The Courage to be America

When Winston Churchill first heard about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II, he sent his condolences to President Franklin Roosevelt and then sat back and pondered what the attack would mean. England had been facing the Nazi war machine virtually alone for two long years. It had withstood the bombing blitz and the Battle of Britain without American help. Now, America would be in the war as an ally of Britain. Churchill admitted that that night he slept the soundest sleep of anytime since the war had begun. He knew now that Hitler was finished, Mussolini was finished, Tojo and the Japanese warlords were finished. England, the British Empire, France, and the free world would be saved. Some said that America would not fight, but Churchill had American blood in his veins and he knew that America was like a giant boiler. Once it was lit, the energy and power it would generate would grind the enemies of democracy to dust.

If I were newly-elected President Barack Obama giving an inaugural address, I would remind Americans of the great power that is latent in the American spirit. I would call forth the thing that has carried America through so many travails—courage. Now is the time for Americans to reach down for the courage that is a part of our spirit as a people. Instead of going into a mass psychological and economic depression, we can stand up and face our problems, individually and collectively as a mighty nation.

This means that we need the courage to stop complaining and start working. We should be willing to work harder than we ever have. Churchill said to the English people: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.” Now is the time for our leaders to call forth the same sacrifices as Churchill asked of the English people. Now is the time for us to have pride in our work no matter what kind, no matter how hard, no matter the compensation.

How can we show the kind of courage that will lift America? This year, like every year, millions of Americans have made New Year’s resolutions. Millions of people have vowed to stop drinking, stop smoking, stop taking drugs, stop gambling, lose weight, get a job, get out of debt, become better fathers, better mothers, better husbands, better wives, better employees, or better employers. Millions have vowed to become better people, to help others, to contribute more to the community. Many have already fallen off. Many have decided not to bother. This year, as if your life and the life of our nation depended on it, get back on. Pursue your vow with persistence, strength, and courage. No matter how many times you fail, there is nobility in your quest. Keep fighting to accomplish your goal.

People may ask, what does it matter to the nation whether I give-up drinking, smoking, or taking drugs etc.? The answer is, you are the nation. America is made up of millions individuals who are struggling to get by, to make a better life, to make themselves better. Right now, as never before, America needs for each one of its people to be strong, healthy, proud, and brave. You can contribute toward a better America by making yourself stronger, more clear-headed, better.

Pursue your goal as if the future of America depended upon it—because it does. Reach down and summon the willpower that you have deep inside. We have to overcome the aura of gloom and cynicism that is engulfing the nation, and we can do it only one citizen at a time. For every individual triumph, America will be a little stronger. Your triumph, and collectively, the triumph of millions of others, will bring strength and power and optimism and hope back to America. It will take courage.