“LET US NOT QUARREL AMONGST OURSELVES WHEN OUR NATION’S FUTURE IS AT STAKE.”

John Fitzgerald Kennedy
This Thanksgiving I was able to go to Dallas and spend
the holiday with my daughter and my son and daughter in
law. We met downtown and had a wonderful brunch and
as the day was cool and breezy, we decided to walk to
Dealy Plaza. Thanksgiving fell one day prior to the 54th
anniversary of the day Kennedy was shot. I was in Junior
High back then and a teacher came to our algebra class
and told us what had happened and that they were closing
school early.
I still have the tickertape that came across the wire
at my father’s newspaper that day. They called it “The
shots heard round the world” and indeed this was such
a tragic event, that to this day, the Plaza draws hundreds
of people every day. People bring tokens and lay them on
the different plaques. There are people who have learned
all about the occurrence and for a few dollars will tell you
their side of the tale; showing you pictures, explaining
the large green X’s stamped on the street to show where
each bullet hit. The expound on various conspiracy theories
and stress the historical significance, comparing it
to Lincoln’s assassination and 9/11. There is definitely
a sense of reverence as people wander from plaque to
plaque.
In 2013, to mark the 50th anniversary of his passing, a
new plaque was added which has a portion of the speech
he was to give later that day. It reads:
We in this country, in this generation, are — by destiny
rather than choice — the watchmen on the walls of world
freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of
our power and responsibility — that we may exercise our
strength with wisdom and restraint — and that we may
achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision
of “peace on earth, good will toward men.” That must
always be our goal — and the righteousness of our cause
must always underlie our strength. For as was written
long ago: “except the Lord keep the city, the watchman
waketh but in vain.”
As we grow older, each of us seems to long for a time
we remember as slower paced; where politicians were
more honorable, life was more orderly, and we were
innocents ready to take on the world. It is comforting
somehow, to be able to remember all the volatility as
more important, more precious and ourselves as more
daring, more passionate. But the truth is, things were
much like today. We were moved by heroic acts, horrified
by tremendous acts of violence. And we are no more
wise than we were then; no more passionate or daring.
We witness; we discuss, we choose our sides and mark
our territory. We still go to the places that mark our history
and for a few minutes, we remember the importance of
that moment and it resonates with us for a few hours or a
few days; and then we move on.
But there was something else President Kennedy was
going to say that day. It isn’t on a plaque and the words
are less comforting yet equally as inspiring and a little
prophetic. It reads:
“Neither the fanatics nor the faint-hearted are needed.
And our duty as a Party is not to our Party alone, but to
the nation, and, indeed, to all mankind. Our duty is not
merely the preservation of political power but the preservation
of peace and freedom.
So let us not be petty when our cause is so great. Let
us not quarrel amongst ourselves when our Nation’s
future is at stake.
Let us stand together with renewed confidence in our
cause — united in our heritage of the past and our hopes
for the future — and determined that this land we love
shall lead all mankind into new frontiers of peace and
abundance.”
In the light of all the revelations we are hearing about in
this time, we can acknowledge that Kennedy was far from
a perfect human being. We can even forgive him because
his sacrifice was so great. We can read the words and in
them, their prophetic rumblings and perhaps, we can
stand united against fanaticism in all its forms. We cannot
be faint of heart but recognize the oh, so important
role we play in bringing civility and respectful discourse
back into our conversations. We can step away from
pettiness and deny its power to distract and divide. And
once again, we can move as one in the knowledge that
our strength is in our diversity; our balance comes from
disparate voices, and our destiny is once again to be the
“watchmen on the walls of world freedom.”