zelensky as President promised to fulfill) that Ukraine re-assert control over the breakaway Donbass republics (with Ukraine's heavy industry, needed to help make debt payments). I've been exploring that connection in a long thread on Twitter -- a challenging forum to develop a multi-faceted argument:
Beautifully written HCR! You bring so many gifts and I’m forever grateful to have been guided by a friend to your Letters from an American! Blessings and quiet enlightenment flow from your pen (fingertips actually)! 😉💕🌼🇺🇦
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
Heroes seldom live an unblemished heroic life. Still, I consider Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, President Zelensky, Socrates, Mother Teresa, and countless others heroes.
Schindler of Schindler’s List, while despicable in many ways, was heroic in risking his life to save over 1000 Jews. Liz Cheney, however she behaved previously, was heroic in her unflagging stance on the House January 6th Committee.
There are many heroes who don’t get a mention in history. If we truly knew the personal stories of some people we encounter, we might be surprised by their heroic deeds.
For some, General MacArthur was a hero. As I consider his full life, I believe that, while early in his life, he was heroic in WW I, he was not a heroic individual. By contrast, General George C. Marshall, despite never serving in combat, was heroic in the manner that he served his country as master mind of American military in WW II as well as Secretary of State and twice Secretary of Defense.
Quite often a person acts unexpectedly heroic in a particular situation. Personally, I am unable to pre-determine who might be a hero in such traumatic events.
I salute those individuals who are heroes, whether sung or unsung.
The Marshall Plan is what we also remember him for. As a Virginian, I remember him for that. Living in the Midwest, I have become aware of the privilege of growing up in the same state as so many known American heroes, feeling as if they were ina sense neighbors. It gives a child a sense of the importance of public service.
Virginia The Marshall Plan saved post-war Europe. George C. Marshall, after being the key military person in winning WW II (even Churchill could not bully him), crafted the Marshall Plan, for which he politicked in Congress and nationwide,. This earned him the Nobel Peace Prize (a first for a professional soldier.)
Thank you for knowing the details about General Marshall. I knew of his organizing capabilities as chief of staff and his saving of postwar Europe, but not that he received the Nobel Peace Prize. Again, thank you for that information. (Perhaps Marjorie Taylor Greene should know this.)
I wonder if we can consider Great People and Great Leaders as heroes. People like George Marshall, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi were exceptionally intelligent and capable of organizing huge numbers of people to fulfill great and noble causes to advance human endeavor.
Like FDR, MLK and LBJ these clearly superior mortals seem to grow into their magnificent ultimate beings of vast achievement as though they were of the highest manor born.
But the sole brave soul facing the tanks in Tiannenan Square, Sergeant York and Liz Cheney regardless of their rank or normal behavior stepped out and became extraordinary symbols with a one single act. I nominate heroes as the class of normal people shucking their normal selves to do one or a series of human good without rising in rank as a result.
Art I agree that heroes can be notable public figures or some unknown individual who rises to an extraordinary occasion. I had almost included Sergeant York in my list. From someone who was reticent to enlist because he didn’t want to kill people, he emerged as a hero protecting his fellow soldiers.
The people in Russia (China?) who speak out against authoritarian government knowing the price they are likely to pay—many of these are unsung heroes. I often reflect on a poem that greatly frightened me as a college sophomore—T. S. Eliot’s THE LOVE SONG OF J ALFRED PRUFROCK.
It was about an aging man who, reflecting on his life, lamented that he had dared to do nothing. Whatever the issue, he had demurred. Reflecting, he realized that not only did he not respect his ‘void,’ no one else cared about him.
This helped spark me into a non-Prufrockian life. I take comfort that, in diverse situations, I acted in a manner that Prufrock would have envied. Two such instances, when I was in government service in Congo, I did not mention to anyone for about 30 years. I sometimes wonder why.
I am struck that after some study of Eliot when younger I recently began to explore his poetry. But this time as poetry rather than social framing of the issues.
Yes, it is the example of York we can employ to understand exceptional acts by normal people to define heroes. But maybe I am fumbling through creating a special definitions.
Anyway I truly enjoy the level of discourse we encounter in these spaces.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
This is beautiful, elegant, and I really needed to read it tonight. Thank you for reminding me that "People are wrong to say that we have no heroes left. Just as they have always been, they are all around us, choosing to do the right thing, no matter what."
