It's been taking me a very long time to do my 12-14 page research paper on Watergate and public opinion about the president and the government. About a couple of weeks ago, I came across Nixon's speech on his departure from the White House. At first I just skimmed through the speech, because I had to find something valuable for my paper. But after reading it again, I found something so incredible and valuable for our lives. Nixon, saying something valuable? What? Uhm, he was a crook, and a liar!!! Yes, I know, but maybe we can learn something from people like that.
After Nixon's Watergate scandal blew out of the water, he had no way to finish his second term in office. He had to resign. On August 9th 1974, Nixon gave his last speech as president of the United States. Nixon was heart-broken to lose the presidency that he worked hard for. I'm not sure if his words were sincere or not, I'm not to judge, only God could do that. And let me make this straight, I'm not an "Anti-Nixon" or "Pro-Nixon" but I did admire his speech. I also feel that Nixon had left a valuable lesson that he learned when he had to resign from office.
August 9, 1974
"...this quote is about a young man. He was a young lawyer in New York. He had married a beautiful girl, and they had a lovely daughter, and then suddenly she died, and this is what he wrote. This was in his diary.
He said, "She was beautiful in face and form and lovelier still in spirit. As a flower she grew and as a fair young flower she died. Her life had been always in the sunshine. There had never come to her a single great sorrow. None ever knew her who did not love and revere her for her bright and sunny temper and her saintly unselfishness. Fair, pure and joyous as a maiden, loving, tender and happy as a young wife. When she had just become a mother, when her life seemed to be just begun and when the years seemed so bright before her, then by a strange and terrible fate death came to her. And when my heart's dearest died, the light went from my life forever."
That was T.R. in his twenties. He thought the light had gone from his life forever—but he went on. And he not only became President but, as an ex-President, he served his country, always in the arena, tempestuous, strong, sometimes wrong, sometimes right, but he was a man.
And as I leave, let me say, that is an example I think all of us should remember. We think sometimes when things happen that don't go the right way; we think that when you don't pass the bar exam the first time—I happened to, but I was just lucky; I mean, my writing was so poor the bar examiner said, "We have just got to let the guy through." We think that when someone dear to us dies, we think that when we lose an election, we think that when we suffer a defeat that all is ended. We think, as T.R. said, that the light had left his life forever.
Not true. It is only a beginning, always. The young must know it; the old must know it. It must always sustain us, because the greatness comes not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes and you are really tested, when you take some knocks, some disappointments, when sadness comes, because only if you have been in the deepest valley can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain."
Full Speech
1 comment:
I think that people change during the course of time as they grow in their lives. As you can see, when you were young, you were an innocent child who knew nothing of the "world" and those evil things until you're exposed to it.
Sometimes, we think, I want to save the world, I am going to become president of the US and turn that administration around. When you are on your road to that presidency, you see that people are different, they are jealous, envious, liars, schemers, backstabbers. All the things, we as Christians are not supposed to be.
So what happens then? If you want to get to that Presidency, you have to play the game; and that game is dirty. I'm not justifying the actions of someone who does wrong in exchange to reach their goal, but society or "politics" is not fair. Why do you think that phrase "that’s politics" is always overused?
As far as Nixon, would he have been sorry if he wouldn’t have been caught? Who knows? All I know is that we as humans will take advantage of any opportunity to do something for ourselves, disregarding the possible consequence, in order to get what we want.
That is why we find ourselves walking in circles. You may be good and honest, but if you want to “succeed” living in the society we live in, you have to conform to some of the rules that are played.
Why not? Some Christians carry around their PBA card to get out of a ticket from a cop, some like to take advantage of the benefits of being a member of a church (being a Christian has advantages to finding a reputable person – Christian business listings Shepard’s Guide – Radio & TV advertisements for services)
There are so many things that we do, even if it’s not in front of an entire nation.
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