LESSONS FROM JONATHON
Let’s not give up yet on this experiment in democratic self-governance
This morning this picture of Jonathon, a Seychelles giant tortoise, came across my news feed. He was hatched in 1832, and today is his 188th birthday. He is the world’s oldest living land animal. Good for you Jonathon, and I thought my almost 62-year old left knee is old. Anyhow, as I stared with almost disbelief at his age, I began to think about all that has transpired in his lifetime, and about the lessons he could teach us if we would only listen.
The Dude was hatched only 56 years after we declared our independence from England, and only 45 years after a bunch of guys met in Philadelphia during that hot summer of 1787. The original intent of their gathering was to amend the Articles of Confederation which was the initial foundational document of our country. You see, things were not working so well at that point. The Articles allowed for a loose affiliation of the 13 colonies that did not create bonds that were strong enough to hold us together as a nation. So, the guys were charged with the task of amending the document. However, it became clear that something else was needed. Something else that would allow this grand experiment in democratic self-governance to take root and grow. Remember, that what these people were trying to do had really never been done before. Previously in the world, power had typically been vested in an individual from birth lineage or Devine providence. The guys in Philadelphia, however, were trying to strike the right balance between “We the People” and the necessary powers granted by the people to a government so that it could “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”. You see, not only are we a social species, but long ago our ancestors realized that it is better and safer to form societies and governments then it is to live individually in the woods trying to make it alone.
After lengthy heated deliberation and debate, and much compromise on all sides, the founding fathers crafted the Constitution of the United States of America. A brilliant document based upon a set of beliefs and ideals that are timeless and as relevant today as they were then. And, it is worth saying again that this was really the first time in human history that this was being attempted in this way.
Thinking again about dates and periods of time because of Jonathon’s extreme age, I researched how old our country is as compared with England. Presently, the United States is 244 years old. England was established 1,093 years ago. This experiment in governance, therefore, is still quite new.
I think if we listened to Jonathon, he would tell us to “chill out”. He would say, “hey, you guys are still pretty young, you’re trying to do something that has never been done before, but it is still really worth the effort, and you are having some growing pains”. He would tell us that governing, like life, is an evolutionary process. For example, he would point out how we grew and matured from originally not granting women the right to vote, and from the three fifths compromise that did not count the people of color with the same value and importance as “white people”.
Jonathon would remind us that unlike oaths of loyalty in the past, our fealty in this country is not to the president or party, it is to the Constitution, and the ideals and principles imbedded therein.
That old Dude watching from afar might gently mention how we just came through a brutal election cycle, and how there was cause for concern that We the People might be forgetting who our allegiance is to, and that sometimes the candidate we vote for does not win, but that does not mean we should turn our backs on what we are trying to achieve here. He might also remind us that in his farewell address George Washington warned that, amongst other things, “political factionalism” threatens the stability of the Republic. More specifically, with respect to political parties, President Washington said, “the common and continual mischief of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and the duty of wise people to discourage and restrain it”. Jonathon would remind us that while political parties are necessary, blind affiliation to party can be harmful to our democracy.
In the end, I think that Jonathon would tell us that, overall, we are on the right track, and that what we are trying to do here is extraordinarily important. However, he would tell us that the Union can flourish and mature only if we hold true to its underlying principles, and only if We the People ensure that the rights and privileges of living in this land apply fairly, equitably and equally to all regardless of race, creed, color, religion, sexual identity, sexual orientation, etc. That is the only way the social contract formed between We the People and the Constitution can remain vibrant and strong.
I think Jonathon would then say, “I’m tired now, go grow up and do your thing — you have all it takes to do what you need to do you just need the will to do it. Oh, and my secret to long life is eat lots of greens, stop and smell the roses every day, and stop making everything such a big deal because you all look alike to me”.