Perfectly said, Marthanne.
Agreed, Danna. "Perfectly said, Marthanne."
HCR, if still teaching today, I would share your piece with my students to start the day on Tuesday after returning from their day off after MLK Day.
After letting them listen to the piece out loud and then letting them read it silently, I would simply ask, what do think?
I wish you had been writing Letters during my teaching years.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
Another unsung hero.
“The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around…. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.” MLK
Such an uplifting message. Now Listening to his fantastic oration of truth and peaceful protest in his I Have a Dream speech.
I don’t know how to share a link, but look up Van Gogh’s “Starry night over the Rhône “ for a visual.
PICANOVA – Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night Over The Rhone 16x12 in – Premium Canvas Art Print – Canvas Print Wall Art Decor Picture Stretched on Wooden Frame as Gallery Artwork https://a.co/d/2MbAeeK
This to me is so inspiring. Rather than becoming angry or in utter despair over the state of our country and the world l will try to “see the stars.”
Oscar Wilde, who had been jailed for homosexuality, said, "I may be down in the gutter, but I'm looking up at the stars."
Dear HeATHER COX,
I MUST SAY THAT YOU ARE INDEED A HERO OF MINE! I HAVE LEARNED A LOT I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN LONG AGO, AND YOU KEEP ON GIVING. HERE'S TO YOU!
BEST
BOB THURMAN
I love seeing you here, Prof Thurman. Gasho!
Great to see you commenting here!
(Amherst ‘87)
Ditto!
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
In Thich Nhat Hanh’s life, which was a very long life, he only named two living people as bodhisattvas. Martin Luther King was one of them. Their relationship was stunning, and something few people know about. It was because of Nhat Hanh that King decided to come out against the war in Vietnam, even though many people in the civil rights movement did not approve. I love what you wrote tonight. There are so many bodhisattvas all around us. Little ones and big ones. I myself, think you’re in the running! Thank you for your tireless work on behalf of freedom and justice! Not to mention, you’re a great writer!💫
Rachael, thank you for teaching me something new. I will research this to learn more about Thich Nhat Hanh.
Thick Nhat Hang was amazing! I gave several of his books. Thanks for reminding me to refresh my acquaintance with his work. ❤️
How beautiful! I never knew this. Thank you. And yes, many bodhisattvas are all around us. We just don't realize, and of course they get no press.
Indeed!’
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
This post just makes me cry. In a good way. Thank you for offering us hope.
Agree, whilst wiping away tears this brought. This is for all those who see something & say something, step in and step up to defend others in our daily lives….acts small or large, who stand in support of the common good and fair and just treatment for all….I applaud you! For most, I presume, it is pure instinct to act w/o thought of any “review”….dunno…just do the right thing in the moment I guess.
Brought tears to my eyes as well. Exactly what we need to hear and be reminded of.
Yup. It's the first thing I read this morning. Eyes are moist with emotion.
Coffee and history well explained. I am launched.
Today, Heather is somber but inspiring.
Thoughts that will stick with me for a long time past this day.
My exact response!
Me too
Me too!
I'm with you all; very heart felt tears.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
The two have in common the brutal, callous disregard for the suffering of others. I will suggest that eating meat from factory farms is spiritually unhealthy. I eat what vegans eat, with a Vitamin B-12 supplement.
I once met a spiritual being who said that the preparation of food should be done with the love of God in our hearts.
What is wrong with our culture that allows us to tolerate institutionalized animal brutality? We've lost our moral compass. The Rev. John Witherspoon (a signer of the Declaration of Independence) taught his students at Princeton (including James Madison) that "love to others, sincere and active, is the sum of our duty." And that was also, in the collective mind of the American Founders, the pathway toward happiness.
p.s. Plants are sentient, too.
Heroes often don’t show up in the public eye. In the more recent occupation at Wounded Knee, there were young Native Americans who belly-crawled out of Wounded Knee every night to bring the true story of what was happening because there was an FBI-imposed news blackout. And people who then drove to the Twin Cities with the facts, and others who took all night to type it up and run mimeograph machines so copies could be distributed. And attorneys who belly-crawled at night, back onto the reservation, to advise. All risked their lives and their freedom, and few people were aware of their actions. Or of the legal team who defended Means and Banks in court until all charges were dropped. In short, those we designate as heroes are only a glimpse of the many who also make commitment and sacrifice. A hero could be anyone…it could be you.
