For the Love of History

This is a bit of a rant, so feel free to skip this.  Also a warning for any die hard Republicans or Democrats, I do a little skewering of both sides here.

I am a historian, I love history.  We've moved so I could study it, it's part of who I am.  Needless to say I have something of a personal investment in the way that it is used and spoken of in the public sphere.   There are so many reasons to study our past, and while I'm not of the "doomed to repeat it" school of thought, I do think an understanding of history helps us understand the world in which we live in today.    (Studying history, for those of my readers who care about such things, is also something the scriptures encourage us to do.  In D&C 88: 78-79 in a list of things that should be "taught diligently" it lists "things which have been" and "the wars and perplexities of nations.")

I also think, though some in the academic field might look down their noses at such a statement, that if you love our country you need to celebrate the great achievements of our nation, while also being aware of its mistakes.   I am perhaps a bit more patriotic and emotional than many academic historians, but so what, I'm happy to admit that when I stood in the room in Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed I had to fight back tears, and that I had a similar experience at the Lincoln Memorial.    There are reasons to honor the past and feel deep gratitude towards the men and women who worked their very hardest and did their very best to create a great nation.

But, and here's where the rant comes in, if people want to use the American past for political reasons they at least need to get it right! Don't turn George Washington into the poster child for small government and conservative values, don't try to compare Barack Obama to Abraham Lincoln in order to boost his greatness – just don't.   (And I'm sorry to be specific and controversial here - but Sarah Palin needs a full time history tutor and a willingness to admit when she screws up.)

Is there a Founding Father who would back up conservative folks who want smaller government?  Oh, absolutely.  There are several – Thomas Jefferson for starters.   But I think clinging on to George Washington here shows a real misunderstanding of the complexity of federalism.

Is it potentially a cool bit of trivia that the three presidents who spent most of their lives in Illinois (Lincoln, Grant, Obama) have some kind of connection to solving racial discord in our country?  Sure.  But I'd like to point out that the only president born in Illinois was Ronald Reagan and, in addition, I don't think President Obama did much rail splitting in Honolulu.

PLEASE notice here that I am giving examples of both the "right" and the "left" doing this - this isn't a rant about politics, my political views would take a novel to explain, not a blog post – it's a rant about people using history but not bothering to study it.  History is complex and fascinating and wonderful, and by turning it into an inaccurate political sound bite, it diminishes its value to our nation.

Oh, and for the record, I think each time one of these politicians invokes our glorious past for their own purposes they need to donate ten dollars towards history scholarships or historical preservation.  Well, a girl can dream.  

The "Fish Out of Water" Manifesto

It seems like every so often in my life I battle a "fish out of water" problem when attending church.  This isn't about the gospel of Jesus Christ, or my testimony of the Book of Mormon, or my firm belief in the efficacy of prayer, or anything like that.  Those have always remained solid, and for that I feel blessed.

No, this is about the social, cultural, and I'll be honest, political, soup that sometimes comes as a package deal with attending church.  The gospel is perfect, but church members are people, and all of us, definitely including myself, are imperfect, and we don't check our personalities at the door.   I don't have kids, I'm chubby,  I'm a political independent who (in Utah anyway) skews Democrat, I can't sew or bake very well, and I see my own academic and professional work as part of what my Heavenly Father expects of me, even if it makes me unavailable for service projects from time to time.

Let me be clear, I don't think anyone, at all, is trying to make me feel out of place or excluded.  On the contrary, I routinely get compliments on my Sunday School lessons and if I've ever visibly been out of sorts, someone usually checks on me. When I had my surgery in the spring, we received multiple kind offers of help and support.  My ward is full of wonderful compassionate people, all of whom, I know, are also just doing their very best. 

But an awareness of this doesn't make those "fish out of water" feelings go away, in fact, it tends to make me feel guilty about them, which as I mentioned in a previous post, is not helpful. 

So what keeps me going every week?   Well the fact that right as I'm feeling like this President Monson gives this talk - http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1298-39,00.html  - about not being judgemental and critical of each other.  Or the Church becomes part of an act of political reasonableness like this http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700080754/Community-leaders-urge-moderate-approach-to-immigration-reform.html .  Or a fellow sister in the gospel, unaware of my own views, "confesses" to me that she is a Democrat and supports federally funded health care.

And though these things don't always make it easier to walk into Relief Society on Sunday, they remind me why it's worth doing.   It also reminds me to do my best to keep my fellow fish feeling safely in the pond.

15 Things I Love About America

Fortune Magazine made a list of 100 great things about America. Largely silly, and some of which I could do without (kegs? really?) it inspired me to think about the things I love about this country http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2010/07/02/100-great-things-about-america-part-1/?hpt=C2. So here they are 15 things - some serious, some less so - that I adore about the country of my birth

1. That the Founding Fathers created a Constitution and Bill of Rights so astounding that while it may not have initally included everyone, almost everyone has wanted to be included.

2. That Political disagreements are settled by words and court cases and not with guns and genocide.

3. Our diversity, of people and cultures yes, but also of the landscape. To have a country that can lay claim to Yellowstone, Death Valley and the Everglades is a pretty miraculous thing.

4. Religous Freedom.

5. That a girl born in a lower middle class home, to parents who didn't graduate from college, can currently be working on a PhD.

6. The Smithsonian Museums - they are free, they are amazing, and next week I'll get to go again!

7. (Something the Fortune List got Right) Drinks with Ice.

8. Country Music. Bring on the George Strait and the Brad Paisley,

9. That I live in a country where tacos, gyros, pizza and chow mein come via drive through and delivery

10. McDonalds.

11. American writers from high brow to low: Mark Twain, Shannon Hale, Emily Dickinson, Stephenie Meyer, Willa Cather, Langston Hughes, Sherman Alexie, Elizabeth Peters....

12. Popcorn.

13. The Statue of Liberty.

14. Road Trips. Yes I know road trips are possible in other countries, but our country is huge, loves cars, and has wierd and interesting places to visit.

15. Independence Day. At least once every year I have tears of gratitude and joy, and I'm delighted to have a holiday that requires me to remember to be thankful for where I live.

Civility

I've debated about posting a link to this, unwilling to add even a ripple to the raging political rapids that have often swirled around in my personal life, but some recent events have lead me to really value the council and perspective in this article.

http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-mormon-ethic-of-civility

My favorite passage from this article is:

"So many of the habits and conventions of modern culture — ubiquitous media, anonymous and unsourced online participation, politicization of the routine, fractured community and family life — undermine the virtues and manners that make peaceful coexistence in a pluralist society possible. The fabric of civil society tears when stretched thin by its extremities. Civility, then, becomes the measure of our collective and individual character as citizens of a democracy. "

I know I need to work on this myself, but I would hope that everyone, especially those of us who strive to be disciples of Christ would remember that no matter the forum or the medium (or how high profile the person being discussed) we are always talking to and/or about our brothers and sisters.

Taking the risk of a political comment

So I figured that since I posted a warm fuzzy temple post, I could risk a political comment. Also, hopefully this makes up for my relatively lame posts of late.

Though I'm not entirely jazzed about everything our new president has done in his first days I was very happy to hear that plans were in the works to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay. Any of you who have talked to me about politics know this was a major issue for me, as I felt it was that thing (like Wounded Knee and Japanese Internment) that our generation as going to be apologizing for forty years from now. While I may not entirely agree with all of President Obama's positions, this was one of the reasons I voted for him, so I'm glad to see follow through so early on.