Fake Tocqueville!

 Tom Sheridan at The Delaware State News:

President John F. Kennedy once remarked that “when written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters: One represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.”

We can’t ignore the fact that we are living in a time of crisis, with COVID-19, racial injustice, the undermining of democracy and economic instability. But, as citizens, the question for many of us is, what can we do about it? Will we seize the opportunities in this crisis and demand the changes we know are needed — or will we balk? The answer is that there is an opportunity to continue making America and its promise real in your lives and in the soul of the nation.

These questions raise some hard truths, but confronting the hard truths is necessary if we believe that from crisis comes opportunity.

First, this is the history of our country. It defines the unique experiment we call “America” and has since our founding days. A tea party disrupted a colony, and a nation was born. Look to history, and you will see that it is only from dark and disruptive moments that the most transformative and progressive chapters in our history are born.

My own experience as a professional advocate for 30 years is more recent evidence that we are always progressing toward better, but we make our biggest advances after we’ve seen the worst. I chronicle some of these inspiring stories in my book, “Helping the Good Do Better.”

The book has one driving message: “Good” has to get in the fight because, when we don’t, the obvious happens — the “bad” wins. The “good” I speak of are the millions of Americans from every walk of life, from every political, religious and cultural persuasion, people who volunteer, serve on boards and donate to charity. It is this group of Americans that unites us every day and – I believe – can save us from the darkness we’re living in.

If there is one action “good citizens” must use, it is the power of voting.

Over the last three decades, one thing has become clear to anyone paying attention — elections have consequences.

Upholding democracy requires a commitment between citizens to act collectively for the sake of their community. When that commitment fails, social unrest is bound to follow. Perhaps this will be the history we write in the aftermath of the 2020 election?

In 1831, a French sociologist named Alexis de Tocqueville came to study the new “American phenomenon.” He wrote: “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

That concept is more relevant now that it has ever been.