Thank you, KEM. I have similar feelings about the hardworking press during these immensely stressful times. They are heroes. No amount of money pays for giving all one’s time to (truthfully) informing people as you pointed out in the very impressive account of Wounded Knee. Unforgettable!
Yes! I think it's not terribly difficult to do the right thing when no one is looking, but to do the right thing when many hostile to it are watching and ready to harm or kill you . . . well, THAT is much, much harder!
Still . . . doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing is heroism too.
Heros are the extra-ordinary among us, always, I think, ordinary in a past tense. A hero is once and always transformed by an event, a presence, and the inevitability of their act, whether of choice or a command from within them. Do we each stand atop Martin's mountain and were it not for seeing do not venture on the path to extra-ordinary, the acts of heroism that make a difference between what is and what should be and what becomes? First, they must dared to climb the mountain, looked, comprehended, and then, only then, ventured forward toward the possible, the right, the worthy. Their extra-ordinariness becomes the historical record of heros the likes of the Martins and Mandellas and others we recognize as heros in the cause of humanity.
The unsung heroes are far more numerous than those we know. Were they not, likely we wouldn’t be having this discussion. As a reminder of what heroism means, however, it has been priceless. Thank you, Professor Richardson, for starting it.
Thank you, Fred WI! Beautifully explained. We are what we do, We transform ourselves by what we do, and we transform the world by what we do, until the heroic becomes the normal, the ordinary.
❤
So very well said ... Fred. You should record that somewhere forever. I will. Thank you ~
Thanks. No attribution necessary, either. Be free to own it as your own if it expresses your belief.
Love Water not Oil
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
John, do you know what happened to Mr Budhoo or what resulted from his ardent letters to the Monetary Fund?
Yes, Budhoo's obituary used to be available online, but now I can't find it. He was born in Greneda of Indian descent, and after resigning he worked as a consultant for India, helping that country slowly free itself from the clutches of the IMF. After less than a decade, he died as the result of "a series of botched medical operations."
Wow!
Thank you!
As it’s Sunday night, I was expecting a beautiful picture. Well, I got a beautiful picture in words, sheer heart-swelling poetry for my heart and soul. I’ve asked myself that hero question and given myself an affirmative answer for at least thirty years. And there is sometimes something so simple about choosing to do the right thing. We will all die. That’s how life goes. And sometimes something will happen that calls for any one of us to to risk our own lives or comfort because it will spare or save someone else, either their lives or their safety or their sense of dignity and self. I loved this Letter.
Yes, what you have written for us today, Professor, is truly a beautiful picture. (Like Deborah, I was expecting a Sunday photo). All of you in later time zones have replied just as I would have, as I'm now waking up to Heather on the East Coast. Truly moved to tears by the images you have provided for us, I thank you for always starting my week with meaningful words. Today, especially, I needed this. You are indeed one of my heroes!
Many are called. Few come when you call them. This is true of people, less so with dogs.
🤣
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
Ditto Deborah. Most days I come here to gain actionable facts and our dear Dr. delivers so, so much more, including inspiration among the cornucopia's contents.
Thank you, Professor. You are my hero as was Dr. King. I hope to be a hero someday. Thank you again and again and again.
“People are wrong to say that we have no heroes left.” HCR
For sure, because we have you, Heather!
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
The term hero becomes devalued when it is overused. It should probably only apply to one who has sacrificed his life for that of another. Certainly not one who is doing her job and being paid. I'll bet Heather would agree.
Per Oxford: Hero (n) a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.
"a war hero".
Your sentence is telling: "It should probably only apply to one who has sacrificed his life for that of another." It implies both that males only are heroes and that they also must die in order to become one. I've saved lives, and been told by those people that I am a hero. Yes, I was on the clock. What was my action? Doing my job, above and beyond what was required. What was the action that the 4 and 8 year old victims of traumatic sexual assault who witnessed the murder of their sister by their uncle? Taking them from the house (after the uncle fled) and to the hospital where they got medical treatment. What did they remember? That I fed them my lunch while we were on our way to the hospital. Does it fit my definition of heroic? Not really. Did it to them? Absolutely.
