Unplanned Cooking

While in Washington, DC for the 4th, I felt optimistic about our country, and surprisingly nonpolitical. Because reading about our founding fathers’ vision made me proud to be an American. I was reminded of a speech Pulitzer prize winner David McCullough gave at the State Theater about what makes a great president.

He began with the pressure we feel today as parents to be on the sidelines of every sporting event. His father, he said, never watched his or his siblings’ games.

“We knew where he was. He had a job.”

And as we walked down the streets, I thought about how the knowledge of where Matt was – buckled down in a conference room – should give our children pride. Because there is value in knowing mom or dad is out supporting the family.

“The Greeks said character is destiny. Our whole way of life in this country is based on the value of the individual… Our system only works because of the responsibility of individuals.” — David McCullough

We want our children to learn that you do have to work for what you want in life, even if it comes at a price, because you are responsible for you, and, at some point, others, too.

Then he spoke about what his father wanted most for him, what we all want most for our children: a chance at a better life, starting with a better education. And it saddened him to think a good education had become suspect in a president.

Because events happen, McCullough said. What matters is that we have “responsible, inspiring, intelligent leadership.”

Throughout history, we’ve elected leaders we’ve believed in, leaders like Franklin Roosevelt or Abraham Lincoln, with little to no military experience.

Nobody is up to being President of the United States. It’s a job that far exceeds the capacity of any one individual. — David McCullough

Take George Washington, for instance. He served during the French and Indian War, but had never commanded an army in battle. Yet he was chosen to lead the Continental Army at age 43 because of his judgment, his character, his integrity.

What Washington had, it seems to me, is phenomenal courage—physical courage and moral courage. He had high intelligence; if he was not an intellectual or an educated man, he was very intelligent. He was a quick learner—and a quick learner from his mistakes. He made dreadful mistakes, particularly in the year 1776. They were almost inexcusable, inexplicable mistakes, but he always learned from them. And he never forgot what the fight was about—“the glorious cause of America,” as they called it. Washington would not give up; he would not quit.

I left Washington DC with gratitude for the sacrifices our forbearers made for their ideals. We are a nation founded on integrity. On character. There is a reason the system they put in place still stands.

What makes you proud to be an American?