Since Thanksgiving is nearly upon us, it seems appropriate to quote from the tombstone of William Bradford.
Bradford, governor of the Plymouth Colony on numerous occasions and author of the history of the Pilgrims' search for a place to practice their religion freely, was a smart man.
He had the good sense to write down the story of the English Separatists and their trials and travels. He also apparently sensed the fragility of his newly adopted way of life.
At the age of 67, Bradford died and is buried at Plymouth Burial Hill. His tombstone reads:
"Qua patres difficillime adepti sunt nolite turpiter relinquere."
“What our forefathers with so much difficulty secured, do not basely relinquish.”
What a pity this tidbit of near-prescient common sense is absent from so much of our national dialogue these days. Certainly you won't find it in any public school textbook.
With the exception of the brave men and women of the U.S. military who hourly give of their time and risk their lives on behalf of our country, we as a people sit idly by while our president traverses the globe, bowing, apologizing and, in some cases, kowtowing as he goes. We are slowly but surely "basely" relinquishing our national identity, our heritage, and even our history itself -- all in the name of progress, tolerance or diversity.
This Thanksgiving, read an account of Bradford's life. Read HIS account of the Pilgrims' struggles. Contemplate his remarks and observations in light of what we are today.
Then take a good look at what we have become and see if we haven't in fact fallen far short of the mark of excellence Bradford and his kind established nearly 400 years ago.
It's worse than embarrassing. It's a sin and a shame.
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