I likely saved 2 lives while on the clock. As a Harbor Police patrolman, rescued a man hanging onto a ships rudder in the Mississippi River in New Orleans (it is a deadly flow at that port). The other was as a psych tech, in New Orleans when I came upon a man hanging by a sheet from a light fixture & held him up by the legs & yelled for help while he was kicking me in the abdomen. Other than this mention, these moments are tucked away in my Work History memoirs, along with boosting from the cash register in a pizza/hoagy joint in Pittsburgh. Not a hero, just a guy doing his job & dealing with an unusual situation.
I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. Not everyone who was on the clock would have done what you did.
I just happened to be the person who discovered the need & got help from others. On the wharf I heard the screams for help, saw the guy in the water and ran onto the ship and got the crew. They threw down a rope and the guy could hold onto it while they pulled him up to the deck. He couldn't walk, hypothermia - they carried him below.
In the psych hospital there was just me and one nurse on the unit. We were it. She jumped on a dresser and got the blanket untied while I took the weight off of it. BTW, ppl do piss their pants in these instances. It really showed on her scrubs. But she did her job on scene.
Thank you. I've had similar experience.
From the horse's mouth.
You tell a powerful story, and you make a valuable point: that maybe we're not the best judges of whether what we've done is heroic or not. The better judges may be the ones for whom we've made a difference. Which, come to think of it, might well be what was going on in that interaction between MLK and Ralph Abernathy: King was a hero to Abernathy but he did not think of himself as a hero (and Abernathy may well have been a hero to King).
Perhaps heroism, like beauty, is best defined (or identified) by the beholder (or receiver).
I like this!
Having actually read this column, I doubt that Heather would agree. (I can't speak for her, of course.) Perhaps you should read the column again, and this time get your own assumptions out of the way.
I see many comments here labeling Heather a hero. She would probably reject, as Reverend King did, such a label. He is quoted in the article doing so.
From Heather's article:
"After his friend Ralph Abernathy introduced him to the crowd, King had something to say about heroes: “As I listened to Ralph Abernathy and his eloquent and generous introduction and then thought about myself, I wondered who he was talking about.”"
Bob Dylan penned the song "My Back Pages" in response to his elevation by various persons to hero status. No one wants to be placed upon a pedestal, just as no one wants to be demonized. No man is completely deserving of such treatment.
Release your heroes and your demons from your mind and you will be closer to realizing the humanity in us all.
https://youtu.be/V_Df39PjkwA
https://youtu.be/lrfJ7gjVAgM
Your toxicity is everywhere.
???
I am not a demon. Your emotions have gotten the better of you.
Can you define a single toxic statement in these comments?
What you *wrote* was "It should probably only apply to one who has sacrificed his life for that of another." That sure isn't what HCR was getting at. I suspect your "his" was not a slip -- maybe you're considering heroism in the traditional, mostly male, often military sense? Consider the possibility that what MLK was getting at was that he wasn't unique -- there were plenty of other heroes on that stage and in the audience. Pedestals, btw, are optional.
You are being somewhat presumptuous of my intentions. The word "his" is the traditional generic reference to any human. I prefer not to change our language on the latest whim. That includes the overuse of the word hero. It dilutes our language.
If you chose to believe that Reverend King wanted to be called a hero, that is your divine right. I'm offering my opinion and respecting your right to yours.
Mike, not all heroic acts are large and obvious. Some are not recognized, even by the giver, and sometimes not by the recipient except in retrospect. I suspect that you have at some point done something or said something that made a difference in someone's life. Something you didn't need to do, but did anyway because it was needed by someone else.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
Please publish this each year at this time. Deeply moving.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
Beautiful piece, thank you. I wonder if any generation came of age in a time of such hope and then faced such disappointment in the end as mine. (I'm a boomer, 76.) We had the post WW2 economic boom, well funded public schools, vaccines, the peace corp, the moon, voting rights, civil rights, marriage equality . . . We also saw our leaders shot before our eyes, JFK, MLK and RFK, unlike any other generation, and the horror of Vietnam. It wasn't all a cakewalk. But we had hope. If we put our shoulder to the commonweal we could make a better world.
It feels like Chutes and Ladders to me. We got so close to the top with Obama, only to have the Trump card played, sending us back to the bottom rung.
Chutes and ladders was invented in India and called Snakes and Ladders. It was to teach children about morality, and how one misstep could send you to the snake pit. And here we are.
