by Marry Wakefield Buxton –
URBANNA —
Thanksgiving was different this year. Instead of the usual exuberant “three sister reunion” my husband and I stayed home alone and shared a scaled back dinner for two.
We missed the family festivity and especially the laughter that always comes when we three girls get together with the latest tales of what is happening in our lives, for some reason even difficulty and hardship become hilarious in each other’s magical presence, but we also enjoyed the new found peace and quiet. It was an almost religious affair. Our calm dinner gave us a chance to really concentrate on the gift of life and give heartfelt thanks for its many blessings.
I am reading the “Byzantium: The Early Years” by the brilliant English historian John Julius Norwich, describing the years of Roman Empire, both eastern and western realms, during the centuries of its decline circa 323 A.D. to 802 A.D. to the reign of Charlemagne. This was an interesting time with the folding Roman Empire and struggles of Christianity in attempts to solidify core beliefs. The creeds that many Christians still use today originated during this time.
One must wonder why readers of a small town newspaper in rural Virginia would want to read about what one writer’s opinion of what she sees as the lessons of Byzantium. Regardless, I forge ahead! Rather in the same spirit as Adm. David Farragut in his shout during the battle of Mobile Bay in August of 1864 when challenged by Confederate defenses. … “Damn those torpedoes, full speed ahead! (Which is the same advice I pass on to others who pursue the quest of the pen!)
What is Byzantium? Google defines it a noun, an ancient Greek city on the Bosporus: founded about 660 B.C. rebuilt by Constantine I in 330 A.D. called Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), which finally collapsed. The empire eventually split into east and west divisions ruled by more than one emperor and the Roman Empire finally collapsed when “barbarians” from the north captured Rome. Military defeat is never a pretty sight. Rome’s residents were literally murdered in the streets and in their homes.
Reading history teaches a constant chain of events: fight for power, warfare, defeat and slavery or death to the losers and … start over again. Human behavior remains constant too. Greed, lust, envy, pride … all the dark sides of humanity, keep popping up in every age. The bottom line is always constant too. Man never learns the lessons of survival.
Our republic, founded in 1776, is our experiment in search of the perfect government that allows for individual freedom and peace and prosperity, what all men want, and we have had a good run. We’ve had our ups and downs, major disagreements, turmoil, economic booms and busts, even a civil war along with other wars. But we’ve hung together with the help of a mighty Constitution that guaranteed basic individual rights to protect the people from government and irrational “mob emotion de jour.”
I’m half idealistic and half realistic. On one side I believe that in spite of history teaching us that all empires, (even republics) rise and fall, I still believe this dream we call “USA” can survive for all times. Even in spite of the dark side of human behavior, the qualities that we all share, what Shakespeare referred to as universal self-destructive human flaws … Hamlet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, King Lear … they all did themselves in by uncontrollable pride, lust, greed, and ambition. Even so, I still believe this nation can survive for all time.
I see Abraham Lincoln’s mighty words from his second inaugural address … “With Malice toward none, with charity for all” as my guiding light for optimism. Those words give hope and can guide us throughout our future.
For we cannot survive unless we teach tolerance to our people. Most Americans have individual ideas of how things should be but to survive we must be tolerant of others with other ideas. We must be willing to win and we must be willing to lose.
It seems to me that many Americans today are expecting to win all the time, have their ideas prevail over other ideas, and this rigidity, this polarization, this terrible partisanship that have poisoned our minds and gripped our people with the iron jaws of a steel trap will destroy us.
In the meantime my family sent text photos of their Thanksgiving celebrations in their own homes: I saw Georgia putting the turkey in the oven, my granddaughter with her latest style of purple hair dancing around the house in her new military black boots, leotards and a mini dress, Alice serving her pumpkin pie, Angus bringing in the Christmas tree and Liz and children decorating their tree.
Yet no Roman emperor, no matter how great or glorious, was able to save his empire and ever since many governments have come and gone. Perhaps Lincoln’s words can yet save us … “With malice toward none, with charity for all.”
© 2020
