Essay:
Following World War II, the largest war in history, General J. M. Wainwright is credited for saying “Peace is a militant state, which is not secured by wishful thinking.... If we are to be sure of our liberty, we must be ready to fight for it.” General Wainwright’s proclamation was a reminder that this war, and all the sacrifices that had been made, were not in vain. He recognized that liberty requires work and sacrifice. All that was done in World War II has secured our liberties for our generation and beyond. Moreover, General Wainwright’s remarks were a call to continued action. Liberty and peace are not obtained by a single battle or war. They must be continually fought for both at home and abroad.
It has been more than sixty years since World War II ended; yet, General Wainwright’s words are just as true and relevant now as they were then, perhaps even more so. In recent years, it seems that many Americans have become more and more disillusioned with their government. Many are opposed to the policies of the Bush administration, and concerned about the future of our economy. The War in Iraq has now become unpopular among the majority of Americans. Perhaps most disconcerting is the seeming apathy or inaction of our country as a whole. Too often, we blame our government, and yet do nothing to change, or even try to change, it. We need to be reminded of General Wainwright’s declaration. We need to be reminded our country is our responsibility. We must be ready to fight for our peace and liberty. We must fight for them as individuals, as families, as communities, and as a nation.
In the current time, many people feel unconnected to our government — and many are. We must not forget that maintaining our liberties requires work from us as individuals, not just from some abstract entity that we call our nation. We are our nation. In a letter General Wainwright wrote to soldiers being discharged from the Army, he wrote “No American can afford to be disinterested in any part of his government, whether it is county, city, state, or nation.” We must take responsibility, and more importantly take action. We must, first of all, be informed so that we can make responsible actions. One of our simplest and most important responsibilities is to vote. In General Wainwright’s letter, we went on to say “Choose your leaders wisely - that is the way to keep ours the world for which you fought.” Electing wise leaders is the key to a successful democratic republic. Beyond simply voting, we must remember that all of our responsibilities as a nation are ultimately our responsibility as individuals. Individual action is the fundamental to any collective action.
As General Wainwright alluded to in his letter, many of the atrocities before and during World War II were largely born out of “hate and intolerance.” Many wars before and since have also been fueled by hate and intolerance; they are in opposition to peace. While America has made tremendous strides in recent decades, hate and intolerance are clearly still present. It is our job, individually and collectively to put an end to hate and intolerance. The area that individuals have the most influence is within their own family. If America is to continue to move forward, it is imperative that our children are raised to promote peace rather than hate. Moreover, children need to witness and be taught the importance of involvement. Thus, promoting peace and liberty is also our responsibility as families.
We also have responsibility to our communities. This responsibility calls for service to others and with others. In order to accomplish great tasks we must work together. We should not only be working in our communities, but as communities. In today’s world opportunities to join together in a common effort abound. With the advent of easy travel and communication, our communities are not bound to a local region. We now have the ability to connect and form diverse and widespread communities invested in a single interest. We have an unprecedented number of opportunities to make a difference in our government or social causes that we say are important. Despite all this, we are often too concerned with the minute details of our own lives to get involved in any of them. Yet, it is imperative that we become involved to change things that are wrong and to preserve the values we hold sacred. It is our job to speak out for those things that we believe in, as Gen. Wainwright said, “not for selfish things, but... for the rights of all people.” We cannot simply rely on our government or others to act. An anonymous quote says “‘I must do something’ always solves more problems than ‘Something must be done.’”
We must also defend our liberties as a nation, within our borders and beyond. Does this mean that we should support every decision our country makes? Certainly not. We are a country composed of many groups of people with different ideas of what is best for our country. There will certainly be policies that we oppose. Perhaps the most important decision our country has made recently, the decision to go to war, has met opposition from much of the country. The most disconcerting thing about the current war is not that so many Americans oppose it; it is that since going to war support has dropped dramatically. Many may have good reason for this; they feel mislead by government officials for reasons for starting the war. Others may oppose it because it has become a financial burden on our economy. It is not my intent to argue for or against the current war, but I do believe that we must remember, that wars are not quick, simple, or cheap. They will require sacrifice from the nation. For most of us who are not called to fight overseas, those sacrifices are very small. We should, when necessary, be willing to make them. Wars are costly, to taxpayers and incomparably to families and individuals. Therefore, we must also remember use utmost discretion in engaging in them, and seek peace by diplomatic means. This is why it is critical to be involved in influencing our country’s decision making at every level.
It is reported that while leaving the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was approached by a woman who asked what form of government had been established. Franklin replied “A republic, if you can keep it.” A republic is not a perpetual motion machine. It requires continual maintenance in order to keep it. It requires that we work individually and collectively to preserve and improve our communities and our nation. Taking an active role in our government is not only a privilege of living in a democratic republic: it is our duty. In General Wainwright’s letter to soldiers leaving the Army, he reminded the soldiers —now civilians — “Opportunity for leadership is yours. The responsibility is yours.”