And you know what shocks me? After all you note above, I’ve read that the preponderance of MAGAts are 65+. How can so many of us who lived through such turbulence embrace MAGA and what it stands for?
Good question. We were to learn from Dr. King and his messages. But there were haters then, there are now and will be forever. We just need to be louder, more persistent, live longer and out vote them.
But I hear you and feel the same about many subjects. I am incredulous that so many people are abandoning science, democracy and just plain decency. Perhaps there are just too many of us. Maybe it is something in the water or our food that is dulling us to reality. Maybe the species is devolving rather than evolving because we are over-populated.
I have no idea. But something ain't right. Expecting a straight up trajectory is unrealistic. But this is getting ridiculous. I believe that if there is a rational world to look back on this era, the name George Santos will be the title of many chapters written about our time. Someone tell me why there are not 10's of thousands of people surrounding the Capitol demanding his resignation?
I lived through and participated in that turbulence, and I have ZERO trouble understanding it. It was a-brewing at the time: did you ever go to, or even watch on TV, one of the Rev. Carl McIntire's "Rallies for America"? The over-65 MAGAts are overwhelmingly white, and I'd say that the worst of them are mostly male, even though I'm very aware that 53% of white women reportedly voted for Trump.
Maya Angelou famously said "When people show you who they are, believe them the first time." The white Christian right (including the current Republican Party) keeps showing us who they are and a scary lot of white liberals still don't believe it.
I suppose I just learned yet more reasons I so deeply relate with you Susanna. We survived and blinded ourselves with greater hopes in that era through all that we lived through. Speaking strictly for myself, I'm deeply disappointed with myself - but I am not going to allow myself 'the pass' to surrender, and I ever hope so solemnly that you and others of like mind will not either. Small i am nothing; a mighty 'we' is 'the' force to reckon with. As you surely recall of that era, there were powerful forces - near insurmountable, arrayed into coalition, who's operative tool was to 'divide' the more powerful 'we.' Inside their well funded tool box was sowing hatred, discrimination, bias, and so much more. Those same forces, killed Abraham, Martin, John, Bobby, and more. I know this more certainly today - so many years later, than I merely suspected. That exact same coalition of forces threatens us still, and again today - along with the meek, fearful, and resentful; and they've learned well from their past failures, seeming unlike the we who survived. I pray not.
Susanna. The most dangerous animal on planet earth is the middle aged Christian white lady. Now that she has the Indigenous population under control it is time to heel the Democrats. Richard my Flathead co-worker on fire would remind me on the long night mop ups. She hasn’t gone anywhere just refocused her target.
How can my Mississippi uncle, deacon of his Southern Baptist church be a member of the KKK? How can those terrorists call themselves "Christian?" The asswipe who shot Reverend King likely thot himself a "Christian" while killing a real one.
Maybe it's because I'm a little younger than you (b. 1951, will turn 72 later this year), I came of age in different circumstances. The assassinations of 1968 were major, as were the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the melee around the Democratic convention in Chicago. I experienced it as a time of turmoil and possibility, which is why I jumped into the antiwar movement and and the women's movement as a college freshman. I had a crash course in misogyny -- not just from the right wing but from by my alleged compatriots on the left. (A few years later I ran into similar misogyny among gay men, which is why to this day I'm skeptical of anyone who talks about "LGBTQ" as if it's one community. It's not. At best it's a coalition.)
I don't see Obama's election as the top of any ladder. A milestone for sure, but "So close to what?" I ask. It did reveal the deep faultlines that had been papered over before, which rose into a flood and led to the election of Trump. That did wake a lot of people up, and plenty of them have stayed "woke," but I shake my head when I hear anyone talking as if the U.S. was on the upswing in 2016 and Trump's election was an aberration. I think of it as part of a reaction or even counter-revolution that started with Nixon's "southern strategy" and really got rolling with the Reagan administration.
Obama's election ripped the scab of the festering wound of racism that we naively thought was healed, and revealed the lingering infections underneath.
Yep. Not for nothing did the dark-money crowd go into high gear in 2009. (Funny how "dark" money is almost entirely white.) Citizens United was, not coincidentally, argued in 2009 and decided in 2010. Voter suppression techniques, esp. the suppression of Black, brown, and young voters, have been rolling along ever since.
