Had the bullets fired on July 13 murdered former President Donald Trump, as was intended, the most powerful nation on earth would have descended into an unknown darkness taking the world with it.
‘This Is Going to Be the Most Important Election Since 1860,’ was Thomas B. Edsall’s title in his September 27, 2023, NY Times piece. He had no idea how it might in fact be so. Now, we do.
The polarization of the US is stark. Stories of people moving to states aligned with their political ideology is real. Evidence of the dysfunction is all around. Common sense has left the room. People are outraged at every perceived slight. Gone is the respect for individuals. Instead, we are grouped by the myriads of identities that the so called “experts” tell us exist and somehow define our worth. The post-modern identity pyramid has become the blueprint of the modern Tower of Babel. No one can speak to one another as we no longer speak the same language.
Amid the confusion our institutions contort their policies to the latest evolution of academic thinking of what defines a human and what is an acceptable opinion. Opinions have consequences.
The event of July 13 was a long time in coming. It represents just how high the stakes are in this election. Are we yet to face a cataclysmic event as did the 1860 election? God forbid.
For years the public discourse marinated in a vitriol, that Trump equaled Hitler, he was a dictator, that if permitted to be president again he would “end democracy.” It is fair to say that such talk primed the atmosphere that led a young man, who was but 12 years old when Trump was first elected in 2016, to attempt an assassination in 2024.
We are learning that the shooter was a loner. He was bullied in school. He apparently had no social media footprint. So, it is difficult to pin a motive. Nevertheless, to carry out the malevolent deed he had to wilfully plan and act on it regardless of the personal risk. Perhaps he twistedly saw himself as a hero willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the whole. It is the result of a troubled mind in a troubled world.
Our troubled politics requires us to get back to basics.
Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; the inviolability of the person, are needed more today than ever in our living memory. Failing to understand these basic concepts will lead us into a fearful darkness without hope.
All three of these original freedoms must be in harmony if society is going to turn the ship of state around.
All three must be present.
All three are currently forgotten and need to be relearned by many of us.
Speech
The freedom to speak one’s mind is to be a part of society’s collaboration to find the truth of things. Truth will keep society free. Such transparency builds trust and allows for social cohesion so that everyone can know they are heard and know what works for the common good.
John F. Kennedy, observed, “We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”
Religion
The freedom to practice one’s religion allows the individual to ask the big questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is the purpose and meaning of life?
The freedom to worship God, or not, is a personal choice. It motivated Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island. Indeed, the very existence of the United States bares testimony to being a place of refuge from the religious wars of Europe and allowed religion to flourish.
The freedom of conscience to follow one’s conviction affects every aspect of life. It is not simply freedom of worship but freedom of being and the freedom to associate with others of like mind to make the world a better place.
Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that: “Jesus eloquently affirmed from the cross a higher law. He knew that the old eye-for-eye philosophy would leave everyone blind. He did not seek to overcome evil with evil. He overcame evil with good. Although crucified by hate, he responded with aggressive love.”
Religion continues to motivate and inspire despite all the knocks of the post-modern enterprise that expected religion to die. Religion won’t die. We have thousands of years of experience to prove that to be true.
Inviolability of the Person
The inviolability of the person is an idea as ancient as the other two. The human being is not to be treated as a human creation, like a machine, as if it can be manipulated by others for good or ill. We are a sacred creation to which the individual is not to have their will or conscience violated.45
These three freedoms are intertwined in a complex harmonious relationship that allows free and democratic societies to flourish.
Thomas Jefferson’s words still inspire the world, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The July 13 attack on Donald Trump violated all three original freedoms. Western countries would do well to relearn and practice these great principles. Everyone has that duty. The high stakes demand nothing less.
