In his recent book,
The American Soul: Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Founders, Jacob Needleman writes:
America
is … a philosophical identity composed of ideas of freedom, liberty,
independent thought, independent conscience, self-reliance, hard work,
justice. That is both the weakness and strength of America. To love
America is not to love one’s roots&mdashit is to love the flower
that has not yet blossomed, the fruit as yet unripened.
In
order to deepen our conversation about the American story, Needleman
urges attention to iconic figures such as Washington, Jefferson,
Franklin, Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Walt Whitman, who remind us
of founding ideals which may inspire our actions today. We must, he
says,
remythologize the idea of America.
But how?
Related Themes:
America,
hope,
myth,
spirituality