Who sees Obama´s election as ¨the top of any ladder?¨ For many of us it was a small step forward towards what a potential far off future, free from racism, sexism, add your isms. My husband recently said that he does not believe a woman would win an election for U.S. President in 2024, although Hilary won the popular vote in 2016. The U.S. (collectively) sees itself as being the best of the best, yet you will not find it listed in any of the ¨10 happiest countries in the world.¨ The U.S. is made up of 50 different ´countries,¨ each with an ideology, a history, social, economic, and political ethics with varying levels of consciousness., but ¨having things¨ is the driving force of almost everyone. If not, ethics would still be taught in schools. Quality, free education for all would be #1 priority, and someone like Donald J. Trump would never, ever, ever been allowed in OUR HOUSE. He was there because of the millions of Americans who identify with his psychosis. President Obama was a ray of light that made it through the growing dark storm. That he and Michelle are both still beloved by millions is testament to hope for America's future.
Amen. Fwiw, I'm not at all sure that "'having things" is the driving force of almost everyone." It's a powerful force for sure, but I believe it's partly a function of our economic system, which specializes in promoting uncertainty and insecurity about essentials like food, housing, and health care.
Susan, we haven’t slid back down all the way—just contrast the number of white George Floyd protestors compared to the few seen in the civil rights protests of the 1960’s. Back then, there were many “all-white” middle-income subdivisions. As Martin Luther King said “ The Arc of the Moral Universe is Long, But it Bends Toward Justice.”
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/10/21/arc-moral-universe-long-it-bends-toward-justice
The starfish story is one of my favorites - I had never heard it before until someone else involved with the whole Wild Horse controversy said it. It applies - always. "To that one lone starfish (or wild horse) being saved did make a difference".
I am also a Boomer, and I share your hope, disappointment and memories, as we see everything we fought for being dismantled by the demagogues who are working to establish fascist rule here.
We get a lot of blame from the younger generations, and deserve some of it, but we can't just rest on the good we DID accomplish. We now have to help the younger generations not only to keep the gains we made, but to progress further. The goal? True Liberty and Justice for ALL.
"...and a more perfect union."
Beautifully said
Touche James; I love that your eyes and mind are open.
Thank you, HCR.
You are one of my vital everyday heroes.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
Thank you for being the clearing through which I can see the stars.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
Thank you for your helpful words. As we honor Dr. King tomorrow let each of us pledge to do what we can to work to make this a country where all can thrive.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
I have tears. We need to all meet on the mountain top.
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
Morality used to mean doing what is good for society is actually what is good for the individual. (Foundations of Morality by Henry Hazlitt. 1964, 1988.). This missive is indeed a life changer. Do you connect it to our involvement in the Ukraine if you replace money with military?
Tocqueville back in 1835 reported the ubiquitous American moral philosophy, preached from the pulpits, of "self interest rightly understood" including active concern for the well-being of the community. :-)
American involvement with Ukraine is intertwined with the fact that Ukraine was enslaved by the IMF in 2014, with the demand (which Zelensky as President promised to fulfill) that Ukraine re-assert control over the breakaway Donbass republics (with Ukraine's heavy industry, needed to help make debt payments). I've been exploring that connection in a long thread on Twitter -- a challenging forum to develop a multi-faceted argument:
-
https://twitter.com/john_schmeeckle/status/1598225856551620608?s=20&t=KCA4FB5NqGBlTKKn2L6DRg
Getting there will not be easy.
But we are already on the way.
Beautifully written HCR! You bring so many gifts and I’m forever grateful to have been guided by a friend to your Letters from an American! Blessings and quiet enlightenment flow from your pen (fingertips actually)! 😉💕🌼🇺🇦
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic
Heroes seldom live an unblemished heroic life. Still, I consider Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, President Zelensky, Socrates, Mother Teresa, and countless others heroes.
Schindler of Schindler’s List, while despicable in many ways, was heroic in risking his life to save over 1000 Jews. Liz Cheney, however she behaved previously, was heroic in her unflagging stance on the House January 6th Committee.
There are many heroes who don’t get a mention in history. If we truly knew the personal stories of some people we encounter, we might be surprised by their heroic deeds.
For some, General MacArthur was a hero. As I consider his full life, I believe that, while early in his life, he was heroic in WW I, he was not a heroic individual. By contrast, General George C. Marshall, despite never serving in combat, was heroic in the manner that he served his country as master mind of American military in WW II as well as Secretary of State and twice Secretary of Defense.
Quite often a person acts unexpectedly heroic in a particular situation. Personally, I am unable to pre-determine who might be a hero in such traumatic events.
I salute those individuals who are heroes, whether sung or unsung.
The Marshall Plan is what we also remember him for. As a Virginian, I remember him for that. Living in the Midwest, I have become aware of the privilege of growing up in the same state as so many known American heroes, feeling as if they were ina sense neighbors. It gives a child a sense of the importance of public service.
Virginia The Marshall Plan saved post-war Europe. George C. Marshall, after being the key military person in winning WW II (even Churchill could not bully him), crafted the Marshall Plan, for which he politicked in Congress and nationwide,. This earned him the Nobel Peace Prize (a first for a professional soldier.)
Thank you for knowing the details about General Marshall. I knew of his organizing capabilities as chief of staff and his saving of postwar Europe, but not that he received the Nobel Peace Prize. Again, thank you for that information. (Perhaps Marjorie Taylor Greene should know this.)
I wonder if we can consider Great People and Great Leaders as heroes. People like George Marshall, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi were exceptionally intelligent and capable of organizing huge numbers of people to fulfill great and noble causes to advance human endeavor.
Like FDR, MLK and LBJ these clearly superior mortals seem to grow into their magnificent ultimate beings of vast achievement as though they were of the highest manor born.
But the sole brave soul facing the tanks in Tiannenan Square, Sergeant York and Liz Cheney regardless of their rank or normal behavior stepped out and became extraordinary symbols with a one single act. I nominate heroes as the class of normal people shucking their normal selves to do one or a series of human good without rising in rank as a result.
Art I agree that heroes can be notable public figures or some unknown individual who rises to an extraordinary occasion. I had almost included Sergeant York in my list. From someone who was reticent to enlist because he didn’t want to kill people, he emerged as a hero protecting his fellow soldiers.
The people in Russia (China?) who speak out against authoritarian government knowing the price they are likely to pay—many of these are unsung heroes. I often reflect on a poem that greatly frightened me as a college sophomore—T. S. Eliot’s THE LOVE SONG OF J ALFRED PRUFROCK.
It was about an aging man who, reflecting on his life, lamented that he had dared to do nothing. Whatever the issue, he had demurred. Reflecting, he realized that not only did he not respect his ‘void,’ no one else cared about him.
This helped spark me into a non-Prufrockian life. I take comfort that, in diverse situations, I acted in a manner that Prufrock would have envied. Two such instances, when I was in government service in Congo, I did not mention to anyone for about 30 years. I sometimes wonder why.
I am struck that after some study of Eliot when younger I recently began to explore his poetry. But this time as poetry rather than social framing of the issues.
Yes, it is the example of York we can employ to understand exceptional acts by normal people to define heroes. But maybe I am fumbling through creating a special definitions.
Anyway I truly enjoy the level of discourse we encounter in these spaces.
Art moi aussi
Who among the readers of HCR's inspiring words can set aside their blinders and stare in the face the evidence of American complicity in the most far-reaching genocide in history?
Back in 1991, my life changed forever when I came across Davison Budhoo's resignation letter from the International Monetary Fund, confessing his guilt in "our own peculiar Holocaust":
"To me resignation is a priceless liberation, for with it I have taken the first big step to that place where I may hope to wash my hands of what in my mind’s eye is the blood of millions of poor and starving peoples. ...The blood is so much, you know, it runs in rivers....
"The charges that I make touch at the very heart of western society and western morality and post-war inter-governmental institutionalism that have degenerated into fake and sham under the pretext of establishingand maintaining international economic order and global efficiency....
"Will the world be content merely to brand our institution as among the most insidious enemies of humankind? Will our fellowmen condemn us thus and let the matter rest? Or will the heirs of those whom we have dismembered in our own peculiar Holocaust clamor for another Nuremberg?
"I don’t mind telling you that this matter has haunted me; it has haunted me particularly over the past five years. It has haunted me because I know that if I am tried I will be found guilty, very guilty, without extenuating circumstance...."
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oJzvpfFzIKu76oE1CkzZlarRiVpYIggFMFzSt6OgHx0/mobilebasic